Virtual technology presents new avenues for landscape tourism, particularly in remote or ecologically vulnerable wilderness areas. Grounded in the S-O-R (Stimulus-Organism-Response) model, this study aims to investigate how specific features of virtual wilderness influence users’ psychological responses and subsequent pro-environmental intentions. A total of 519 valid responses were obtained through an online survey following participants’ engagement with a designated VR panorama wilderness video. Structural equation modeling (SEM), conducted using AMOS, confirmed the validity of the proposed theoretical model. The results demonstrate that both interactivity and imagination significantly enhance users’ aesthetic psychological responses and ecological attitudes. Furthermore, aesthetic experiences are positively associated with ecological awareness, and both factors contribute meaningfully to pro-environmental behavioral intentions. This study contributes to the growing literature on virtual environmental experiences by: (1) introducing aesthetic psychology as a mediating construct in the relationship between VR exposure and environmental responsibility; (2) developing and validating a novel, context-specific measurement scale for aesthetic psychology; and (3) extending the application of the S-O-R framework to virtual environmental settings, thereby providing a novel perspective on environmentally responsible tourism behaviors. The findings offer practical implications for landscape tourism stakeholders and environmental organizations, supporting strategies that effectively balance commercial objectives with ecological sustainability.
Miao et al. (Wed,) studied this question.