13 Virtual reality in tourism: assessing the authenticity, advantages, and disadvantages of VR tourism

The travel and tourism sectors were a major economic driver before the spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 has had a profound impact on the tourist industry, notably in the areas of marketing, sustainability, and virtual worlds, even if VR is still a relatively young development in the sector. Virtual reality (VR) is often believed to provide visitors with the “perfect” vacation. This is due to the elimination of all drawbacks experienced by visitors to traditional tourist destinations. Despite VR’s advantages and growing popularity, an important issue remains: will VR spell the death of traditional tourism, or is it only the beginning? This chapter examines the intersection between tourism and technology, with an emphasis on the part played by VR. The purpose of this chapter is to investigate whether VR tourism can replace traditional tourism or represents a distinct subset of the tourist industry. Tourism is placed and contextualized inside the VR domain, and the origins and evolution of VR are investigated in order to assess this astounding change in an ancient industry. It investigates the validity of the VR tourist experience and the pros and cons of it.