Exploring Regenerative Tourism Using Media Richness Theory: Emerging Role of Immersive Journalism, Metaverse-Based Promotion, Eco-Literacy, and Pro-Environmental Behavior

Xiaozhe Hui, Syed Hassan Raza, Sanan Waheed Khan, Umer Zaman () and Emenyeonu C. Ogadimma
Additional contact information
Xiaozhe Hui: Intercultural Communication Research Center, Hebei University, Baoding 071000, China
Syed Hassan Raza: Institute of Media and Communication Studies, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
Sanan Waheed Khan: School of Multimedia Technology and Communication, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok 06010, Malaysia
Umer Zaman: Endicott College of International Studies (ECIS), Woosong University, Daejeon 34606, Republic of Korea
Emenyeonu C. Ogadimma: College of Communication, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-20

Abstract: The evolving tourism industry and increasing number of travelers are not only raising environmental concerns about tourism sites, but also posing challenges for local communities. In this scenario, the notion and agenda for sustainable tourism are widely criticized due to their limited scope and emphasis on creating a balance between economic and adverse environmental and communal benefits. In response, the call for a necessary paradigm transformation has become intense. Consequently, a new approach—regenerative tourism—has been developed to create awareness about pro-environmental behavior to satisfy the primary needs of the community. Regenerative tourism supports the quality of life of local people. Therefore, there is a great need to promote eco-literacy through innovative and better audience experience-laden communication strategies, such as immersive journalism and metaverse-based promotional content. However, little is known about how these future technologies interplay with psychological and social mechanisms to enhance regenerative tourism intention. Drawing an analogy from pro-environmental theory and media richness theory, this research intends to identify whether virtual, augmented reality merger (i.e., immersive journalism), and metaverse-based environmental delineations may contribute to educating tourists and lead to regenerative tourism intention. This research was carried out using a cross-sectional online survey that collected data from 776 digital media users from Pakistan who plan to visit a destination or have done so previously. The results from the data, based on structural equation modeling, suggested that immersive journalism and metaverse-based regenerative tourism promotion are communication strategies that effectively enhance eco-literacy and lead to pro-environmental behavior. However, dispositional empathy has critical moderating implications; the greater the extent of the empathy concerns that individuals uphold, the stronger the eco-literacy and pro-environmental behavior. Finally, regenerative tourism intention can be predicted by these antecedents effectively. Therefore, these pioneer results confirmed that innovative technology-driven media content can augment awareness of regenerative tourism activities and transform travelers’ intention to adopt regenerative practices during destination visits. This research suggests strategic guidelines for organizations and governments to implement practical, innovative, and communicative tools that support adopting regenerative practices among prospective travelers.

Keywords: immersive journalism; metaverse; regenerative tourism; eco-literacy; dispositional empathy; sustainable tourism; pro-environmental theory; media richness theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/6/5046/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/6/5046/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:6:p:5046-:d:1095363

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().