Meet Your Digital Twin in Space? Profiling International Expat’s Readiness for Metaverse Space Travel, Tech-Savviness, COVID-19 Travel Anxiety, and Travel Fear of Missing Out

Umer Zaman, Inhyouk Koo, Saba Abbasi, Syed Hassan Raza and Madeeha Gohar Qureshi
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Umer Zaman: Endicott College of International Studies (ECIS), Woosong University, Daejeon 34606, Korea
Inhyouk Koo: Endicott College of International Studies (ECIS), Woosong University, Daejeon 34606, Korea
Saba Abbasi: Department of Management Sciences, National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Syed Hassan Raza: Department of Communication Studies, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
Madeeha Gohar Qureshi: Department of Economics, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: The metaverse promises an unimaginable future for digital travelers by enabling them to gain unique experiences (e.g., space travel) that would otherwise be impossible in non-virtual reality. Moreover, COVID-19 travel anxiety has triggered growing interest in virtual environments (e.g., metaverse travel) in the aftermath of the pandemic. The cost-conscious and tech-savvy behavior of travelers has been resurrected in the ‘new normal’; however, the fear of missing out (FOMO) is now dictating travelers’ choices for newness, immersive and rewarding travel experiences. To address these emerging trends, promising new technologies, and untested relationships, the present study explored the effects of COVID-19 travel anxiety on the readiness for metaverse space travel. In addition, the moderating influence of tech savviness and travel FOMO was tested on this relationship. Drawing on data of international expats ( N = 386) in UAE, the finding based on structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that the international expat’s readiness for metaverse space travel is positively influenced by their COVID-19 travel anxiety. Moreover, expats with high tendencies of travel FOMO and tech savviness will experience a stronger impact of COVID-19 travel anxiety on their readiness for metaverse space travel. These novel findings guided by prominent theories (e.g., self-determination, SOR, and protection motivation) offer new insights for policy makers and practitioners to strategically achieve digital-tourism transformation and sustainability through emerging and immersive metaverse technologies.

Keywords: metaverse; space travel; digital tourism sustainability; tech savviness; travel FOMO; COVID-19 travel anxiety; virtual reality; post-COVID-19 tourism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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