Journey beyond reality: The influence of Metaverse experiences and historical storytelling

This research examines how Metaverse experience, historical storytelling, and tourist happiness within the Hoi An Metaverse influence virtual tourists’ intentions to escape to the Metaverse and visit Hoi An's cultural heritage sites. Using Stimulus–Organism–Response theory and the Theory of Reasoned Action and Interactionism, the study analyzes these factors’ effects on tourist behavior. A purposive sample of 407 international and Vietnamese virtual tourists was surveyed through travel agencies. The hypotheses tested include the impact of Metaverse experiences, historical storytelling, nostalgic emotion, and tourist happiness on virtual tourists’ intentions to visit Hoi An's cultural heritage sites, with interactivity as a moderator and intentions to escape to the Metaverse as a mediator. Findings reveal that these factors positively affect tourists’ intentions, with interactivity moderating the relationships between the Metaverse experience, nostalgia, and happiness. This study offers insights for improving virtual tourism experiences and promoting cultural heritage tourism, especially for intangible assets.