Older adults’ user experience of virtual tourism: exploring presence and experiential value with respect to age difference

Virtual tourism or VR tourism has attracted great attention for its ability to simulate real-world experiences at a much lower cost and safer than actual travel. However, previous studies have mainly targeted young people or studies on older adults did not compare different age groups with both quantitative and qualitative methods. This study analyzed empirical user experiences of VR tourism via head-mounted displays (HMDs) by age group, with particular focus on experiential values, presence, and cybersickness. It was found that older adults perceived higher experiential values and presence than younger people and experienced less cybersickness, which is in contrast to previous research suggesting that susceptibility to VR sickness may increase with age. Furthermore, many older adults considered that virtual tourism can be an alternative to actual travel. This study addresses the effectiveness and applicability of VR tourism in older demographics and its potential contribution to their welfare.