Interpreting the perceptions of authenticity in virtual reality tourism through postmodernist approach

Abstract

Based on the authenticity theory and limited extant research on virtual reality (VR) tourism experience, this study aims to extend authenticity theory by focusing on perceptions of authenticity from postmodernist approach and developing a theoretical framework for tourists participating in VR tourism experience. In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 respondents, and thematic analysis was adopted to analyze the data. Through inductive and deductive data analysis, three main themes are extracted, and six sub-themes are generated, helping to form a framework of authenticity in VR tourism. The findings contribute both to be authenticity theory and VR tourism implication.