Impact of Virtual Reality Applications on the Mental Image of the Egyptian Tourist Destination

The global development of technology and the emergence of many new technologies, including virtual reality technology, which provides a virtual experience for tourists with interactive features and an easy-to-use interface, have become important tools in enhancing the experience of tourists and influencing their decisions. Therefore, this research aims to study the impact of using virtual reality applications on the mental image of the Egyptian tourist destination, as it has become possible to provide immersive experiences to tourist destinations without the need for actual travel, which raises questions about the extent to which this technology can improve the mental image of Egypt as a tourist destination. The research focuses on measuring the impact of virtual reality experience on tourists ' perception of the Egyptian tourist destination. The research is based on the descriptive-analytical approach, in which data were collected from a sample of tourists through questionnaires, data was entered and analyzed using SPs v.26, and the extent to which the experience of virtual reality influenced the components of the mental image was studied. The study reached several conclusions, the most important of which is that virtual reality technology has a positive effect on the formation of the mental image of Egyptian tourist destinations. The research provides recommendations for updating marketing strategies by integrating virtual reality technology into Egypt’s tourism promotion campaigns to enhance the mental image of the destination and attract potential tourists.