From digital imagination to real-world exploration: a study on the influence factors of VR-based reconstruction of historical districts on tourists’ travel intention in the field

This study examines the influence of virtual reality (VR) technology in reconstructing historical districts on tourists’ travel intentions. It focuses on the role of imagination as a key psychological process, an aspect not fully explored in current research. The study constructs and validates an integrated model investigating how three core technical features of VR-based historical district reconstruction (information richness, ease of use, and interaction authenticity) influence learning benefits and field travel intention through users’ cognitive processes (elaboration and imagination quality). Usability testing and structural equation modeling methods were employed to analyze data from 513 participants, examining the relationships between VR environment features and tourists’ cognitive experiences. Results indicate that the VR environment’s information richness, ease of use, and interaction authenticity significantly promote tourists’ elaboration and imagination quality. These cognitive processes, in turn, positively affect learning benefits and field travel intention. While learning benefits do not directly impact field travel intention, this finding enriches the theoretical framework of VR technology in tourism behavior research, revealing the important mediating role of cognitive processes. The study provides empirical support for digital preservation of historical districts and VR experience design, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to content richness, interface usability, and interaction authenticity in VR development to maximize tourists’ cognitive engagement and enhance travel motivation.