The Behavioral Intention of Young Travelers to Use Virtual Reality Technology in Cultural Tourism Destinations: An Application of Technology Acceptance Model

Technology plays a crucial role in safeguarding cultural and heritage assets for tourism destinations. Despite youths' apparent technological proficiency, there has been limited research on their intention to use virtual reality (VR) in such settings. This study stands as one of the pioneering efforts to examine young individuals' behavioral intention to utilize VR technology in cultural heritage tourism destinations within the Borneo region, specifically Sarawak. Drawing from the concept of the technology acceptance model, this study investigates how various factors of perceived usefulness (such as accessibility to information, information quality, and media richness) and perceived ease of use (such as interactivity) influence the behavioral intention to use VR technology in cultural tourism settings. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and WarpPLS were used for data analysis. This study gathered data from 250 valid responses from young visitors at cultural tourism sites in Sarawak, Malaysia. Employing a quantitative methodology, the interrelationships among the study variables were examined through partial least squares - structural equation modelling. The current research reveals that young individuals prioritize factors such as information quality, media richness, and interactivity when considering their intention to use VR technology in cultural tourism destinations. However, the accessibility of information was not found to be a significant concern. This study lies in its focus on the Borneo region, offering new insights into the adoption of VR technology in cultural heritage tourism among youths.