Satisfaction and religiosity in 5DVR Islamic tourism: extending the theory of planned behaviour

Purpose This study aims to examine how five-dimensional virtual reality (5DVR) influences Muslim tourists’ intentions to visit Islamic heritage destinations, focusing on satisfaction as an affective mechanism and religiosity as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach Using a cross-sectional post-experience survey, data were collected from 175 Indonesian Muslim tourists who experienced “VR Journey Indonesia”, a 5DVR simulation of Islamic heritage sites. The relationships among attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, satisfaction, religiosity and behavioural intentions were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Findings Antecedent predictors, including tourist attitudes towards the 5DVR experience, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control, significantly affected 5DVR satisfaction, which predicted intentions to visit real destinations and recommend 5DVR. Religiosity had a significant but small moderating effect on the satisfaction–visit intention relationship. However, religiosity did not significantly moderate recommendation intention, suggesting that it is more relevant to decisions regarding actual visit intentions than intentions to recommend a virtual experience. Practical implications 5DVR can be an effective Islamic destination marketing tool when designed to foster positive attitudes, perceived control and user satisfaction. Developers and marketers should prioritise engaging, accessible and culturally sensitive experiences that strengthen satisfaction, thereby encouraging physical visitation and recommendations. Originality/value This study extends the theory of planned behaviour by incorporating satisfaction as an affective mechanism and religiosity as a moderator. It demonstrates how immersive digital experiences can foster authentic and faith-aligned behavioural intentions in Islamic tourism.