The Role and Future of Metaverse in Travel Agencies

Introduction

Rapid and striking developments in information and communication technologies have affected many sectors and have led the tourism sector to change drastically. The digital paradigm of these developments reflected in the tourism sector is the concept of metaverse tourism after concepts such as e-tourism and smart tourism (Gretzel, 2021; Gretzel & Koo, 2021; Koo et al., 2023). The metaverse is a term coined by Neal Stephenson in his science fiction novel Snow Crash in 1992. In the perspective of that novel, the metaverse is an all-encompassing virtual world parallel to the physical world (Koo et al., 2023). On the other hand, Dwivedi et al. (2022) define the metaverse as a technology that has the potential to enhance the physical world using augmented and virtual reality technologies, allowing users to interact seamlessly in actual and simulated environments using avatars and holograms. Virtual environments and immersive games are precursors of the metaverse (Koo et al., 2023). The different transfer of reality to virtual environments explains the Metaverse.

The tourism sector is seen as a sector where metaverse applications will be used frequently, as it is a highly experiential field that requires people to search for information intensively (Dwivedi et al., 2022). Metaverse refers to exploration and participation in large, virtually shared environments that simulate immersive travel experiences through virtual avatars (Shin & Kang, 2024). Tourism products and experiences are difficult to evaluate because they are intangible. Touristic consumers seek information from different sources to experience and compare possible options (Buhalis et al., 2023). Metaverse offers travelers the opportunity to experience destinations and operations before they arrive (Buhalis et al., 2022). Metaverse tours are built on existing virtual tours that use these technologies with 360-degree or 3D modality. By facilitating simultaneous interaction with other agents and objects in a virtual destination, psychological and physiological experience is allowed through the embodiment of the avatar. Thus, travelers, i.e. touristic consumers, have the chance to get to know tourism services. Accordingly, their expectations and intentions to participate are shaped.

In the tourism sector, the metaverse empowers access to virtual resources to enhance consumer experience and destination satisfaction while physically in destinations. For example, visitors can use augmented (XR) devices to experience an ancient ceremony in an archaeological temple or a volcano eruption (Rauschnabel, 2022). On the other hand, virtual concerts, digital shopping, exhibitions are actively organized in the metaverse world (Wang et al., 2022). Metaverse tourism can also be a sustainable form of tourism that reduces environmental and ecological damages caused by excessive tourism (Go & Kang, 2023). In addition, socially vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities or physical challenges, may consider metaverse travel as an alternative form of travel. Metaverse is important in terms of expanding the scope of tourism activities.