Effects of Virtual Tour Guide Performance, Trust, and Satisfaction on Youth's Behavioral Intentions: A Path Modeling Approach

Abstract

Many scholars recognize the pivotal role of tour guides in crafting the total tourism experience. In the new normal, because of limited mobility, quarantine restrictions, and the fear of getting infected with coronavirus when traveling, virtual tour guiding was introduced to ignite the interests of tourists for future visits. Using PLS-SEM, the study proposed a model on the relationships of virtual tour guide performance, trust, and satisfaction on youths' intentions to visit and recommend Intramuros, a world-renowned tourist attraction in the Philippines. A survey questionnaire was administered to young virtual tourists of Central Luzon and results concluded that virtual tour guiding may serve as the foundation of a very successful marketing campaign for a destination in the post-pandemic world because it was an antecedent of tourist behaviors and intentions. The re-training and upskilling of virtual tour guides in both tour and experience management to ensure satisfaction is essential as the tourism industry is evolving. This is evidenced by the development of SMART destinations.