The mediating role of tele-presence in the relationship between virtual tour service atmosphere and behavioral intention

Due to the nature of tourism products, tourists make travel plans under uncertainty. 360-degree virtual tours, one of the non-immersive virtual reality applications, are used both to reduce this uncertainty and for tourism marketing. However, the literature examining the psychological mechanism between 360-degree virtual tour experience and users' behavioral intentions is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the relationship between virtual tour service atmosphere and users' behavioural intentions and the mediating role of telepresence, which is explained as "the feeling of being there" in the mediated environment, in this relationship. In line with the determined purpose, the 360-degree virtual tour of Eskişehir Turkish World Science, Culture and Art Centre was selected as the research area. In line with the determined purpose, the 360-degree virtual tour of Eskişehir Turkish World Science, Culture and Art Center was chosen as the research area. After removing missing and erroneous data, 465 survey forms were analyzed. The data were analyzed with the SmartPLS 4 package program and the findings were interpreted. As a result of the research, the information quality, speed and background music of the 360-degree virtual tour; It has been determined that it has positive effects on users' intentions to visit the destination and use virtual tours. In addition, it was concluded that the feeling of tele-presence obtained from the 360-degree virtual tour experience had positive effects on the behavioral intentions of the users. In addition, the mediating role of the feeling of telepresence in the relationship between the quality of information presented in the 360-degree virtual tour and the speed of the virtual tour and users' intention to continue using and visiting virtual tours was confirmed.