Transforming the tourism experience: Virtual Reality for customer loyalty in the tourism industry

Abstract

Background Today, the tourism sector in particular is becoming increasingly competitive, forcing companies to adopt innovative approaches to attract the attention of consumers. In this context, a virtual reality application is presented with the aim of strengthening brand loyalty through immersive experiences in tourism companies. Methods The development was divided into three phases: planning, implementation and operation, which emphasized close collaboration with stakeholders to adapt to changing requirements; implementation, which focused on a simple design with emphasis on creating a scalable and secure backend architecture; and finally, in the operation phase, two iterations were carried out. The first focused on creating an immersive virtual environment with intuitive interfaces and basic interactive elements. The second iteration enhanced these basic features and incorporated advanced features such as greater interactivity with virtual objects for a more realistic experience. Results A 66.36% increase in brand loyalty was achieved, demonstrating increased customer engagement and sustainable revenue generation. There was also a 65.48% increase in customer retention, indicating a continued willingness to purchase services from this brand. In addition, 78.15% of participants expressed a high level of satisfaction with the virtual reality experience. Conclusions This research contributes to the process of inclusive and sustainable industrialization by improving infrastructure and making industries more sustainable. This will be achieved by making more efficient use of resources and promoting the adoption of technologies.