Immersive experience construction in ancient city tourism: An exploratory study based on grounded theory

Ran Li; Nor Zarifah Maliki; Zhe Wang

doi:10.30822/arteks.v11i3.5253

Authors

Ran Li University of Science Malaysia , Department of Economic Management, Handan University
Nor Zarifah Maliki University of Science Malaysia
Zhe Wang Beijing Hanzhilv Consulting Co.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30822/arteks.v11i3.5253

Keywords:

Ancient city tourism, Grounded theory, Immersive experience, Theoretical construction, Tourism experience

Abstract

In the context of cultural and tourism integration, tourists increasingly pursue deep cultural perception and immersive participation at destinations. As significant carriers of cultural heritage, ancient city tourist attractions face the need for experiential upgrading. Leveraging strong narrative appeal and interactive participation, immersive experiences can not only evoke tourists' emotional resonance and form lasting experiential memories but also help promote the high-quality development of cultural consumption. Taking a typical ancient city scenic spot as a case study, this research employs the grounded theory method. Through systematic coding and analysis of tourist interview data, a theoretical framework for immersive experiences in ancient city tourist attractions is constructed, encompassing "six main aspects and fifteen dimensions." The study indicates that to effectively leverage the value of immersive experiences, ancient city scenic spots require scientific design and coordination across multiple aspects, including market positioning, experience forms, scene creation, and environmental integrity. The conclusions provide theoretical references and practical pathways for ancient city-type scenic spots to develop cultural IP, enhance tourism appeal, and promote business model innovation and sustainable development.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Blumenthal, Veronica, and O. Gjerald. 2022. “‘You Just Get Sucked into It’: Extending the Immersion Process Model to Virtual Gameplay Experiences in Managed Visitor Attractions.” Leisure Studies 41 (5): 722–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2022.2049627.

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. 1975. Beyond Boredom and Anxiety. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. 1990. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper Perennial.

Fan, Xiaojun, Xinyu Jiang, and Nianqi Deng. 2022. “Immersive Technology: A Meta-Analysis of Augmented/Virtual Reality Applications and Their Impact on Tourism Experience.” Tourism Management 91 (August):104534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104534.

Glaser, Barney G., and Anselm L. Strauss. 1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago: Aldine.

He, Xinpeng. 2022. “An Empirical Analysis of Factors Influencing the Impact of Virtual Reality (VR) Immersive Experience on Tourist Behavio.” Nanchang University.

Hua, Jian, and Chen Qinghe. 2019. “Immersive Experience: A New Business Format Integrating Culture and Technology.” Journal of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition) 21 (5): 18–32.

Jennett, Charlene, Anna L. Cox, Paul Cairns, Samira Dhoparee, Andrew Epps, Tim Tijs, and Alison Walton. 2008. “Measuring and Defining the Experience of Immersion in Games.” International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 66 (9): 641–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2008.04.004.

Jiang, ZiMing, and HongWei Tu. 2023. “Does Sincere Social Interaction Stimulate Tourist Immersion? A Conservation of Resources Perspective.” Journal of Travel Research 62 (2): 469–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875211067549.

Liang, Sai, Jiajia Tian, Jianchao Diao, and Chunxiao Li. 2023. “Research on Emotional Heterogeneity of Tourist Online Ratings and Influencing Factors Based on Three-Dimensional Theory.” Nankai Business Review 4:223–33, 256.

Lunardo, Renaud, and Frédéric Ponsignon. 2020. “Achieving Immersion in the Tourism Experience: The Role of Autonomy, Temporal Dissociation, and Reactance.” Journal of Travel Research 59 (7): 1151–67. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287519878509.

Ma, Zexin, Rong Ma, Meng Chen, and Nathan Walter. 2023. “Present, Empathetic, and Persuaded: A Meta-Analytic Comparison of Storytelling in High versus Low Immersive Mediated Environments.” Human Communication Research 50 (1): 27–38. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqad030.

Mafengwo. 2023. “2023 Tourism Big Data Report.” 2023. https://www.digitaling.com/articles/1016742.html.

Nilsson, Niels Christian, Rolf Nordahl, and Stefania Serafin. 2016. “Immersion Revisited: A Review of Existing Definitions of Immersion and Their Relation to Different Theories of Presence.” Human Technology 12 (2): 108–34. https://doi.org/10.17011/ht/urn.201611174652.

People’s Daily. 2019. “New Tourism Formats with Strong Participation Rise, Immersive Tourism Brings New Experiences.” 2019. https://news.cctv.com/2019/11/20/ARTIJeRq5NoFk1cUlXz9KGRN191120.shtml.

Pine, B. Joseph, and James H. Gilmore. 1998. “Welcome to the Experience Economy.” Harvard Business Review 7:97–105.

Robaina-Calderín, Lorena, Josefa D. Martín-Santana, and Francisco Muñoz-Leiva. 2023. “Immersive Experiences as a Resource for Promoting Museum Tourism in the Z and Millennials Generations.” Journal of Destination Marketing & Management 29 (September):100795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2023.100795.

Song, Ziqian. 2022. “Technology Leads High-Quality Tourism Development During the ‘14th Five-Year Plan’ Period.” Tourism Tribune 35 (6): 10–12.

Wu, Xinyang, Xuecheng Liang, Xincheng Zhang, Nan Gao, and Xiao Song. 2024. “Tourist Immersion: Conceptualization, Scale Development, and Validation.” Tourism Science 38 (9): 59–77.

Xie, Shuhong. 2024. “Research on Factors Influencing Satisfaction with Immersive Experiences in Anxi Tea Manor.” Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University.

Xie, Yanjun. 2017. Tourism Experience Research: A Phenomenological Perspective. Beijing: China Travel & Tourism Press.

Yan, Liang, Tomohiro Fukuda, and Nobuyoshi Yabuki. 2019. “Intergrating UAV Development Technology with Augmented Reality toward Landscape Tele-Simulation.” In Intelligent and Informed: Proceedings of the 24th International Conference, 423–32. https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.caadria.2019.1.423.

Yu, Zhiyuan, and Yue Liu. 2021. “The Formation of Residents’ Sense of Place in Ethnic Village Tourism Destinations from the Perspective of Community Tourism Participation.” Tourism and Hospitality Prospects 1:23–42.

Zhang, Bingchao. 2022. “Tourists’ Immersive Experience: Conceptualization, Driving Factors, and Effects.” Dongbei University of Finance and Economics.

Zhang, Chenyan. 2020. “The Why, What, and How of Immersive Experience.” IEEE Access 8:90878–88. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2993646.

Zhang, Zheng, and Chenxu Liu. 2024. “Cultural Common Sense: Transcendental Feeling and Creative Understanding in Immersive Cultural Consumption Experience.” Journal of Tongji University (Social Science Edition) 35 (3): 30–39.

Zou, Jun, Zhen Zhang, Liguo Yang, Ying Pan, and Siqin Zou. 2023. “Consumptive Heritage of Tourist Ancient Towns: Characteristics, Mechanisms, and Effect Measurement.” Human Geography 4:165–75.