Promotion vs. Prevention: A Regulatory Focus Perspective on Sustainable Virtual Reality Use in Cultural Heritage

Virtual Reality (VR) offers immersive and emotionally engaging experiences that can enhance cultural heritage tourism and support sustainability (Guttentag, 2010). Despite its potential, adoption remains limited, with barriers such as technical unfamiliarity coexisting alongside motivations like curiosity and experiential enrichment (Zeng et al., 2022; Sousa et al., 2024; Wen et al., 2023). Prior research has mainly focused on technological aspects, overlooking psychological drivers of adoption. Drawing on Regulatory Focus Theory (Higgins, 1997), this study examines how promotion- and prevention-focused tourists differ in their willingness to adopt VR in cultural visits.