Virtual Reality Reducing Cognitive Load in Travel Planning

Abstract

Planning and executing a vacation can be an exhausting process. Several factors influence vacation planning. The most important factors are the destination and the accommodation. People face difficulties in deciding the destination that allows them to experience the location with a suitable accommodation. Social media plays a crucial role in promoting different destinations and providing associated travel information influencing travelers to finalize a location. Deciding the location on the bases of online content often causes disappointment. Virtual reality has been proven earlier to enhance the experience and streamline the way information is presented to the viewer. This research aims at exploring the possibility of including further technological advancements to reduce the extraneous cognitive load taken by a tourist while planning a vacation. The objective of the research is to understand the multi-stage process in tour planning in order to aid stress free and quicker travel planning. The data was collected by survey and interviews to note the travel routine and understand the process of decision making and the reasons leading to informational overload while planning a trip. The data collected was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Enhancing the tourist’s experience by incorporating technology in the tourism industry reduce the bombardment of irrelevant visuals and information and simplify the decision making process. Incorporating virtual reality in the planning stage of a vacation will increase the confidence of the tourist in their travel decisions and encourage them to explore a wider variety of options in lesser time before booking.