Examining Tourists’ Adoption of 360° Virtual Reality in Heritage Tourism: The Roles of Perceived Authenticity and Digital Competence

With the increasing integration of virtual reality (VR) into virtual heritage tourism experiences, understanding what drives tourists’ intentions to use 360° VR in virtual heritage tourism is becoming crucial. This study investigates how perceptual factors, including perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived enjoyment (PENJ), and perceived authenticity (PA), influence tourists’ usage intention (UI) for 360° VR in virtual heritage tourism. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model and Self-Determination Theory, this study also introduces digital competence (DC) as a moderating variable. Based on a cross-sectional survey of 278 Chinese respondents with virtual heritage tourism experience, this study uses PLS-SEM to test the proposed model. The results indicate that PEOU, PU, and PA significantly predict UI, whereas PENJ does not. Moreover, DC positively moderates the effects of PEOU, PU, and PA on UI. These findings enrich existing theories by highlighting the combined influence of rational and intrinsic motivational drivers on VR adoption and reveal the critical role of tourists’ digital competence in enhancing technology acceptance in virtual heritage tourism. Practical implications include guidance for competence-sensitive VR design and authenticity-oriented content development.