IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i4p3348-d1065616.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Travelling the Metaverse: Potential Benefits and Main Challenges for Tourism Sectors and Research Applications

Author

Listed:
  • Salvatore Monaco

    (Faculty of Education, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy)

  • Giovanna Sacchi

    (Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy)

Abstract

The paper focuses on analysing the potential benefits and challenges of the Metaverse, particularly in the field of research in the tourism and food and wine sectors. The Metaverse is part of the new generation of the internet known as web 3.0, which also includes AI, blockchain and other digital innovations. The food marketing and tourism sectors are the main fields where companies are experimenting with solutions to offer people a fully functioning immersive Metaverse experience. This paper aims to highlight the potential impact of the Metaverse on tourism sectors as well as on research activities. Open challenges concern the social acceptance, affordability, and environmental sustainability of these technologies. Research is needed on the Metaverse’s ability to reduce bias and accurately simulate real experiences, as well as on tourists’ perceptions, attitudes, and willingness to pay for mediated experiences. Another important issue is the management of sensitive data that will travel through the Metaverse. Looking forward, the Metaverse has the potential to become a valuable tool for advancing tourism research through virtual collaboration and interdisciplinary research projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Salvatore Monaco & Giovanna Sacchi, 2023. "Travelling the Metaverse: Potential Benefits and Main Challenges for Tourism Sectors and Research Applications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-10, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:4:p:3348-:d:1065616
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/4/3348/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/4/3348/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Donthu, Naveen & Kumar, Satish & Mukherjee, Debmalya & Pandey, Nitesh & Lim, Weng Marc, 2021. "How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 285-296.
    2. Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Hughes, Laurie & Ismagilova, Elvira & Aarts, Gert & Coombs, Crispin & Crick, Tom & Duan, Yanqing & Dwivedi, Rohita & Edwards, John & Eirug, Aled & Galanos, Vassilis & Ilavarasan, , 2021. "Artificial Intelligence (AI): Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    3. Umer Zaman & Inhyouk Koo & Saba Abbasi & Syed Hassan Raza & Madeeha Gohar Qureshi, 2022. "Meet Your Digital Twin in Space? Profiling International Expat’s Readiness for Metaverse Space Travel, Tech-Savviness, COVID-19 Travel Anxiety, and Travel Fear of Missing Out," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-19, May.
    4. Markus Weinberger, 2022. "What Is Metaverse?—A Definition Based on Qualitative Meta-Synthesis," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-16, October.
    5. Pannee Suanpang & Chawalin Niamsorn & Pattanaphong Pothipassa & Thinnagorn Chunhapataragul & Titiya Netwong & Kittisak Jermsittiparsert, 2022. "Extensible Metaverse Implication for a Smart Tourism City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-19, October.
    6. Hyoung-Yong Choi, 2022. "Working in the Metaverse: Does Telework in a Metaverse Office Have the Potential to Reduce Population Pressure in Megacities? Evidence from Young Adults in Seoul, South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-17, March.
    7. Tonino Pencarelli, 2020. "The digital revolution in the travel and tourism industry," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 455-476, September.
    8. Zeng, Guojun & Cao, Xinning & Lin, Zhibin & Xiao, Sarah H., 2020. "When online reviews meet virtual reality: Effects on consumer hotel booking," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    9. HyeJin Lee & Yohan Hwang, 2022. "Technology-Enhanced Education through VR-Making and Metaverse-Linking to Foster Teacher Readiness and Sustainable Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-21, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shekhar Rathor & Mingyu Zhang & Taehoon Im, 2023. "Web 3.0 and Sustainability: Challenges and Research Opportunities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-17, October.
    2. Stefano Fricano Gioacchino Fazio & Claudio Pirrone, 2025. "Strategic Adoption of Immersive Technologies in Cultural Heritage and Tourism," Advances in Management and Applied Economics, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 15(3), pages 1-6.
    3. Jijun Chen & Yoon Joo Lee & Xinran Lehto & Yue Zhu, 2025. "Exploring experience design features in the metaverse concerts: a mixed-method approach," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 27(3), pages 865-886, September.
    4. Nadia Palmieri & Flavio Boccia & Assunta Di Vaio & Daniela Covino, 2025. "The Great Filter? A Preliminary Study on Metaverse and Sustainable Food Consumer," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-17, February.
    5. Stelios Ioannidis & Alexios-Patapios Kontis, 2023. "Metaverse for tourists and tourism destinations," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 483-506, December.
    6. Hyeon Jo, 2023. "Tourism in the digital frontier: a study on user continuance intention in the metaverse," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 307-330, September.
    7. Petr, Christine & Caudan, Paul, 2024. "Ethical marketing framework for metaverse simulated experiences of tourism (SET): An exploration of consumers’ aspirations and fears," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    8. Nansy Kouroupi & Theodore Metaxas, 2023. "Can the Metaverse and Its Associated Digital Tools and Technologies Provide an Opportunity for Destinations to Address the Vulnerability of Overtourism?," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 4(2), pages 1-19, June.
    9. Christine Petr & Paul Caudan, 2024. "Ethical marketing framework for metaverse simulated experiences of tourism (SET): An exploration of consumers’ aspirations and fears," Post-Print hal-04554364, HAL.
    10. Mohsen Hatami & Qian Qu & Yu Chen & Hisham Kholidy & Erik Blasch & Erika Ardiles-Cruz, 2024. "A Survey of the Real-Time Metaverse: Challenges and Opportunities," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-52, October.
    11. Heidemann, Gerrit & Schmidt, Sascha L. & von der Gracht, Heiko A. & Beiderbeck, Daniel, 2024. "The impact of the metaverse on the future business of professional football clubs – A prospective study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    12. Ming Chi & Yanli Chen & Yongshun Xu & Yuetong Wu, 2024. "Modelling barriers to metaverse adoption in the hospitality and tourism industry," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 711-743, December.
    13. Muhammad Zada & Gül Erkol Bayram & Nicolás Contreras-Barraza & Kerem Kaptangil & Serkan Aylan, 2025. "Integrating Social Media-Driven Service Innovation and Sustainable Leadership: Advancing Sustainable Practices in Tourism and Hospitality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-25, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chen, Xun-Qi & Ma, Chao-Qun & Ren, Yi-Shuai & Lei, Yu-Tian & Huynh, Ngoc Quang Anh & Narayan, Seema, 2023. "Explainable artificial intelligence in finance: A bibliometric review," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    2. Darko B. Vuković & Senanu Dekpo-Adza & Stefana Matović, 2025. "AI integration in financial services: a systematic review of trends and regulatory challenges," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-29, December.
    3. Ernesto D. R. Santibanez Gonzalez & Vinay Kandpal & Marcio Machado & Mauro Luiz Martens & Sushobhan Majumdar, 2023. "A Bibliometric Analysis of Circular Economies through Sustainable Smart Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-22, November.
    4. Youssef El Archi & Brahim Benbba & Kai Zhu & Zineb El Andaloussi & László Pataki & Lóránt Dénes Dávid, 2023. "Mapping the Nexus between Sustainability and Digitalization in Tourist Destinations: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-16, June.
    5. Yassine Sekaki & Hamza Ziane & Abdelhafid Khazzar, 2025. "Artificial Intelligence in Management Studies (2021-2025): A Bibliometric Mapping of Themes, Trends, and Global Contributions," Post-Print hal-05236423, HAL.
    6. Jussi S. Jauhiainen & Claudia Krohn & Johanna Junnila, 2022. "Metaverse and Sustainability: Systematic Review of Scientific Publications until 2022 and Beyond," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-20, December.
    7. Mariani, Marcello M. & Machado, Isa & Magrelli, Vittoria & Dwivedi, Yogesh K., 2023. "Artificial intelligence in innovation research: A systematic review, conceptual framework, and future research directions," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    8. Prateek Kalia & Dušan Mladenović & à ngel Acevedo-Duque, 2022. "Decoding the Trends and the Emerging Research Directions of Digital Tourism in the Last Three Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(4), pages 21582440221, October.
    9. Alexandru Constantin Ciobanu & Gabriela Meè˜Nièšä‚, 2021. "Ai Ethics In Business €“ A Bibliometric Approach," Review of Economic and Business Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, issue 28, pages 169-202, December.
    10. Jan Wiers & Didier Chabaud, 2022. "Bibliometric analysis of immigrant entrepreneurship research 2009–2019," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 12(1), pages 441-464, December.
    11. Katherin Carrera-Silva & Olga Maritza Rodríguez Ulcuango & Paula Abdo-Peralta & Ángel Gerardo Castelo Salazar & Carmen Amelia Samaniego Erazo & Diego Haro Ávalos, 2024. "Beyond the Financial Horizon: A Critical Review of Social Responsibility in Latin American Credit Unions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-23, September.
    12. Rishika Khetan & Varda Sardana & Shubham Singhania & Jagvinder Singh, 2025. "Financial stability through a global perspective: an in-depth integrative review," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 16(8), pages 2912-2929, August.
    13. Lonwabo Mlawu & Frank Ranganai Matenda & Mabutho Sibanda, 2025. "Incentives for Accrual-Based Earnings Management in Emerging Economies—A Systematic Literature Review with Bibliometric Analysis," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-41, May.
    14. Sujeeth Ungratwar & Dipasha Sharma & Satish Kumar, 2025. "Mapping the digital banking landscape: a multi-dimensional exploration of fintech, digital payments, and e-wallets, with insights into current scenarios and future research," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-22, December.
    15. Migliavacca, Milena & Goodell, John W. & Paltrinieri, Andrea, 2023. "A bibliometric review of portfolio diversification literature," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    16. Shivani Yadav & Saurav Ambastha & Harsh Pipil & Anil Kumar Haritash & Krishna R. Reddy, 2025. "Deciphering the Sustainable Stormwater Management Strategies for Urban Areas: a Review," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 39(7), pages 2971-2991, May.
    17. Shuangqing Sheng & Wei Song & Hua Lian & Lei Ning, 2022. "Review of Urban Land Management Based on Bibliometrics," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-25, November.
    18. Kashyap, Abhishek & Shukla, Om Ji & Kumar, Rupesh & Alam, Md Mahmudul & Oberoi, Sarbjit Singh, 2025. "Online retailing and the metaverse: Addressing stakeholder impediments in e-commerce," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    19. Ayala, Néstor Fabián & Rodrigues da Silva, Jassen & Cannarozzo Tinoco, Maria Auxiliadora & Saccani, Nicola & Frank, Alejandro G., 2025. "Artificial Intelligence capabilities in Digital Servitization: Identifying digital opportunities for different service types," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    20. Dzintra Atstāja & Kevin Wilclif Mukem, 2024. "Sustainable Supply Chain Management in the Oil and Gas Industry in Developing Countries as a Part of the Quadruple Helix Concept: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-18, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:4:p:3348-:d:1065616. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.