Modelling barriers to metaverse adoption in the hospitality and tourism industry

The emerging concept of the metaverse, which blends digital and physical realms to offer immersive user experiences, presents a disruptive opportunity for businesses operating in the hospitality and tourism industry. In this study, 11 barriers to metaverse adoption in the hospitality and tourism industry are explored through literature reviews and expert opinions, supplemented by news and industry reports. An integrated interpretative structural modeling-decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (ISM-DEMATEL) approach is used to model these barriers, identifying the hierarchical relationships and the strength of interrelationships between them. Moreover, cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis clusters these barriers. The results of this study indicate that immature infrastructure (MB8) is the foundational barrier to metaverse adoption, while the fusion of different technologies (MB2) significantly impacts the entire system. This study provides a comprehensive framework to guide stakeholders in overcoming these barriers and unlocking the transformative potential of the metaverse. It also conceptualizes the interaction of barriers for governments and related agencies, enabling the formulation of policies and strategies to increase the adoption and penetration of the metaverse in the hospitality and tourism industry.