Sustainability Communication in VR Learning Environments for Perceptual and Behavioral Change: Raising Awareness of Sustainable Travel Behavior

Sustainability and its communication have become an ethical imperative among tourism firms, destinations and within academic education. However, the use of virtual reality tools to transfer a holistic knowledge about sustainable tourism and to foster behavioral change is still underexplored. Based on a theoretical framework at the interface between the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Theory of Environmentally Significant Behavior, this paper explores the effects of a Virtual Reality Learning Environment (VLRE) on a convenience sample of 44 students. Using a mixed method approach, the study explores the attitudes, awareness levels, and intended behaviors before and after having experienced the VRLE. First results show significant differences in the perceived behavioral control of users and in the awareness about the consequences of the own behavior. Further validation is needed to generalize these first results.