Abstract
As expedition cruise tourism to environmentally sensitive polar regions expands, managing visitor expectations while preserving fragile ecosystems presents a complex managerial challenge. This study examines how immersive Virtual Reality (VR) pre-visitation experiences influence destination image formation, cognitive-affective alignment, and subsequent post-travel satisfaction among Antarctic cruise passengers. Utilizing a longitudinal quasi-experimental design combined with eye-tracking biometric methodology, 142 confirmed expedition passengers were assigned to either an immersive VR pre-trip briefing or a conventional digital media presentation. Eye-tracking metrics—specifically visual dwell time, fixation count, and gaze transitions across predefined Areas of Interest (AOIs) representing wildlife, pristine ice scapes, and expedition operations—were captured during exposure, followed by pre-embarkation and post-voyage surveys. The findings reveal that high visual engagement with environmental fragility and operational reality AOIs significantly enhances cognitive image accuracy and tempers unrealistically romanticized expectations. Consequently, participants in the VR condition exhibited lower expectation-reality disconfirmation, higher post-travel satisfaction, and markedly greater engagement in pro-environmental behaviors on-site and post-voyage. The study provides novel theoretical insights integrating cognitive appraisal theory with spatial presence in tourism neuromarketing, offering cruise operators and polar destination managers strategic frameworks for deploying VR as a proactive expectation-management and stewardship tool.
