Yamada, NaokoMatsuda, MakikoYoshino, Aiko2024-04-262024-04-262022https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14394/49411<p>Naoko holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University and has been engaged in teaching conservation communication and education. Her research interests have centered around free-choice learning with a particular focus on communication approaches to visitors about natural and cultural resource protection. She has also engaged in training interpreters and tour guides. 
</p> <p>Matsuda Makiko received the Ph.D. degree in Liberal Arts from the Hitotsubashi University, Japan, in 2012. She currently works as a professor at the Institute of Transdisciplinary Sciences, Kanazawa University. Her current research interests include Applied Linguistics, Migration Studies, and Tourism Studies</p> <p>Dr. Yoshino works closely with community-based organizations for research, teaching, and innovative program development. Her scholarly agenda is rooted in the health impacts of exposure to nature. Her research includes the psychological resilience gained through extended wilderness-based programs as well as nature-based interventions for marginalized communities to prevent chronic illnesses.</p>Virtual tourism has attracted attention in this challenging time. Although researchers have argued its capacity, scant literature on meaningful and authentic experiences in virtual tourism is currently available. This research examines the questions of whether online tours offer an authentic experience and how people experience authenticity during an online tour. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 online tour participants. Overall, the respondents perceived their experiences positively and recognized the benefits that a virtual environment had offered. The respondents perceived the online tours as substitutes for real tours, pre-visit experiences, a new genre of travel, or an alternative form of entertainment. As these findings illustrate, online tours have the potential to help the tourism industry not only recover from the disruption but also to serve as an alternative form of entertainment or way to advance the tourism experience for people with diverse demands and needs.event