Consumer immersion in managed visitor attractions: The role of individual responses and antecedent factors

Abstract

While there is a growing interest in immersive experiences and visitor immersion within the tourism industry, there is still a deficiency of empirical research focusing on how visitors become immersed. This study explores the subjective nature of the immersion process by focusing on the moderating role of individual responses and the influence of antecedent factors in the process. Empirical evidence for the purpose of this study was collected through a combination of field observations and group interviews with guests visiting an Escape Room in Norway. Six individual responses that appeared to moderate the individual visitors’ immersion process were identified in the study; including affective, behavioral, and cognitive responses. Findings further indicated that these responses were influenced by personal, external and social antecedents, as well as by the visitors’ own appraisal of the core features of the experience product. The findings presented in this article shed light on the individual nature of the immersion process and the factors that moderate the visitors’ progression towards a state of immersion.