Immersive Media Innovation in Cultural Tourism through a Communication-Centered Scoping Review

Abstract

The rapid advancement of digital technology has fundamentally transformed cultural tourism, particularly through the emergence of immersive media such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Extended Reality (XR), and metaverse-based platforms. These technologies no longer function merely as promotional tools but increasingly operate as communicative environments that shape how tourists perceive, experience, and interpret cultural destinations. Drawing on communication theory, this study conceptualizes immersive media as media environments that mediate meaning-making processes in tourism experiences.This study employs a scoping literature review to systematically map and synthesize academic research on immersive media in cultural tourism published between 2019 and 2025. Guided by the PRISMA-ScR framework, peer-reviewed articles were analysed to identify dominant technologies, theoretical approaches, and conceptualizations of digitally mediated tourism experiences. The findings show that Virtual Reality (VR) is the most widely used technology in immersive tourism research, particularly for creating pre-visit experiences that allow tourists to explore destinations virtually before traveling. Augmented Reality (AR) is commonly applied in museum and cultural heritage tourism to enrich interpretive experiences by integrating digital information with physical environments. Emerging technologies such as XR and metaverse environments also indicate new possibilities for socially interactive tourism experiences. However, existing studies still largely emphasize technological performance and behavioural outcomes such as engagement and visit intention. This study highlights the importance of a communication-cantered perspective, positioning immersive media not only as technological tools but also as digital communication environments that mediate cultural narratives and tourism experiences. The review identifies key theoretical gaps and proposes future research directions for understanding immersive tourism as a process of cultural communication in digitally mediated environments.