Immersive experience scene quality and Environmental Resilience Support in digitally mediated immersive tourism settings: the roles of ecological presence, awe, psychological ownership, and self-efficacy

As digitally mediated tourism continues to evolve past basic audio-visual entertainment, a new academic and industrial inquiry is taking shape around how virtual realities, interactive media, digital humans, and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) intersect with ecological governance. A comprehensive study published recently in Frontiers in Psychology explores the psychological mechanisms that translate advanced immersive tourism environments into tangible public support for environmental resilience. Conducted by researchers Guang Chen and Jiajun Chen, the investigation moves past traditional metrics of tourist satisfaction and revisit intentions, focusing instead on how carefully structured digital scenes can foster ecological responsibility and actionable policy support.

The research arrives at a critical juncture for destination management worldwide. Modern tourist attractions increasingly utilize sophisticated digital tools—ranging from 8K projection mapping and location-based virtual reality to AI-enabled conversational interpretation and augmented reality overlays. Rather than examining these technologies in isolation, the study conceptualizes visitor interactions through Immersive Experience Scene Quality (IESQ), evaluating how elements like narrative coherence, multisensory integration, and system usability collectively influence human psychological states.

Chronology and Research Design

Field data for the empirical study were gathered between June and August 2025 across two distinct digitally mediated tourism environments in China: the Hangzhou M511 Light and Shadow Hub and the immersive digital consumption space within the Minghe Ancient Town Scenic Area in Cixi, Ningbo. These sites represent complementary operational formats, contrasting a high-density, indoor digital-entertainment complex with a distributed, heritage-oriented scenic destination integrated with traditional cultural elements.

Using a standardized on-site intercept methodology, researchers surveyed adult visitors in public buffer zones immediately following their experiential journey. Following rigorous data screening to eliminate incomplete or inconsistent submissions, a final sample of 520 valid questionnaires was established, distributed relatively evenly between Hangzhou M511 (54.4%) and Minghe Ancient Town (45.6%).

To extract robust insights from the collected data, the authors deployed a multi-method analytical strategy combining Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), artificial neural network (ANN) predictive modeling, necessary condition analysis (NCA), and qualitative follow-up interviews. This multi-layered approach allowed the team to evaluate structural path associations, rank predictive variable importance under non-linear conditions, test for necessary bottlenecks, and contextualize nuances through direct visitor feedback.

Psychological Gateways and Theoretical Frameworks

At the core of the study is a dual-pathway model grounded in environmental psychology, drawing selectively on the responsibility-internalization logic of the Norm Activation Model (NAM) and the action-feasibility rationale of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The framework posits that immersive scene quality stimulates two parallel psychological gateways: Ecological Presence (EP)—the embodied sense of being situated alongside natural elements—and Ecological Awe (EA)—a self-transcendent emotional response elicited by the vastness, fragility, and order of natural ecosystems.

The empirical results reveal a deeply differentiated pattern among the five designated dimensions of immersive scene quality (IESQ):

• Narrative Guidance and Coherence (NGC) and System Usability (SU) emerged as robust predictors positively associated with both Ecological Presence and Ecological Awe. Structured storytelling and seamless technological operation proved vital for maintaining cognitive immersion and preventing frustrating interruptions.
• Multisensory Integration Quality (MIQ) demonstrated a clear positive association with Ecological Presence, though its link to Ecological Awe fell just short of traditional significance thresholds ($p = 0.058$), suggesting that sensory harmony primarily anchors situated reality rather than elevated emotion.
• Perceived Realism Cues (PRC) showed a significant positive association with Ecological Awe but not with Ecological Presence, indicating that credibility and real-world relevance are especially critical when visitors confront the emotional weight of ecological vulnerability.
• Interactive Participatory Affordance (IPA) failed to show a statistically significant association with either psychological gateway. Follow-up qualitative interviews clarified this unexpected finding: when interactive tasks or interface demands are poorly integrated with the overarching narrative, they risk distracting visitors from ecological meaning rather than enhancing it.

Responsibility, Efficacy, and Resilience Governance

Moving downstream from the dual gateways, the study connects Ecological Presence and Ecological Awe to Environmental Psychological Ownership (EPO) and Environmental Self-Efficacy (ESE). The findings demonstrate that when visitors experience vivid ecological presence and profound awe, they are significantly more likely to internalize environmental issues as personal responsibilities (EPO) and gain confidence in their capacity to enact meaningful change (ESE).

Crucially, both EPO and ESE serve as vital stepping stones toward Environmental Resilience Support (ERS). Unlike general green consumerism or passive pro-environmental intentions, ERS measures public readiness to endorse, cooperate with, and sustain governance measures aimed at helping destination ecosystems resist shocks, recover, and adapt under environmental stress. Statistical modeling confirmed that responsibility internalization and perceived action capability exert strong direct and indirect associations with ERS.

Furthermore, predictive modeling via artificial neural networks (ANN) highlighted that proximal psychological constructs—specifically Environmental Self-Efficacy and Ecological Awe—ranked highest in predictive importance for ERS when evaluated under non-linear conditions. However, Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) revealed that no single antecedent functioned as an absolute, non-compensable bottleneck; high resilience support is not dictated by a single universal threshold, emphasizing the need for holistic scene design.

Industry Implications and Future Directions

The implications of this research extend far beyond academic theory, offering actionable directives for destination planners, experience designers, and environmental policymakers. As tourism destinations face mounting ecological pressures and climate uncertainties, leveraging digital media purely for spectacle is no longer sufficient.

Industry experts suggest that future immersive installations should prioritize narrative depth and logical coherence over mere technological novelty. Designers are advised to frame ecological issues as personally and locally relevant—connecting digital narratives to community memory, public safety, and intergenerational wellbeing—to successfully cultivate psychological ownership. Moreover, interactive components must be carefully calibrated to support ecological causality and meaningful role-taking rather than superficial operational tasks.

While the study offers groundbreaking insights into governance-oriented tourism outcomes, the authors acknowledge certain limitations, including its cross-sectional design, potential sample bias toward younger and highly educated demographics, and varying exposure levels to generative AI functions across the test sites. Future research will need to employ longitudinal tracking, field experiments, and cross-cultural comparisons to further validate these dynamics and ensure that virtual ecological engagement translates reliably into real-world environmental stewardship.