Alleviating over-tourism and advancing sustainable tourism on coral island through virtual reality (VR)

Sanjoy Kumar Acharjee; Shohel Md. Nafi

doi:10.31648/aspal.12356

Published: 2026-09-28

Vol. 25 No. 3 (2026)

Alleviating over-tourism and advancing sustainable tourism on coral island through virtual reality (VR)

Sanjoy Kumar Acharjee , Shohel Md. Nafi

Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Administratio Locorum

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.31648/aspal.12356

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to examine how virtual reality (VR) might help reduce overtourism in places with coral islands. A purposive sampling approach was used to reach people who had previously engaged in or were interested in VR tourism because there was no easily accessible database of VR users. A structured questionnaire was designed to collect data. Data were collected from 300 respondents, as 370 questionnaires were distributed among the respondents. Data analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS version 4.0. Research involving complex models and non-normal distributions is thought to benefit greatly from the use of PLS-SEM. The study finds that, to combat overtourism and improve sustainability in coral island destinations, this paper examined the potential of VR tourism experiences. The findings, based on frameworks for sustainable tourism, demonstrate that VRTE positively affects several important sustainability outcomes.

Keywords:

over-tourism, virtual reality, sustainable tourism, island

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Acharjee, S. K., & Nafi, S. M. (2026). Alleviating over-tourism and advancing sustainable tourism on coral island through virtual reality (VR). Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Administratio Locorum, 25(3), 475–490. https://doi.org/10.31648/aspal.12356

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Sanjoy Kumar Acharjee

Affiliation:

Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali Bangladesh

Shohel Md. Nafi

smnafi.thm@nstu.edu.bd

Affiliation:

Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali Bangladesh