When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience

Mohamadou Lamine Bara Samb

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16

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When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience

Mohamadou Lamine Bara Samb^*

Published in International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management (Volume 10, Issue 2)

Received: 29 August 2026 Accepted: 10 September 2026 Published: 27 September 2026

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Abstract

Tourism has traditionally been defined by travel to a destination outside one's usual environment. The development of immersive technologies 360-degree video, virtual reality, and telepresence devices invites a reconsideration of the relationship between tourism, mobility, and experience, particularly when travel is no longer simply avoided by choice but becomes difficult or altogether impossible. What becomes of the tourist relationship when the desire to travel persists while the capacity to travel fades? Drawing on a critical review of the literature on virtual tourism, telepresence, tourist experience, accessibility, and aging, this article proposes the concept of succedaneous virtual tourism: a mediated tourist experience that preserves certain functions of the relationship to a destination when physical mobility is prevented. The term “succedaneum” is preferred to “substitute” to signal that the virtual experience does not reproduce the corporeal experience of travel but offers a partial, functional response when that experience is no longer available. The article further introduces the notion of experiential accessibility, understood as the possibility of accessing certain dimensions of the tourist experience despite a strong limitation of physical access to the destination. The analysis shows that virtual tourism should be regarded neither as a simple digital reproduction of travel nor as its announced replacement. Its interest lies instead in its capacity to extend, transform, or maintain the tourist relationship in situations of constrained mobility. Aging constitutes a particularly telling illustration of this phenomenon, without exhausting the concept's field of application. The article concludes with implications for destination management and a research agenda addressing the empirical validation of the proposed framework.

Published in	International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management (Volume 10, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16
Page(s)	239-248
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Virtual Tourism, Virtual Reality, Impeded Mobility, Aging, Tourist Experience, Experiential Accessibility

References

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[2]	Yoon, H. Virtual Tourism Experience as a Substitute: The Role of Tourist Experience Phases. Current Issues in Tourism. 2025, Online ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2025.2541872
[3]	Fiocco, A. J., Millett, G., D'Amico, D., Krieger, L., Sivashankar, Y., Lee, S. H., Lachman, R. Virtual Tourism for Older Adults Living in Residential Care: A Mixed-Methods Study. PLOS ONE. 2021, 16(5), e0250761. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250761
[4]	MIT Team. Tourisms 1: Common Places. Belin: Paris, France; 2002.
[5]	Urry, J., Larsen, J. The Tourist Gaze 3.0. SAGE Publications: London, UK; 2011.
[6]	Steuer, J. Defining Virtual Reality: Dimensions Determining Telepresence. Journal of Communication. 1992, 42(4), 73-93. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1992.tb00812.x
[7]	Calisto, M. de L., Sarkar, S. A Systematic Review of Virtual Reality in Tourism and Hospitality: The Known and the Paths to Follow. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 2024, 116, 103623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2023.103623
[8]	Doan, T.-T. T., Goh, S., Kim, C. S., Doan, T., Kim, P. B. Telepresence Experience and Human Behaviour: A Systematic and Comparative Review of Empirical Studies in Hospitality and Tourism versus Other Contexts. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology. 2025, Online ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-07-2024-0442
[9]	Buhalis, D., Leung, D., Lin, M. Metaverse as a Disruptive Technology Revolutionising Tourism Management and Marketing. Tourism Management. 2023, 97, 104724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2023.104724
[10]	Zhu, C., Wu, D. C. W., Hall, C. M., Fong, L. H. N., Koupaei, S. N., Lin, F. Exploring Non-Immersive Virtual Reality Experiences in Tourism: Empirical Evidence from a World Heritage Site. International Journal of Tourism Research. 2023, 25(3), 372-383. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2574
[11]	Guttentag, D. A. Virtual Reality and the End of Tourism? A Substitution Acceptance Model. In Handbook of e-Tourism, Xiang, Z., Fuchs, M., Gretzel, U., Höpken, W., Eds.; Springer: Germany, 2022; pp. 1901-1919. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48652-5_113
[12]	Carvalho, A., Gonçalves, J. L., Samagaio, F. Travelling and the Well-Being of the Elderly: Expectations and Risks. Research in Hospitality Management. 2025, 15(1), 58-62. https://doi.org/10.1080/22243534.2025.2468738
[13]	Domínguez Vila, T., Rubio-Escuderos, L., Alén González, E. Accessible Tourism: Using Technology to Increase Social Equality for People with Disabilities. Tourism Review. 2025, 80(9), 1614-1634. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-11-2023-0812
[14]	Sirih, M. S. Exploring the Potential of Virtual Reality for Accessible Tourism: The Case of Elderly and Disabled in Makassar City, Indonesia. Tourism Recreation Research. 2025, Online ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2025.2509177
[15]	Lewicka, M. Place Attachment: How Far Have We Come in the Last 40 Years? Journal of Environmental Psychology. 2011, 31(3), 207-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.10.001

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Samb, M. L. B. (2026). When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management, 10(2), 239-248. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16

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Samb, M. L. B. When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience. Int. J. Hosp. Tour. Manag. 2026, 10(2), 239-248. doi: 10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16

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AMA Style

Samb MLB. When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience. Int J Hosp Tour Manag. 2026;10(2):239-248. doi: 10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16,
  author = {Mohamadou Lamine Bara Samb},
  title = {When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience},
  journal = {International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {239-248},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijhtm.20261002.16},
  abstract = {Tourism has traditionally been defined by travel to a destination outside one's usual environment. The development of immersive technologies 360-degree video, virtual reality, and telepresence devices invites a reconsideration of the relationship between tourism, mobility, and experience, particularly when travel is no longer simply avoided by choice but becomes difficult or altogether impossible. What becomes of the tourist relationship when the desire to travel persists while the capacity to travel fades? Drawing on a critical review of the literature on virtual tourism, telepresence, tourist experience, accessibility, and aging, this article proposes the concept of succedaneous virtual tourism: a mediated tourist experience that preserves certain functions of the relationship to a destination when physical mobility is prevented. The term “succedaneum” is preferred to “substitute” to signal that the virtual experience does not reproduce the corporeal experience of travel but offers a partial, functional response when that experience is no longer available. The article further introduces the notion of experiential accessibility, understood as the possibility of accessing certain dimensions of the tourist experience despite a strong limitation of physical access to the destination. The analysis shows that virtual tourism should be regarded neither as a simple digital reproduction of travel nor as its announced replacement. Its interest lies instead in its capacity to extend, transform, or maintain the tourist relationship in situations of constrained mobility. Aging constitutes a particularly telling illustration of this phenomenon, without exhausting the concept's field of application. The article concludes with implications for destination management and a research agenda addressing the empirical validation of the proposed framework.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience
AU  - Mohamadou Lamine Bara Samb
Y1  - 2026/09/27
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16
T2  - International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management
JF  - International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management
JO  - International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management
SP  - 239
EP  - 248
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-1800
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16
AB  - Tourism has traditionally been defined by travel to a destination outside one's usual environment. The development of immersive technologies 360-degree video, virtual reality, and telepresence devices invites a reconsideration of the relationship between tourism, mobility, and experience, particularly when travel is no longer simply avoided by choice but becomes difficult or altogether impossible. What becomes of the tourist relationship when the desire to travel persists while the capacity to travel fades? Drawing on a critical review of the literature on virtual tourism, telepresence, tourist experience, accessibility, and aging, this article proposes the concept of succedaneous virtual tourism: a mediated tourist experience that preserves certain functions of the relationship to a destination when physical mobility is prevented. The term “succedaneum” is preferred to “substitute” to signal that the virtual experience does not reproduce the corporeal experience of travel but offers a partial, functional response when that experience is no longer available. The article further introduces the notion of experiential accessibility, understood as the possibility of accessing certain dimensions of the tourist experience despite a strong limitation of physical access to the destination. The analysis shows that virtual tourism should be regarded neither as a simple digital reproduction of travel nor as its announced replacement. Its interest lies instead in its capacity to extend, transform, or maintain the tourist relationship in situations of constrained mobility. Aging constitutes a particularly telling illustration of this phenomenon, without exhausting the concept's field of application. The article concludes with implications for destination management and a research agenda addressing the empirical validation of the proposed framework.
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Mohamadou Lamine Bara Samb

Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Iba Der Thiam University of Thies, Thies, Senegal

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0000-8771-8602

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APA Style

Samb, M. L. B. (2026). When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management, 10(2), 239-248. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16

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ACS Style

Samb, M. L. B. When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience. Int. J. Hosp. Tour. Manag. 2026, 10(2), 239-248. doi: 10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16

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AMA Style

Samb MLB. When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience. Int J Hosp Tour Manag. 2026;10(2):239-248. doi: 10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16,
  author = {Mohamadou Lamine Bara Samb},
  title = {When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience},
  journal = {International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {239-248},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijhtm.20261002.16},
  abstract = {Tourism has traditionally been defined by travel to a destination outside one's usual environment. The development of immersive technologies 360-degree video, virtual reality, and telepresence devices invites a reconsideration of the relationship between tourism, mobility, and experience, particularly when travel is no longer simply avoided by choice but becomes difficult or altogether impossible. What becomes of the tourist relationship when the desire to travel persists while the capacity to travel fades? Drawing on a critical review of the literature on virtual tourism, telepresence, tourist experience, accessibility, and aging, this article proposes the concept of succedaneous virtual tourism: a mediated tourist experience that preserves certain functions of the relationship to a destination when physical mobility is prevented. The term “succedaneum” is preferred to “substitute” to signal that the virtual experience does not reproduce the corporeal experience of travel but offers a partial, functional response when that experience is no longer available. The article further introduces the notion of experiential accessibility, understood as the possibility of accessing certain dimensions of the tourist experience despite a strong limitation of physical access to the destination. The analysis shows that virtual tourism should be regarded neither as a simple digital reproduction of travel nor as its announced replacement. Its interest lies instead in its capacity to extend, transform, or maintain the tourist relationship in situations of constrained mobility. Aging constitutes a particularly telling illustration of this phenomenon, without exhausting the concept's field of application. The article concludes with implications for destination management and a research agenda addressing the empirical validation of the proposed framework.},
 year = {2026}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - When Travel Becomes Impossible: Virtual Tourism as a Succedaneum for the Tourist Experience
AU  - Mohamadou Lamine Bara Samb
Y1  - 2026/09/27
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16
T2  - International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management
JF  - International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management
JO  - International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management
SP  - 239
EP  - 248
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-1800
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijhtm.20261002.16
AB  - Tourism has traditionally been defined by travel to a destination outside one's usual environment. The development of immersive technologies 360-degree video, virtual reality, and telepresence devices invites a reconsideration of the relationship between tourism, mobility, and experience, particularly when travel is no longer simply avoided by choice but becomes difficult or altogether impossible. What becomes of the tourist relationship when the desire to travel persists while the capacity to travel fades? Drawing on a critical review of the literature on virtual tourism, telepresence, tourist experience, accessibility, and aging, this article proposes the concept of succedaneous virtual tourism: a mediated tourist experience that preserves certain functions of the relationship to a destination when physical mobility is prevented. The term “succedaneum” is preferred to “substitute” to signal that the virtual experience does not reproduce the corporeal experience of travel but offers a partial, functional response when that experience is no longer available. The article further introduces the notion of experiential accessibility, understood as the possibility of accessing certain dimensions of the tourist experience despite a strong limitation of physical access to the destination. The analysis shows that virtual tourism should be regarded neither as a simple digital reproduction of travel nor as its announced replacement. Its interest lies instead in its capacity to extend, transform, or maintain the tourist relationship in situations of constrained mobility. Aging constitutes a particularly telling illustration of this phenomenon, without exhausting the concept's field of application. The article concludes with implications for destination management and a research agenda addressing the empirical validation of the proposed framework.
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download