Travelers with Panic Disorder and Embedded Virtual Reality Web

Abstract

This study deals with the impact of embedded virtual reality features which are embedded in a hotel website on travelers with panic disorder. Having more information is thought to be a factor in relieving panic disorder in travel. A hotel website can be a good place for gathering information about the accommodation. In this study we posit that a hotel website with virtual reality functions should lead to the reduction in travelers` panic disorder on the travel. We built a web site of a hotel where virtual reality functions showed the exterior, the lobby, a guest room, and a restaurant through an interactive and spatial shot of moving images. The experiment was conducted with a premise that the subjects were about to embark on a journey to an unknown place and to stay at an unknown hotel whose website contained virtual reality functions. The subjects were asked to play with virtual reality functions of the hotel website and then to complete a survey where questions regarding the degree of panic disorder on the travel and psychological relief that might have been perceived by the subjects. The result confirms our hypothesis that there is a statistically significant relationship between the degree of travel panic disorder and psychological relief caused by the use of virtual reality functions of a hotel website.