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This study aims to apply theory on consumer learning in virtual experiences to compare how media technologies (i.e. virtual reality [VR] and standard websites) and users’ gender influence the ways in which tourists gather pre-purchase information.

A laboratory experiment with fully immersive VR was conducted to examine consumers’ behavior in gathering pre-purchase information. The sample comprised 128 consumers who had taken a cruise vacation or who were considering purchasing a cruise package in the near future.

The results generally reveal the central role of the feeling of presence, which, in turn, positively impacts users’ enjoyment and aspects of consumer learning (i.e. brand attitude, product knowledge and purchase intent). In particular, the results suggest that compared with standard websites, VR facilitated the tourists’ learning as consumers, especially among women, who tend to dominate the information-gathering stage of planning family vacations.

The results imply that travel agencies and tourism centers working with cruise vacation companies should incorporate VR to make their offers more attractive, especially to women.

The study was the first to apply theory on consumer learning in the cruise tourism industry, specifically to compare fully immersive VR devices versus standard websites and gauge the effect of gender.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effects of presence on users’ information processing in mediated visualizations using immersive virtual reality (VR) and websites, focusing on information understanding and cognitive load. The impact of user interfaces on users’ perception of presence is also tested.

A between-subjects laboratory experiment using two user interfaces – immersive VR and website – is carried out. It is complemented by a self-administered survey on the participants.

The current results indicate that an immersive VR interface improves tourists’ information processing by producing a heightened sense of presence. The results confirm that presence facilitates tourists’ information processing by increasing information understanding and decreasing cognitive load. Finally, a negative relationship between cognitive load and information understanding is obtained.

VR user interfaces are not only visually appealing but also cognitively optimized. Immersive VR devices can be introduced in the specific sale process of cruise trips through both offline channels (physical stores and travel agencies) and online channels to facilitate tourists’ information processing during the prepurchase phase.

The primary contribution lies in the integration of the theory of presence with two influential information processing frameworks, namely, cognitive load theory and cognitive fit theory. This integration provides a holistic perspective on how user interfaces influence consumer information processing in the unique context of cruise tourism, particularly during the stage of a prepurchase information search.