Exploring Metaverse Potential and Pitfalls in Driving Sustainable Tourism Innovation

A compelling new study by researchers from Yazd University and Shahid Ashrafi Esfahani University in Iran explores how the metaverse can transform sustainable tourism. Led by Maryam Ahmadi Zahrani, Mehran Ziaeian, and Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini Bamakan, the research uses an innovative combination of systematic literature review and machine learning-based topic modeling to identify how immersive digital technologies intersect with environmental, social, and economic sustainability in tourism. Published in Sustainable Futures, the study draws on 344 peer-reviewed articles and offers a comprehensive framework for understanding the promises and pitfalls of using metaverse platforms to promote sustainable tourism development worldwide.

Digital Immersion as a Pathway to Sustainability

At the heart of the research is the assertion that the metaverse offers more than just digital escapism; it provides a tool for reshaping the tourism industry in alignment with global sustainability goals. While traditional platforms like booking apps and travel websites still depend on physical travel, metaverse environments eliminate this dependency by allowing users to explore destinations virtually. The study categorizes metaverse applications across ten dimensions, with seven of them, such as virtual marketplaces, job opportunities, and digital heritage reconstruction, emerging from a topic modeling analysis of article abstracts. The remaining three, mental health, digital investment, and social equity, were identified through a detailed full-text analysis.

By combining these ten dimensions into three overarching themes, economic, social, and environmental, the researchers lay the groundwork for a multidimensional strategy to rethink tourism’s global impact. The metaverse, they argue, has the potential to promote inclusivity, reduce environmental degradation, and build resilient digital economies around virtual travel experiences.

Virtual Economies: Markets, Jobs, and Digital Capital

Economically, the metaverse opens new revenue channels for the tourism industry. Virtual marketplaces allow users to explore accommodations, attractions, and travel products in high-fidelity 3D environments. Real-world brands like Qatar Airways, which developed the QVerse platform to simulate in-flight experiences, and Marriott Bonvoy, which launched NFTs to engage younger travelers, exemplify how businesses are embracing digital commerce. Immersive marketing and product previews help build trust, encourage customer loyalty, and enhance brand visibility on a global scale.

Job creation is another promising outcome. While automation and AI may reduce employment in traditional sectors such as transportation or hotel staffing, the virtual tourism space is creating new roles, virtual tour guides, experience designers, content producers, and augmented reality developers. Moreover, blockchain-enabled platforms now allow for decentralized investment in sustainable tourism projects, helping mitigate traditional financial risks. Companies like LynKey and Ariva are already offering tokenized investment opportunities using NFT and metaverse tools, signaling the emergence of a viable digital tourism economy.

Redefining Access, Mental Wellness, and Social Inclusion

Beyond economics, the metaverse plays a powerful role in reshaping tourism’s social dimensions. Travel is often inaccessible to people with disabilities, the elderly, or those with financial constraints. The study emphasizes that virtual tourism can dismantle these barriers, democratizing the travel experience for over a billion people worldwide who currently face exclusion. With the right equipment, individuals from any demographic can now climb Mount Everest, explore outer space, or stroll through ancient ruins, all from home.

Mental well-being is another domain where metaverse technology shines. Virtual environments designed for meditation, mindfulness, or nature immersion offer significant psychological benefits. Studies cited in the paper show that such experiences can reduce stress, anxiety, and even support community pride through exposure to cultural heritage in a respectful and accessible format.

Importantly, the study also addresses long-standing issues of gender and racial discrimination in the tourism sector. By offering inclusive, customizable avatars and hosting diversity-focused virtual events and discussions, the metaverse creates space for equitable interaction and cultural exchange. It can also offer unbiased job opportunities and career advancement based purely on skill and creativity, not race or gender.

Environmental Gains and Digital Heritage Conservation

The environmental implications of the metaverse are equally compelling. Tourism currently contributes over 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with transportation as the leading culprit. Virtual travel can significantly cut emissions by reducing the need for flights, cruises, and long-distance drives. The study suggests that destinations could also lower their energy usage by shifting some operations, like exhibitions or hotel showcases, entirely online.

Virtual simulations help raise awareness about environmental issues by incorporating smart guides and interactive lessons into digital environments. For instance, tourists exploring a city in the metaverse can learn about its green transit systems or sustainable energy practices in real time. Digital twins of endangered or inaccessible historical sites can also be created, allowing users to explore without causing physical harm. A prime example is Saudi Arabia’s UNESCO site Mada’in Saleh, now fully explorable in the metaverse, offering both preservation and education benefits.

Barriers, Risks, and the Need for Balanced Integration

While the study lauds the metaverse’s potential, it does not ignore the risks. Digital addiction, mental health concerns, and social detachment are real threats. Cybersickness and psychological fatigue may also deter users. Moreover, the high cost of VR equipment and limited internet access in developing regions create a digital divide, raising serious concerns about equitable access. There are also privacy issues, cybersecurity threats, and fears about cultural appropriation when digital representations of heritage sites lack authenticity or local involvement.

A SWOT analysis in the study outlines these concerns while acknowledging key strengths like cost-saving marketing, job creation, and global reach. Weaknesses include high implementation costs and a lack of integration with existing tourism infrastructure. The researchers call for responsible governance, ethical safeguards, and investment in digital literacy and infrastructure. They argue for a hybrid future where the metaverse complements rather than replaces physical tourism, ensuring both innovation and sustainability go hand-in-hand.

This pioneering study positions the metaverse not merely as a technological trend but as a viable strategic partner in reimagining sustainable tourism. As global travel undergoes rapid transformation, the fusion of immersive digital experiences with sustainable principles offers an inclusive, efficient, and visionary path forward.