What leads to better immersive experiences? The role of guidance and mobility in virtual reality museums

Virtual reality (VR) is reshaping tourism as museums increasingly adopt it to create immersive visitor experiences. While presence is key to VR effectiveness, little is known about how interaction modes affect it. This study examines the impact of two elements −guidance and spatial mobility− on perceived presence in virtual museum visits. It also explores the psychological mechanisms involved and identifies autonomy as a positive driver and satiation as a limiting factor. Results show that guidance enhances presence although it slightly reduces autonomy, while spatial mobility has less of an effect. In turn, presence boosts perceived entertainment and informativeness and positively influences attitudes toward the destination and visit intention. This research helps to understand how interaction design in immersive environments shapes user experience and behaviour. It offers theoretical insights on presence drivers as well as practical implications for creating more effective, satisfying, and wellbeing-oriented VR experiences in tourism.