Augmented Reality in Tourism: 4 Ways to Enhance Travel Experience

Tourism is a sector that has suffered immensely during the coronavirus pandemic. Although tourism began to recover from the economic damage caused by the introduction of strict epidemiological measures with the advent of vaccines, it still has a long way to go to complete recovery.

As Bernard Marr, a world-renowned futurist and influencer in the field of business and technology and a columnist for Forbes, writes, one of the biggest concerns for tourism will be how to enhance the overall experience for travelers. He believes that VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) could help improve the travel experience.

1. Virtual Travel

Virtual reality allows exploration of places without physical travel, which has been the only option for some during the pandemic. Of course, virtual travel will never fully replace the feeling of real travel with all the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations of being in a new, exciting place, but it has its own value.

In addition to allowing us to check destinations before deciding whether to actually travel there, virtual travel can also help visitors experience distant destinations, places that are hard to reach, or those that mass tourism can harm. Examples of such places nearby are Venice and Dubrovnik, which struggled with overcrowding during the tourist season in the years leading up to the pandemic.

2. Virtual Hotel Tours

Thanks to virtual tours, tourists can explore hotels in more detail before booking them. Some luxury resorts, such as those in the Maldives or Dubai, are now embracing virtual tours as a way to showcase their stunning hotels and quality amenities. This way, guests cannot be unpleasantly surprised upon arrival at the hotel.

3. Test Trips and Attractions

Adventure tourism is gaining increasing popularity, and its offerings can be well leveraged. In addition to checking hotels, virtual reality allows testing of various excursions and attractions. In other words, different experiences can be tried out so that tourists can decide in advance whether they really want to spend their time and money on them. Virtual excursions can therefore help tourists better plan and make the most of their precious vacation time.

Moreover, virtual travel can also encourage bookings. A guest may be more inclined to book an excursion after gaining a better understanding of it. This is extremely important for travel agencies looking to increase the number of bookings after the pandemic.

4. Virtual Navigation

So, after a virtual visit to the chosen destination, exploring hotels, and trying out virtual excursions, all that is needed is good navigation to the selected destination. Here, virtual reality can help, particularly with Google Maps’ Live View application as an addition to the already familiar Street View. This application is available on all ARCore and ARKit mobile devices that use the camera to add interactive elements to the existing environment.

Simply put, with Google Maps on an AR-enabled device, signs and directions overlay the street view and guide which way to walk and where to turn.

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