Cultural tourism is regarded as a key contributor for economic growth in various destinations. While increasing awareness and interest of different cultures play a key role, technology has made information and interaction at these sites more accessible and engaging. An increasing amount of research is being conducted around the potential and implementation of AR and VR technology to enhance the visitor experience. However, limited theoretical knowledge has been developed on how these need to be designed to facilitate forming memorable experiences at cultural tourism sites. This study discusses elements affecting the visitor experience and discusses how AR and VR should be designed to contribute to enhancing the experience and making it memorable from a theoretical perspective. Further research recommendations are outlined that suggest the use of complementing research methodologies to better understand the nature of experiences in order to design AR and VR application more purpose-specifically.
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Evaluation and monitoring have become major issues for cultural events. On the one hand, more detailed information is needed to satisfy event sponsors, on the other hand, the nature of events is increasingly developing towards inclusive concepts (from consumer-oriented delivery to more experiential and social values). The focus on visitor experience presents event organizers with a need to go beyond traditional measurement instruments to evaluate their events. Qualitative approaches are therefore increasingly valued for the insight they provide into visitor experience. The use of visitor journeys and thematic analysis for evaluating, monitoring and improving cultural events will be discussed on the basis of research in cooperation with ‘Rotterdam Festivals’, an umbrella organization for festivals in the city of Rotterdam. On the basis of these results, the visitor journey method allows for better insight into consumer experiences. Apart from contributing to knowledge about the event experience, the method has also proven to be a powerful tool for event design (i.e. developing new strategies and concepts), and thus it can bridge the gap identified in the literature between event evaluation and design. This paper will serve three goals: to present the outcomes of the visitor journey approach, to discuss strengths and weaknesses when compared to other evaluation approaches, and discuss the value of visitor journeys for evaluation and event design.
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A number of organizations in cultural tourism have started to explore the use of augmented reality (AR) to enhance visitor experience. While many studies have been conducted to identify adoption criteria of mobile AR applications, research exploring the adoption of augmented reality smart glasses (ARSG) is still limited. This paper contributes to the technology adoption literature by investigating attributes of visitor adoption of ARSG in cultural tourism. Twenty-eight interviews were conducted with visitors to a UK art gallery, where they experienced an ARSG application. Findings inform an ARSG adoption framework that integrates societal impact, perceived benefits, perceived attributes of innovation, and visitor resistance as the main themes of ARSG adoption in cultural tourism.
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In the past two years [2010-2012] we have done research on the visitor experience of music festivals. We conducted several surveys asking festival visitors for demographic variables, taste in music, their motivation for visiting festivals, mentalities and the evaluation of the festival. We also asked for the use of social media before, after and during the festival. Results show that visitors using social media have a significantly different festival experience from users that do not use social media before, during or after the festival. Results on difference in festival satisfaction are mixed.
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De Experience Tool: Mapping facts and practice to develop (spatial) experiences (Moes, Schrandt, Manuputty, Admiraal & van der Mark, 2019), is in eerste instantie ontwikkeld door docent-onderzoekers en een oud-student van het Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) om studenten beter onderbouwde afwegingen te laten maken over inrichting van bijvoorbeeld metrostations, winkels maar ook tentoonstellingen. De toolkit is dus niet ontwikkeld in het kader van Designing Experiencescapes of De Tentoonstellingsmaker van de 21ste Eeuw, maar deze onderzoeken hebben wel een belangrijke inhoudelijke basis gegeven voor de toolkit en zijn dus zeer relevant voor de (toekomstige) tentoonstellingsmaker. Het doel van deze tool is om spelers te inspireren bij en informeren over het creëren van belevingen in (hoofdzakelijk) fysieke ruimtes. De tool is voor iedereen die geïnteresseerd is in het creëren van belevingen en met name interessant voor studenten die een beleving willen neerzetten, in welke vorm dan ook en professionals uit de museale en de retailsector die invloed hebben op het inrichten van fysieke ruimtes.
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This research concerning the experience and future of zoos was carried out from 2011-2012 and takes regional ideas concerning Zoo Emmen as well as global visions into account. The research focuses partly on Zoo Emmen, its present attractions and visitors while also comparing and contrasting visions on the future in relationship to other international zoos in the world. In this way, remarkable experiences and ideas will be identified and in the light of them, it can serve as inspiration for stakeholders of zoos at large. The main research subject is a look at the future zoos in view of: The Zoo Experience – an international experience benchmark; The Zoo of the Future – a Scenario Planning approach towards the future; The virtual zoo - zoo’s in the internet domain.
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Coastal dunes are challenging to manage due to their dynamic nature, vulnerable ecosystems, and recreational demand. A limited management approach was studied at Jockey's Ridge, the largest active dune on the US Atlantic coast. Visitor experience data, digital elevation models, and informal stories and photos were integrated in a case study approach. Data revealed the value of an integrated management approach that preserved the dune as a unique "living" geomorphological feature with interventions limited to the park borders. The accessibility of the dune to visitors facilitated intense, enjoyable interactions with nature. Elevation data show that the management approach has maintained the dune's unique naturally dynamic character, revealing the benefits of preserving processes rather than features.
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We investigate the experiential factors predicting the short-termimpact of a museum visit. Two recently developed frameworks wereused: the Dimensions of Visitor Experience (DoVE) framework byPacker et al. (2018) and the experience impact framework by Duerdenet al. (2018). We employ a survey method, collecting data from 523respondents over a year. The results of a SEM analysis reveal thatreflection and joy significantly enhance memorable impacts of thevisit, while sociability plays a smaller, yet still significant role. Reflectionalone significantly and largely influences perceived meaningfulness,and both sociability and reflection significantly contribute to transfor-mative impacts. This research provides valuable insights for museumsto design experiences that enhance their impact on visitors, therebydemonstrating their value to stakeholders and supporting museums’financial sustainability.
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This paper develops a measurement scale for cultural experiences across different contexts, including attractions, events and tours, in Hong Kong. Four dimensions of experience (cognitive, conative, affective and novelty) are identified through structural equation modelling. The scale is applied to compare visitor- and context-related influences on the experience and on subsequent behavioural intentions. We find that the conative dimension of experience elicits the highest experience scores from visitors, but affective experiences are more significant in distinguishing between different experience contexts and visitor groups. The strongest experiences were attributed to event contexts, followed by tours, and finally permanent attractions. The experience is also enhanced when various sites are combined by visitors to provide a ‘destination journey’.
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