Beyond Reality : AR and VR as Game- Changer in shaping Destination Attractiveness.

Abstract

The market is now hovering over augmented reality which has significantly transformed the definition of traditional marketing . The Tourism industry being one of the prominent industries is also not left out from the integration of augmented reality with respect to various components of the industry. Integration of augmented reality and virtual reality has resulted in innovative ways of narrating the folklore relating to the tourist destination , service realities in a virtual platform in the form of transformed content consumption , encouraging the tourist’s participation , increasing destination visibility in the digital platforms’ Study aims to understand how various factors of AR impacts the choice of tourists towards a destination site. It also analyses the various strategies with relation to destination branding with relation to Augmented reality.

With the changing market environment , AR and VR has enabled personalised travel experiences by analysing the digital footprint of a consumer, there by elevating tourist satisfaction and engagement. It has the ability to tourist with destination sites through virtual tours, 360-degree models and interactive platforms , resulting in an enriched pre-travel experience. The organisation dealing with travel, can use AR and VR  to attract tourist by offering various offers and tourist experiences increasing revenue earning. AR technologies can make pilgrimage sites more accessible to individuals with mobility challenges or those unable to travel long distances. The travel companies can integrate virtual reality in their business models to attract tourists by showcasing customized offers and experiences as per tourists wants, by providing interactive and visually appealing content , resulting in increased booking and revenue. The study wants to understand the signifying the shits in tourist interaction pattern  with destination through augmented reality.