Top 5 Ideas How To Use Ar In Tourism
Augmented reality and tourism are created for each other. If you think about it, you will definitely agree. What is the main activity of a tourist? Traveling, of course. Traveling and watching around, absorbing every piece of information they can find about the destination.
Augmented reality in the very idea of it is meant to change what we see around. It is meant to enhance our experience and increase our joy while exploring the world. So AR is a perfect tool for tourism. It adds new value and opens new opportunities for both the tourist and the tourism industry. In this article, we will share with you top 5 ideas of how to use augmented reality in tourism.
Guide your customers
Information is what people can't live without. It is the fuel for our impressions and our emotions, especially while traveling. Of course, there are adventurers that prefer to wander around with no particular aim peeking into every alley and corner in their search of something interesting. But when one wants a beer, they want it now and not after two hours of walking around the unknown city.
AR will help your customers in their search of whatever it is: a bar, a restaurant, a famous bridge, a historic sight. As people point their phone to a certain image or sign, the application will give all the possible information. Imagine the best guide you have ever read or watched: with augmented reality it can be 10 times more fun and interesting. No more paper guides - everything is in a smartphone now.
Cases
Hub Hotels by Premier Inn decorated their rooms with a map of the city, which is more than just a design. Their application is able to recognize the map and show local tourists attractions near the hotel. Fast and easy the hotel gives its guests the information they need. Who wouldn't appreciate this?
When you travel to an old city, like Rome or Venice, which are packed with attractions, it is easy to miss an interesting place. An augmented reality application can serve as a real-life guide. Application, created by eTips, allows people to learn more about Florence through the camera viewfinder. As the camera catches the scenery around, the application marks places of interest and gives additional information about it.
Help your customers find the way
So now your guests know where they want to go. It's time to answer the question of how to get there. While some have an uncanny sense of direction that will lead them exactly where they need, the unfortunate majority relies on maps in their smartphones.
Augmented reality can greatly improve people's experience with maps, making them better and more convenient. Your customers will be grateful when they get to use an interactive, fun-to-use, and helpful way to navigate.
Cases
Don't you think sometimes that subway maps resemble a code? Augmented reality application TunnelVision helps to crack it. The app brings to life a New York City subway map and helps to navigate around the city. Together with the transport information, it also shows some data about New York.
Skyline is an example of a great AR tourism application for hiking and camping enthusiasts. First, it is a great guide that through the phone camera recognizes the view and labels mountains, hills, rivers with their names. And secondly, it can show the way to the destination point in a real-life mode. With this app, there is no chance to get lost in the wilderness.
Educate your customers
Tell them more about your place. Show them extra information about the city. Let them dive into the depth of history and science. People appreciate when they are told and shown interesting stories.
Those fascinated by museums will be thrilled to see the exhibits come alive. Augmented reality can easily animate a T-Rex or make a Moai tell where it's from. AR applications open a window into the past. They can tell the story of a ruined building or show what used to be here hundreds of years ago. Augmented reality has limitless potential in sharing information with people.
Cases
Talking about museums: Museum of Natural History enriched their ever-lasting exhibition of skeletons with an AR application. Now visitors, who downloaded the Skin and Bones app, can overlay the phone over the carcass and see what the animal looked like when it was alive.
Augmented Asbury Park does a great job of showing people the history of the place. As people scan a marker with the app, they have an opportunity to see what this building looked like and where it was located. This AR tourism application places the image of the building on top of the real world scenery where it used to be in the past.
Break the communication barrier
Yes, English is one of the most common languages in the world. But experienced tourists know that there are places where an English-speaking person is as rare as a unicorn. You can help your guests duplicating everything into English or introducing them an AR application. An augmented reality app can help people to understand signs and notes, improving their traveling experience.
Case
An obvious example here is Google Translate. A few years ago there was added a feature of instant translation. As a person points a camera to a foreign phrase, the application translates it into English. Or another language among available. It works pretty well, but the quality of the translation varies. Unfortunately, machine translation doesn't work perfectly yet. However, it is possible to understand the general idea.
Improve your customers' experience
Make it easier. Make it more interesting. Make it better. If you change something in your service that in any way improves your customer's interacting with it, it will be noted and remembered.
Augmented reality is definitely a memorable thing. It can be applied on any stage of a person's interaction with the company: acquaintance, choice, usage. It brings extra excitement and evokes good emotions, which benefits the brand image overall. AR tourism solutions can persuade a customer that your company is what they need.
Cases
Brochures are not the best way to present a hotel. Unless it is enhanced with augmented reality. Nhow Berlin Hotels offered their potential guests an AR tour around the hotel. To take a look it is enough to visit their website and place the brochure in front of the camera. Colorful and entertaining presentation leaves no one unimpressed.
When you read a menu is one thing. When you can see every dish from the menu is the next level play. AR application Kabaq shows the restaurant guests a detailed mouthwatering 3D images of the food. When one sees how beautiful that steak is, it is impossible not to order it.
Augmented reality solutions in tourism are various and can serve any company. With AR you can improve customer experience, state your company as an innovative one and draw attention to your brand. Try it and see the difference.
Victor Bogomolov
CEO of VR Tigers
VR Tigers
