What is Augmented Reality?

Augmented Reality (AR) is technology that expands our physical world and adds layers of digital information on top of it. Unlike Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) does not create all artificial environments to replace the real with the virtual. AR directly appears in an existing environment and adds sounds, videos, graphics to it.

It creates a view of the physical real-world environment with computer-generated and superimposed images and changes the perception of reality. Augmented Reality applications usually link the digital animation to a special 'marker' or process it by determining the location with the help of GPS on phones.

The term itself appeared in 1990 and was first used commercially, in the television and military fields. With the rise of the internet and smartphones, AR has released its second version. As 3D models are projected directly onto physical objects or assembled in real time, various Augmented Reality applications have begun to transform our habits, social life and entertainment industry.

The Direction of Tourism is Changing with Augmented Reality

For many countries, tourism is one of the biggest sources of their domestic economies. For this reason, tourism continues to develop as a structure that always keeps up with its age. Augmented Reality in Tourism also has great potential to improve the experience of those who love to travel a lot. New Augmented Reality applications offer us new information and opportunities in tourism as in many other fields.

The tourism industry has 4 pillars: accommodation, transportation, food service and tourist attractions. So, where exactly is “Augmented Reality” in these 4 main subjects?

1. Accommodation and AR

The hospitality industry was one of the first to implement AR. Augmented Reality applications have managed to find a wide place in the field of accommodation, especially since the wide variety of reservation opportunities has increased the competition in this field.

Accommodation information, prices, etc. It is possible to use AR technology to create versatile room tours that include multi-purpose room tours, promote the hospitality business, and turn one-time customers into repeat customers by ensuring that all hotel services are experienced by customers beforehand.

Let's say you want to get information about services, room cleaning and places to see from your hotel room. All you have to do is open the hotel's app with your smartphone or tablet and point your device at smart objects. Simple. An interactive wall map in each room of the Hub Hotel, where guests can interact with their phones and check out local attractions nearby, is a good example of AR applications in accommodation.

Today, while printed materials and brochures cannot attract attention as before, mobile and technological promotional products manage to attract the attention of the consumer.

3D rendering of brochures not only attracts the user but also provides the opportunity to present more detailed and comprehensive information. Notable is Marriott Hotels' collaboration with Blippar to produce such interactive ads in their magazines. Hotel customers, who scan the interactive areas in the brochures with the Blippar application, can access much more content in an easy and fun way than they can in the brochure.

Interactive Hotels

Pokemon Go has inspired many other uses of AR technology, including the hospitality industry. Imagine how such gamification could encourage and interest people to stay at a particular hotel; When we enter the site of PAI hotels, the AR application welcomes us. With this application, you can find 7 different objects by visiting hotels and win prizes.

2. Transportation

Imagine that you have just gotten out of the vehicle you are traveling in and are wondering where to go from there with your suitcase in hand. If you have an Augmented Reality travel application, you can learn a lot of interesting information about the direction, route, next stop and places you have been.

Especially for frequent travelers, AR can provide very enjoyable experiences during trips. With AR (Augmented Reality), you can turn a subway map or other elements into an interactive guide in multiple languages. For example, Tunnel Vision is actively implementing this in New York subway stations.

3. Restaurants and AR

Restaurants, bars and other facilities can use AR (Augmented Reality) solutions in several ways:

As in the AR application Kabaq, you can see a 360-degree interactive, virtual image of the right portion size of each dish on the menu on your plate, and examine the food you choose with all its details.

AR games/quests are already using Pokémon Go in many restaurants.

With AR applications, it is possible to get information about nearby restaurants, cafes and bars.

4. Attractions

Exploring sights and attractions with AR (Augmented Reality) technology makes classic city tours more extraordinary. You can travel back in time, see the evolution of many buildings over time, and enjoy 3D models of the places you visit. The most important examples of these tours organized with AR (Augmented Reality) are theme parks and zoos.

The main advantages of AR (Augmented Reality) for parks and zoos are:

· Navigation: Generally, you will come across many structures with map stands and direction signs in theme parks. Instead, think of 3D animals describing your destination. Wouldn't it be fun, don't you think?

· Gameplay: Simple games for treasure hunts or finding hidden 3D animals.

· Education: Rich, useful and visual information about any animal that is now extinct.

· Quizzes: Allows visitors waiting in lines to paint with AR (Augmented Reality) objects to entertain them.

Augmented Reality in Museums

Over the last decade, museums around the world have slowly begun to lose their visitors. Every artwork exhibited with Augmented Reality raises people's interest as it can become an augmented model. Thus, visits to museums draw both an increase and a positive experience curve.

For example, the National Museum of Natural History in the United States launched the Bone and Hall app, which allows people to see a truly live representation of extinct animals based on the fossil skeletons in the museum.

https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/347381/uiconf_id/43049831/entry_id/1_kbcgfs5g/embed/dynamic

Thus, museums can create visual tour guides and exhibits, bring non-existent objects to life, educate visitors in an unforgettable way, and captivate people in general.

Other Applications of Augmented Reality Technology in Tourism

Marketing

All tourism agencies have tons of paper brochures and travel catalogs. As we said before, the possibilities for AR (Augmented Reality) materials are almost limitless compared to print media. It is possible to inform customers more comprehensively with animated visuals. With AR marketing, it becomes easier to convey valuable information and faster final decisions can be supported.

Navigation

The main purpose of any tourist trip is to discover new places and enjoy the places. In addition, considering the cities visited for the first time, the era of deep research in search engines to organize places to visit is left behind. Maps with AR or VR (Virtual Reality) applications for navigation make this much easier.

Language Barriers

When you travel abroad, you may not know the local language and signs. Augmented Reality applications and translation features instantly translate information into your native language, helping to avoid misunderstandings.