A Positive Alternative: Revived Originals

Can the Metaverse and Its Associated Digital Tools and Technologies Provide an Opportunity for Destinations to Address the Vulnerability of Overtourism?

“…It is clear that the integration of XR technologies into cultural sites, such as museums and cathedrals, has a significant impact on the preservation and accessibility of historical artefacts [25,45,[56][57][58][59], which are challenged by overtourism. These immersive technologies provide a means for individuals to explore and experience these sites from anywhere in the world, creating a virtual reality that is indistinguishable from reality [45,54,54].…”

“…These immersive technologies provide a means for individuals to explore and experience these sites from anywhere in the world, creating a virtual reality that is indistinguishable from reality [45,54,54]. In addition to physical restoration, the use of XR can enhance visitors' experiences by enabling them to access previously inaccessible areas and providing a profound sense of presence within historical structures [56,58]. As such, it is evident that these technologies have the potential to revolutionise the way we approach cultural preservation and visitor engagement at heritage sites, promoting their sustainability [25,45].…”

Overcoming overtourism: a review of failure

“…Great Barrier Reef, Edinburgh Old Town) are threatened not only by pressure from tourist numbers but also by action by bodies such as united United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization do, national governments react. In an increasing number of urban destinations, the application of technological solutions (Hassan and Sharma, 2021) and “smart tourism” have been discussed as ways of tackling overtourism, and another suggested approach is that of “creating revived originals” (Frey, 2012). Ivars-Baidal et al (2019 p.122) argue that “The measures for addressing overtourism include regulatory measures and the occasional use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).…”

“…As many authors (Dodds and Butler, 2019; Goodwin, 2017; Hall, 2009; Koens et al , 2018; Milano et al , 2019a) have noted, overtourism is not a new problem; however, it has become a substantial one. The increasing interest in the topic can be seen from the number of recent books on the topic (Dodds and Butler, 2019; Frey, 2012; Hassan and Sharma, 2021; Koens et al , 2018; Milano et al , 2019a; Seraphin et al , 2020; Seraphin and Yallop, 2021) and the number of references cited in Capocci et al (2019). The European Parliament defined overtourism as “the situation in which the impact of tourism, at certain times and in certain locations, exceeds physical, ecological, social, economic, psychological and/or political capacity thresholds” (European Parliament, 2018), without defining any of those capacity thresholds.…”