An exploratory study of the role of pervasive environments for promotion of tourism destinations

Abstract

Purpose -The aim of this research is to investigate how virtual reality, with emphasis on pervasive environments, might affect tourism choice of a destination, in order to exploit it as a marketing tool to promote tourism destination in a global perspective. In particular, the paper analyzes the case of Calabrian territory (Southern Italy), due to the high archaeological value, heritage of the ancient Magna Graecia culture (VIII cent. B.D.-I cent. A.D.). Despite this heritage, Calabria has been not fully exploited its resources in a tourism perspective. Design/methodology/approach -The research methodology is based on a qualitative approach, focused on a questionnaire promoted along with tourists. In particular, the authors asked them to explore the pervasive environments which reproduce some Calabrian scenarios, and answer some specific questions related to the experience. The interviews have been processed with the MaxQDA software for the content analysis. Findings -Two aspects of the results emerge from a theoretical standpoint: the role of pervasive environments for improving tourism contents communication; and the influence of pervasive environments on the tourists' destination choice. Furthermore, the use of pervasive environments is efficient especially for the territories with a high archaeological value. Originality/value -The increasing competition among territories forces the tourism industry to develop new strategies for enhancing competitive advantages. This paper studies how pervasive environments might have an impact on the promotion of tourism destinations, which have not been yet fully appraised by the current literature.

Analysing recent augmented and virtual reality developments in tourism

“…Therefore, researchers have studied both of them in tourism context during recent years (e.g., Paulo et al, 2018). The impact of VR has been analyzed by Bruno et al (2010) in a digital archaeological exhibition context, by Huang et al (2016) who explored VR as a tool for leveraging tourism marketing, and by Pantano and Servidio (2011) for promoting tourism destinations. Examples of AR research include improving visitors' experience through smart glasses in museums (tom Dieck et al, 2016), and marker-based AR applications in theme parks (Jung et al, 2015).…”

Key Locational Characteristics that Influence on Attracting Tourists to Sri Lanka

“…In Jamaica, the level of host and the guest interaction depends on the attitude of locals [47]. The growing competition in the industry encourages the nation to step on to an innovative strategy as stated [48] and to get an economic advantage. Beaches of both Northern and Eastern provinces have an attraction on surfing [4].…”

Comunicación de un destino experiencial a través de las páginas web. Análisis de Villavicencio – Colombia

“…Según Burgess, Parish y Alcock (2011), la información de la industria turística y de viajes juega un papel fundamental para la tecnología web en la promoción y comercialización de destinos turísticos. Esto se debe, en parte, a que los entornos virtuales facilitan la memorización de la información turística (Wang y Yang, 2008) e inuyen mejor en las expectativas de los turistas (Pantano y Servidio, 2011). Por esta razón, el contenido, la calidad y la efectividad de las páginas de internet es de suma importancia dentro del proceso de comercialización (Cabanilla y Gentili, 2015).…”