Visitor Engagement Research Articles

Interpreting the space characteristics of everyday heritage gardens of Suzhou, China, through a space syntax approach

ABSTRACT China’s everyday heritage gardens, epitomizing social and spatial logic through classical layouts, offer a window into the nexus between Chinese culture and spatial design. Using space syntax and statistical methods, we examined 27 such gardens in Suzhou, categorizing them into four groups by spatial attributes. We first quantified building spatial traits, then delved into their syntactical relationships, guiding the final clustering. Cluster A, with 17 gardens, marries architectural diversity with spatial harmony, ensuring navigability. Cluster B’s seven gardens prioritize open landscapes, minimizing buildings for clarity. Cluster C, comprising two expansive gardens, blends architectural variety with spatial coherence, albeit with some navigational complexity. Unique, Cluster D, solely Yi Garden, presents a rich spatial and architectural tapestry, demanding deeper visitor engagement. This work sheds light on the intertwining of garden design and spatial structures, underscoring influences like ownership and cultural milieu, suggesting broader applicability to heritage gardens.

Enhancing visitor experiences and economic outcomes through gamified AR: The impact of a Location-Based Augmented Reality Game in agritourism

Agritourism merges agricultural activities with tourism, offering visitors immersive and educational experiences. While augmented reality (AR) has been studied in various tourism contexts, limited research explores its application in agritourism. This study explores the integration of a location-based augmented reality game (LBARG) into agritourism, assessing its impact on visitor experiences, time spent, spending behavior, and revisit intentions. To compare the quality of experiences, revisit intentions, spending, and time spent between the intervention and control groups, a one-way MANOVA was conducted. Pearson correlation analysis examined the relationship between coupons received and spending. Linear regressions explored the impact of game features (e.g., voucher redemption, exploration, coin collection, spinning the wheel) on revisit intentions, time spent, and spending. These analyses highlighted the connections between game features, user behavior, and spending patterns. The findings reveal that a LBARG significantly enhances immediate visitor experiences and spending, although it do not significantly increase revisit intentions. This research provides empirical evidence on the impact of LBARGs in agritourism, showing that augmented reality technologies can enhance visitor engagement and spending at agritourism sites.

Engagement Guidelines for Cultural Tourism Mobile Applications

Cultural tourism is an essential sector for ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage. Although there is a stigma that learning about culture is bland experience, the growth of digital games in this context proves the opposite. Digital games can enhance visitor engagement and foster heritage preservation by integrating game, narrative, and creativity elements into the touristic experience. This study aims to provide guidelines for developing mobile applications that enrich visitor experiences and promote cultural heritage learning. To achieve this, an online questionnaire was conducted to understand potential users' preferences regarding game, narrative, and creativity elements. The results indicated that historical narratives, missions and treasure hunts, and personalized walking routes and gastronomic recreation are the most engaging elements.

Navigating overtourism destinations: Leveraging smart tourism solutions for sustainable travel experience

<p>This paper explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and smart tourism technologies to address the multifaceted challenges of overtourism in tourist destinations. Overtourism leads to significant environmental degradation, strains local resources, and diminishes visitor satisfaction, ultimately threatening the sustainability of these destinations. Destinations can enhance sustainability and tailor travel experiences by utilizing cutting-edge technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and big data analytics. These technologies offer innovative solutions to optimize resource use, enhance visitor engagement, and promote responsible tourism practices. The study underscores the potential of smart tourism technologies to manage tourist flows, reduce environmental impacts, and improve the overall quality of life for local communities. Strategic planning, substantial investment, and collaboration among various stakeholders, including government agencies, local communities, and the private sector, are essential for the successful implementation of these solutions. The findings highlight the critical role of technological innovation in fostering a balanced and sustainable future for tourism, ensuring that destinations can thrive economically while preserving their cultural and natural heritage. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers and tourism managers aiming to mitigate the adverse effects of overtourism through the adoption of AI and smart tourism technologies.</p>

How event quality affects satisfaction and revisit intention from the theory of planned behaviour

Purpose: The study aims to enhance the original theoretical framework of tourism planning by examining how event quality (ETQ), attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SNs), perceived behavioural control (PBC) and satisfaction (SAT) influence tourists’ revisit intention (RI). In addition, it aims to explore the connections between ETQ, tourists’ SAT and revisit intenion, addressing a critical gap in the literature.Design/methodology/approach: The authors gathered data from 491 domestic tourists who attended the inaugural Guizhou ‘Beautiful Countryside’ Basketball League in Guizhou, China, in 2023. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was employed to assess both the measurement and structural models in the study.Findings/results: The results revealed significant positive direct effects of ATT, ETQ, SAT, PBC and SN on RI. Furthermore, ETQ indirectly influences RI through SAT, highlighting SAT as a key mediator in this relationship. The extended theory of planned behaviour (ETPB), which included ETQ and SAT as newly integrated variables, provided a stronger framework for understanding the heightened influence of ETQ on RI.Practical implications: This study enhances the theory of planned behaviour model by integrating ETQ and SAT, offering valuable insights for extending the ETPB theory. While this contribution is significant, it also presents certain limitations.Originality/value: This article addresses a crucial gap by exploring how enhancing ETQ can directly improve tourist SAT and boost RI. It provides fresh insights into optimising event experiences, which is essential for sustainable tourism development and repeat visitor engagement.

Reimagining Indigenous Tourism: The RISE Framework

ABSTRACT This paper introduces the RISE framework (Rich Intercultural Spiritual Exchange), aimed at innovating Indigenous spiritual tourism planning and execution. Grounded in the capability approach and acculturation theory, RISE facilitates immersive cultural experiences while preserving spiritual legacies, responding to calls for reimagining Indigenous tourism. Despite its potential, current practices often marginalize Indigenous communities, perpetuating issues like misrepresentation and limited participation. Embracing indigeneity unlocks opportunities for cultural exchange and community empowerment. Spiritual tourism, a key aspect, fosters personal growth and well-being while promoting cross-cultural understanding and environmental stewardship. RISE addresses shortcomings by prioritizing Indigenous voices and cultural preservation. This framework offers valuable contributions to tourism scholarship, providing insights into visitor engagement and cultural assimilation. It also aids destination planners in creating meaningful, sustainable experiences, fostering cross-cultural understanding and community empowerment. Ultimately, RISE guides stakeholders in developing authentic, culturally enriching tourism that benefits both visitors and Indigenous communities.

Unsafe building: documenting heritage at risk through robotic and semi-autonomous survey

The National Trust cares for many places where access to heritage is restricted, for safety or other reasons, limiting the opportunity for monitoring, recording and visitor engagement. The remains of the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE) testing facility, built between 1954 and 1962 at Orford Ness on the Suffolk coast of England, represent such a case. The AWRE structures are a Scheduled Monument and sit within a wider landscape of twentieth century defence heritage. The buildings have attained a mythical status in popular culture and attract substantial visitor interest. However, they are unsafe to enter, and their long-term conservation strategy is to allow their gradual decline to a point where significant evidence is lost, with their ultimate loss to coastal erosion anticipated. Recognising these challenges, our work has sought to develop and assess a prototype use of robotic and semi-autonomous survey technology for heritage at risk in challenging environments. A suite of complementary technologies, including Boston Dynamics quadruped robots, caged and conventional drones combining laser scanning and digital photogrammetry were used. This paper provides an account of practicalities, benefits and limitations of robotic and semi-autonomous survey for documenting heritage assets.

Utilizing the Experience Economy to Cultivate Unforgettable Moments in Sustainable Tourism: The Case of Edelweiss Park in Wonokitri Village

Limited attention has been given to the implementation of the experience economy in tourism villages. This research aims to bridge this gap by evaluating the practical applications of the experience economy in the management of tourism destinations, specifically within the framework of Edelweiss Park in the Wonokitri Tourism Village. This study adopts qualitative methodologies, utilizing interviews and on-site observations. The investigation was carried out at Edelweiss Park in Wonokitri village, where discussions were held with both stakeholders involved in the park’s management and its visitors. In total, six individuals were interviewed to glean insights into the implementation of experience economy practices within Edelweiss Park. Edelweiss Park offers a unique cultivation tourism experience where visitors actively engage in cultivating edelweiss flowers. The hands-on learning and expert guidance enhance the overall enjoyment and satisfaction of the experience. Edelweiss Park stands out as a conservation-based destination that successfully combines tourism with responsible practices, making it a remarkable model for preserving edelweiss flowers while providing visitors with an enjoyable and rewarding visit. Keywords: experience economy, tourism village, visitor engagement

The Future Museum: Integrating Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual-text with AI-enhanced Information Systems

This study examines how AR, virtual text, and AI in future museums affect visitor engagement, knowledge acquisition, emotional response, and social interaction. The study uses econometrics equations, text analysis, thematic qualitative data analysis, and agent-based modelling. The economic models show that virtual text type, depth of knowledge, personalization, accessibility options, and AR museum experiences increase visitor engagement, knowledge, emotional response, and social interaction. Thematic analysis displays visitor viewpoints such as AR curiosity, personalization, and cultural significance, while correlation matrices indicate their relationships. Bayesian econometrics, text analysis, thematic qualitative data analysis, and agent-based modelling are used to explore museum visitors' interactions with augmented reality, virtual text, and AI-enhanced information systems. These devices improve visitor engagement, social connection, emotional response, and information collection. Self-reported data biases, context biases, and rapid technological advancement limit the study. Museums can benefit from user-centric technology, AR, personalization, and cultural knowledge. The main findings reveal that these technologies significantly increase museum visitors, emphasizing that future museum administration and design must carefully adopt new technology. The findings may affect museum staff, designers, and decision-makers. Learning important technology factors improves AR, virtual text, and AI-enhanced information system design and deployment decisions. UX design prioritizes visitor choices, while immersive and integrated displays connect museum experiences. These practical implications force museums to actively and practically integrate technology to stay relevant. The project's findings, practical insights, and visitor experiences will improve future technological and cultural organisation research. The whole process contributes to the discussion on how emerging technologies affect museum experiences and innovation and decision-making in the ever-changing cultural heritage context.

Demographic influences on digital service perceptions and satisfaction at World Heritage Sites in Chinese coastal cities: An empirical analysis

This study investigates how digital transformation influences visitor satisfaction at 12 World Heritage Sites (WHS) across eight coastal provinces in Eastern and Southern China. Utilizing 402 valid survey responses, it explores the impact of demographic factors—education, age, and income—on visitors’ perceptions of digital services, particularly focusing on usability, quality, and overall experience. The findings reveal that younger, higher-income, and STEM-educated visitors express significantly higher satisfaction with digital services, while older, lower-income visitors report lower levels of engagement and satisfaction. This research highlights the need for tailored digital strategies that cater to diverse demographic groups, ensuring the balance between technological innovation and the preservation of cultural authenticity at heritage sites. The originality of this study lies in its focus on non-Western contexts, particularly China’s rapidly developing coastal regions, which have been largely overlooked in the global discourse on digital tourism. By applying established theoretical frameworks—such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Expectation-Confirmation Theory (ECT)—to a non-Western setting, this research fills a crucial gap in the literature. The insights provided offer actionable recommendations for heritage site managers to enhance visitor engagement, adapt digital services to demographic variations, and promote sustainable tourism development.

Mapping Visit Behaviors in a Virtual Art Gallery to Visitor Engagement Profiles Using Latent Class Analysis

Virtual art galleries represent a rapidly growing and potentially unique context for art engagement, but little is known about the psychological nature of these experiences. To better characterize virtual art gallery visits, we quantified a set of in-depth behaviors related to art viewing, navigation, and intensive art engagement in a virtual gallery. Data included coordinate position and gaze proxy data, recorded from 264 unconstrained participant visits to a virtual gallery that contained 24 diverse artworks curated throughout 3 rooms. Nine classified visit behaviors—related to the overall visit, navigation, art viewing, and deep engagement—were used in a latent class analysis as indicators for estimating possible visitor engagement classes. The analysis resulted in a 4-class model which classified visitors as disengaged, typical, engaged, and revisitors. Finally, we examined how each class differed in terms of their art knowledge, personality, and other individual differences. Significant differences were found for several variables, including aesthetic fluency, openness to experience, extraversion, age, and nausea.

The Future Museum: Integrating Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual-text with AI-enhanced Information Systems

This study examines how AR, virtual text, and AI in future museums affect visitor engagement, knowledge acquisition, emotional response, and social interaction. The study uses econometrics equations, text analysis, thematic qualitative data analysis, and agent-based modelling. The economic models show that virtual text type, depth of knowledge, personalization, accessibility options, and AR museum experiences increase visitor engagement, knowledge, emotional response, and social interaction. Thematic analysis displays visitor viewpoints such as AR curiosity, personalization, and cultural significance, while correlation matrices indicate their relationships. Bayesian econometrics, text analysis, thematic qualitative data analysis, and agent-based modelling are used to explore museum visitors' interactions with augmented reality, virtual text, and AI-enhanced information systems. These devices improve visitor engagement, social connection, emotional response, and information collection. Self-reported data biases, context biases, and rapid technological advancement limit the study. Museums can benefit from user-centric technology, AR, personalization, and cultural knowledge. The main findings reveal that these technologies significantly increase museum visitors, emphasizing that future museum administration and design must carefully adopt new technology. The findings may affect museum staff, designers, and decision-makers. Learning important technology factors improves AR, virtual text, and AI-enhanced information system design and deployment decisions. UX design prioritizes visitor choices, while immersive and integrated displays connect museum experiences. These practical implications force museums to actively and practically integrate technology to stay relevant. The project's findings, practical insights, and visitor experiences will improve future technological and cultural organisation research. The whole process contributes to the discussion on how emerging technologies affect museum experiences and innovation and decision-making in the ever-changing cultural heritage context.

Impact of Tourist Motivation on Consumption Behaviour in Ice and Snow Sports Destinations

Sports tourism involves traveling to either observe or engage in a sports event while being away from tourists' usual environment. The rapid growth of the Ice and Snow (I&S) tourism sector in the current duration has encouraged the sustainable improvement of the relationship between motivational factors and consumption behaviour. Tourism stakeholders could acquire significant insights by understanding the causes of consumer behaviour, particularly in light of the increasing popularity of winter sports and tourism. The tourism business has witnessed the emergence of I&S sports tourism as a significant sector, illustrating millions of tourists to winter each destination. The study combines the data gathered from visitors to various winter sports industries with information gathered from industry experts' focus groups and interviews. This study investigates the relationships between sports tourism motivation, involvement, place attachment, and consumption behaviour following the theoretical hypothesis formulation. It explores the impact of different motivational features on tourists' expenditure models and activity preferences in winter sports environments using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The study emphasizes the value of smart marketing and customized experiences in raising visitor engagement and retention. Strong relationships between the variables under study are shown by demographic and correlation studies, which assess the concepts validity and reliability. The study also emphasizes how customized experiences and marketing tactics are crucial for raising visitor engagement and retention rates. Accordingly, using a variety of hypotheses, including consumer behaviour theory, this article aims to examine the link between the motivation behind I&S sports tourism and consumer behaviour.

Enhancing Cultural Heritage Tourism through Market Innovation and Technology Integration

Integrating the preservation of cultural heritage with the development of tourism is essential for fostering sustainable economic growth and honoring historical and cultural values. This abstract outlines the pivotal findings from an action research project in an urban setting within the Yangtze River Delta region, emphasizing the role of market innovation and the strategic use of emerging technologies to align cultural heritage conservation with tourism economic growth. The project was approached through a multifaceted methodology, including a literature review, field research, and qualitative data analysis. The research adopted a proactive methodology, harnessing Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to significantly boost visitor engagement and educational enrichment. Integral to the project's strategy was the active inclusion of the community and an educational framework that underscored the collaborative development of knowledge, valuing local perspectives. The implementation of these technologies facilitated immersive experiences, leading to a substantial increase in tourist satisfaction and an enhanced awareness of cultural heritage among residents, suggesting a symbiotic dynamic between preservation efforts and development. Despite the study's regional focus, which presents limitations in the generalizability of the findings, the results underscore the necessity for expanded research. There is a clear need to examine the intricate interplay between technological optimization and conservation strategies within a variety of cultural and geographical contexts. The insights garnered from this study contribute meaningfully to the field of sustainable cultural heritage tourism, suggesting avenues for future exploration and practical application.

Evolution of Immersive Technologies and Their Impact on Visitor Engagement in Cultural Heritage Sites

The cultural heritage sites, incorporating advanced technology and engaging activities have been demonstrated to enhance visitor attention and retention, resulting in more significant and unforgettable experiences. The evolution of immersive technologies, has significantly transformed visitor engagement in cultural heritage sites. This study investigates how these technologies increase visitor experience and engagement. The study utilizes Chi-square tests and ANCOVA and multiple linear regressions tests to examine the correlation between technology usage and visitor satisfaction, to identify key predictors of enhanced visitor interaction. The findings highlights the significant prospective of immersive technology enhances cultural heritage experiences, providing actionable insights for site managers and technology developers. The investigation highlights the renovate consequence of incorporating VR and AR technologies on visitor engagement at cultural heritage sites, enhancing satisfaction, and boosting return visits. It provides valuable recommendations for site managers and technology developers to enhance cultural heritage experiences.

A Sentiment Analysis Model Based on User Experiences of Dubrovnik on the Tripadvisor Platform

Emerging research indicates that sentiment analyses of Dubrovnik focus mainly on hotel accommodations and restaurants. However, little attention has been paid to attractions, even though they are an important aspect of destinations and require more care and investment than amenities. This study examines how visitors experience Dubrovnik based on the reviews published on the Tripadvisor platform. Data were collected by implementing a web-scraping script to retrieve reviews of the tourist attraction “Old Town” from Tripadvisor, while data augmentation and random oversampling techniques were applied to address class imbalances. A sentiment analysis model, based on the pre-trained RoBERTa, was also developed and evaluated. In particular, a sentiment analysis was performed to compare reviews from 2022 and 2023. Overall, the results of this study are promising and demonstrate the effectiveness of this model and its potential applicability to other attractions. These findings provide valuable insights for decision makers to improve services and to increase visitor engagement.

“Cocoa-Based Tourism”: Exploring Tourists’ Image, Satisfaction and Loyalty Regarding a Cultural Heritage Destination

ABSTRACT This research aims to analyze the relationship between cocoa-based tourist experiences and tourists’ perceptions of image, satisfaction and loyalty regarding a cultural destination. A quantitative approach was used, with data obtained via surveys distributed to tourists participating in a cocoa-based culinary experience in the Dominican Republic. The survey was designed with items adapted from previous research. The theoretical model of the study was examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results indicate that cocoa-based culinary experiences are closely linked to tourists’ cognitive and affective perceptions of the destination, improving overall satisfaction and contributing to loyalty intentions. Destination image and destination satisfaction mediate the relationship between cocoa-based culinary experiences and tourist loyalty, suggesting that immersive dining experiences are critical in shaping destination perception and visitor engagement. This research offers novel contributions to gastronomic tourism because it focuses on cocoa as a central element of gastronomic tourism, in addition to examining its effects on destination marketing outcomes. It is one of the first studies to analyze gastronomic tourism from the cocoa perspective. The results expand the existing literature on gastronomic tourism, as the experiential aspects of cocoa consumption with regard to tourist behavior and destination loyalty are integrated.

The Role of Museum Design in Enhancing Visitor Learning: A Critical Review

This study examines the impact of museum design on knowledge acquisition through a comprehensive literature review. By analyzing existing research on museum architecture, exhibit layout, and visitor engagement, the study explores how design elements such as spatial organization, lighting, and interactive displays influence learning outcomes. The literature review reveals key insights into the ways museum environments shape cognitive processes and retention of information. Findings suggest that well-designed museums significantly enhance visitor engagement and facilitate deeper understanding. This review highlights existing trends and identifies gaps in the current research, providing a foundation for future empirical studies on the relationship between museum design and knowledge transfer

Navigating Maritime Heritage: An Immersive Virtual Tour of the USS Drum Submarine Museum

Virtual Reality (VR) technology has revolutionized the preservation and interpretation of heritage sites. This study focuses on developing an immersive 360-degree virtual tour (VT) for the USS Drum Submarine Museum in Mobile, Alabama, USA, incorporating oral histories to enhance the accessibility and visitor experiences. The project addresses the need for innovative methods to present maritime history effectively. Using Matterport technology, detailed 3D imagery of the USS Drum was captured and processed, integrating multimedia elements and oral histories from a veteran USS Drum crew member to provide a richer historical narrative. A user experience study gathered feedback from virtual visitors, who offered quantitative and qualitative responses. The research findings indicate that the VT significantly enhances visitor engagement and historical understanding, with high satisfaction rates for visual quality and oral histories, though some users experienced technical challenges and difficulties. This study demonstrates the potential of combining immersive VTs with oral histories to create engaging educational experiences, preserving the USS Drum’s legacy and making it accessible to a broader audience, including those unable to visit in person. Furthermore, this project sets a precedent for museums to leverage digital tools in preserving and promoting maritime heritage and oral histories.

Agritourism: The Role of Farm-to-Table in Promoting Local Cuisine and Return Visits

This exploration probes into the captivating effect of agritourism, anchored in farm-to-table traditions, on the enrichment of local culinary adventures and the allure for patrons to return, employing Self-Determination Theory to scrutinize visitor interactions. The primary goal is to investigate the intricate dance between perceived autonomy, competence, and connectedness, and how they shape perceived authenticity and the tendency for return visits, highlighting the pivotal influence of perceived cost. Information was gathered via a survey involving 354 individuals, and the connections were explored through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results reveal that the perception of competence exerts the most significant positive influence on the sense of authenticity and the likelihood of return visits. Nonetheless, the dynamic interaction between perceived financial burden and authenticity revealed a negative correlation with subsequent visits, indicating that increased expenditures may diminish the advantageous effects of genuine experiences. This research emphasizes the importance of aligning authentic experiences with economic viability in the realm of agritourism. Ventures, offering valuable perspectives for operators to elevate visitor engagement, thereby fostering satisfaction and loyalty. The implications of these findings extend into the realm of enhancing the design of agritourism experiences. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2024-05-03-013 Full Text: PDF