Interpreting the impact of augmented reality on heritage tourism: two empirical studies from World Heritage sites

The promotion of tourism experiences through Augmented Reality (AR) technology has become a hot topic in current tourism research. Nevertheless, in heritage tourism research, when AR technology is adopted in heritage destinations, empirical studies on tourist responses still need to be further investigated. To bridge this research gap, this study constructed a theoretical model based on the stimulus organism response (SOR) and presence theories to explore the influence of authenticity (object-based and existential authenticity) on tourist presence perception and behavioral intention. The survey data revealed that, based on these two different World Heritage sites in Beijing (The Forbidden City) and Macao (Ruins of St. Paul's), China, presented through AR, similar findings were revealed, i.e. two different kinds of authenticity affect the formation of tourists’ presence and further influence tourists’ travel intentions. This current study extends the SOR theory by integrating object-based authenticity, existential authenticity, and presence into a theoretical model. In addition to this, the findings presented in the study can contribute to heritage site managers’ knowledge of how AR affects the heritage tourism experience of visitors as well as the marketing of heritage sites.