Application of Augmented reality in the Plaza Simón Bolivar in Manaure, Department of Cesar Colombia, as a Strengthening of Tourism and Culture

Currently, one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic effect is the tourism sector, especially cultural tourism. The municipality of Manaure, located in the department of Cesar in the northeast of Colombia, has been characterized for having a high potential of the historical and cultural heritage of the department. However, there is a strong weakness concerning the dissemination, use, and appropriation of technology to support the processes of attracting and retaining local and foreign tourists. That is why the application “Enamorate del Cesar” has been developed as an application that combines the inclusion of augmented reality, applying the concept of time capsules and gamification to strengthen cultural tourism in both locals and foreigners. In the specific case of this department, the popular Plaza de Simón Bolívar in the municipality of Manaure has been taken as the epicenter for the use of new technologies applied to the tourism sector. To measure the impact of this application, which is the first one developed for the department of Cesar in Colombia, validation instruments have been designed to validate the use of the application with the community, which has resulted in progress in the processes of appropriation and improvement of the visibility of the cultural heritage. The objective of this article is to show the characteristics of the application and the impact it has generated in the processes of social appropriation of knowledge and post-pandemic economic dynamization.