Impact of Familiarity, Destination-Specific Relevance, and Marketing on Engagement with Augmented Reality Smart Tourism Experiences

This research explores the evolving landscape of Augmented Reality (AR) technology and its potential impact on smart tourism experiences. While AR has found some success in commerce, its applications beyond this realm remains under-explored. In the context of smart tourism, AR holds promise for enhancing visitor experiences, improving accessibility, and strengthening marketing efforts. However, given the often-substantial investment required for AR implementation, it is crucial to determine whether tourists are willing to embrace and utilize this technology. This study investigates the influence of three key factors—familiarity with AR technology, destination-specific relevance, and marketing efforts—on tourists’ willingness to engage with AR in smart tourism experiences. The objectives encompass evaluating the impact of these factors on marketing effectiveness, assisting destinations in integrating AR, assessing AR’s role in destination marketing, and enhancing customer knowledge of this technology. Employing a positivist research paradigm and quantitative methods, this research aims to provide insights into the relationship between these variables and contribute to the broader understanding of AR in smart tourism and marketing. Data was collected using an online survey of 93 tourists. The results of statistical analyses indicate that marketing efforts, particularly AR marketing, exhibit the strongest relationship with tourists’ willingness to engage with AR, followed by AR familiarity, with destination-specific relevance being not significantly influential.