Inspired by intertemporal connections: Using AR technology to enhance visitor satisfaction in historical museums

Abstract

Historical museums, as key destinations in heritage tourism, are increasingly embracing augmented reality (AR) as a potent tool increasing visitor satisfaction, a crucial factor for successful destination management and marketing. However, the impact of AR utilization on the mental processes of visitors during their engagement with historical representations, along with its subsequent impact on visitor satisfaction, remains underexplored. The research reported here, comprising six studies, demonstrates that AR utilization fostered historical museum tourists' perception of intertemporal connectedness, which inspired them and elevated their satisfaction. This investigation into visitors' mental processes contributes a novel perspective to our understanding of AR's role in heritage tourism. By demonstrating that the positive impact of AR is contingent upon visit context (e.g., time constraints), destination features (e.g., integrity of artifacts), and tourist traits (e.g., technological anxiety), this research offers insights regarding how to strategically deploy AR in heritage tourism.