Augmented Reality Marketing Ideas: Tourism

Augmented Reality is changing how we experience the world around us. By combining digital elements with the real world, we can learn more, experience more, and enjoy more, whether at home or afar. The tourism industry is taking advantage of all Augmented Reality has to offer. 

Augmented Reality can not only bring to life faraway places from the comfort of people's homes, but it can also make traveling easier, more educational, and enjoyable. The possibilities are limitless, especially in the tourist industry. 

Below, we are going to share some great Augmented Reality ideas for the tourism industry. But before we jump in, let's clarify what Augmented Reality is and how the latest technology is accessible to businesses of all sizes.

What is AR? 

Briefly speaking, Augmented Reality (AR) is how someone's physical surroundings are altered when viewed on a digital device. Familiar applications of AR are as follows: 

• Pokemon Go: In this game, you view the street you are physically walking on, but there is digital animation enhancing what is there in reality. That enhancement is AR.

• Snapchat: If you have ever used Snapchat to add digital, animated filters to your image, then you have used AR.
  

• Home Decor Applications: Have you used a website feature to try out a new paint color for your bedroom or to see how a new couch might look in your living room? If so, you used AR to help you make home decor decisions.
  

So, as you can see, Augmented Reality adds digital elements to real surroundings. The smartphone or device screen serves as the portal to view that augmented world. Users can interact with the digital elements, which creates a memorable experience. 

Web AR Affordability & Accessibility

And now, with Web-based AR, you don't need a flashy app to provide an AR experience! Users can access the experience using any standard web-browser. They don't even have to input a web address. All they have to do is point their device's camera at a QR code to launch the experience automatically. It's incredibly user-friendly, which makes it incredibly compelling. 

How 5G Changes the Game for AR Tourism

The rolling out of 5G mobile networks is also going to blow the doors off Augmented Reality in tourism. Users will no longer depend on Wi-Fi for incredible AR experiences. With 5G Augmented Reality, you can provide awesome experiences to tourists on the go. So, tourism companies and destinations have even more opportunities to use AR in an impactful way.

Augmented Reality Ideas for Tourism

AR is reshaping the tourism industry in a big way. From immersive, guided experiences in your own home to interactive experiences with actors or characters from a movie, AR is shaping the way we relate to the world and places around us. Keep reading for our top Augmented Reality ideas in the tourism industry:

In-Home Experiences

AR advertising can provide interactive glimpses of faraway destinations and landmarks from the comfort of your own home. People can catch a brief view of what they will experience at a given destination. They can feel what it's like to stand above Machu Picchu or see the Mona Lisa displayed on their own living room wall. Getting a taste of a cool place to visit can help them want to see these things in real-time. 

Immersive Navigation

Immersive navigation using AR can be a useful, real-world tool. People can be guided to a destination using arrows or dotted lines through their phone's display. That makes finding a new destination quick and easy!

Interactive Education

AR can be used to advance education through an interactive experience. For example, children and adults alike can learn more about art or artists featured in a museum, including getting an in-depth, close-up look at something that they might not be able to in real life. They can also do digital, botanical tours and learn more about identifying or classifying plants. The possibilities are limitless!

Augmented Reality Guided Tours

Another AR tourism idea includes providing guided tours. Do you want an enhanced tour of your hometown while learning about its heritage? Or, see the local haunts in another state along with an image of what others have claimed to see? A tour guide can provide you with fun facts while also overlaying the real-life content with a past or digital photo of the same location for dramatic effect. 

AR Gamified Experiences

AR gamified experiences include an element of fun, such as interacting with a movie filming location. Imagine yourself interacting with the characters from your favorite movie while physically standing at the location where it was filmed. Or, perhaps you would like to interact with your favorite cartoon character or mascot at your current location. Those experiences are possible with AR. 

AR is being utilized all around us for many different industries. The tourism industry is no exception and can provide real-life or helpful experiences to people while at home or on destination.

Augmented Reality Solution Providers 

Augmented Reality solution providers usually specialize in different niches. For instance, some specialize in AR gaming, while others specialize in AR advertising. At Aircards, we specialize in the following Augmented Reality services:

• AR Print Marketing
• AR Out-of-Home Advertising
• AR Events & Conferences
• and more!
  

Here is just one example of what we can do to help draw people to your destination:

As you can see, we took a standard brochure and elevated it to a multi-sensory experience. It gives people at home a glimpse of what they're missing if they don't visit. We also have great Augmented Reality ideas for in-person experiences like those listed above!

Contact Us today for a friendly consultation. We'd be happy to go over your different options to see what is the best fit for your goal and budget. 
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