Augmented reality for ancient attractions

Abstract

The study focuses on augmented reality (AR) understanding, development and evaluation. For evaluation, this paper assesses the role of multimedia types in perceived enjoyment, and investing in how perceived usefulness, ease-of-use, and enjoyment affect the adoption of AR by tourists. A quantitative approach was employed to collect data from 115 participants who experienced an AR application designed for 14 ancient attractions in Songkhla, Thailand. The multimedia content included 3D models, historical videos, drone videos, billboard navigations, and text animations. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed relationships. The findings revealed that perceived ease-of-use and enjoyment significantly influence behavioral intention (BI) as significant factors at 0.01, while perceived usefulness did not affect BI in the context of ancient attractions. Moreover, the multimedia types directly impacted the perceived enjoyment at a significant level of 0.05, and indirectly impacted BI. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of AR adoption in tourism by integrating multimedia types with tourist perceptions and BI. Practically, it provides insights for designing AR applications that enhance visitor engagement and satisfaction in heritage tourism.