A breakthrough in technology in the 21st century for mankind is the development of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technology, which has gained popularity in society and aligned with the development of Industrial Revolution 4.0 (Yu et al., 2024). In the tourism industry, AR and VR technologies have been bridging the gap between the physical and virtual worlds, which tremendously enhances how people understand history, arts, and various collections. To be more specific, AR enriches the perceived information for visitors when they are visiting museums, collection events, and well-known places of interest. In the meantime, VR helps offer an interactive way for visitors to experience the historical contexts of exhibitions in a virtual world. In this blog, I will explore how AR and VR technologies enhance the experiences of visitors in museums and how they influence the future of the tourism industry.
AR and VR in Museums: How AR and VR transform Museum, Art, and History Experiences
Traditionally, tourists and visitors of museums perceive the understanding of the exhibitions and collections by showcasing the introduction or playing the audio guides. Along with the development of AR technology, it enables a wholesome way of viewing and understanding the artifacts in the museum— by scanning a QR code to receive additional layers of information. This could include 3D Models on the exhibition, animation of the historical collection, and a unique introduction to each exhibition. Moreover, AR helps visitors to find the best viewing routine for the museum. Some museums in Europe have used AR technologies in their museum tours. For example, Museum Quarter (Museumkwartier) in Den Haag has provided a spectacular way for visitors to find the best routine to visit the Museum Quarter, by simply scanning the QR code and listening to the story behind the rich history through the viewing procedure (Wernsing, 2023).
Meanwhile, as VR technology getting matures over time, it revolutionizes the experience the way we experience museums. Louvre Museum in Paris, France, provides virtual tours to every visitor: visit the museum rooms, galleries, and collections at your home (Online Tours – Enjoy the Louvre at Home! n.d.)! It provides a personalized visit and immersive experience for visitors who want to acknowledge the history behind the exhibition or design of the museum at home. Moreover, the Louvre Museum has launched the “Mona Lisa: Behind the Glass”, which allows visitors to not only look at the painting but also immerse in the universe of the Mona Lisa (Richardson, 2024).
How can AR and VR technologies shed light on the future of the tourism industry?
The development of AR and VR technologies is set to open a revolutionary path in the tourism industry. AR and VR technologies are expected to make tourism fully accessible to everyone, including disabled people, the elderly, or even people from the other side of the world, etc. It aims to further enhance the visiting experiences for visitors by providing an interactive or time travel experience for various historical events. However, quoting the interview in the New York Times with Bruno David, the president of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris (Richardson, 2024): ” People are coming to a museum to see real objects because real objects are emotional, and VR, AR technologies intend to enhance and complement what is already there.” Hence, there is still a lot of room for development in the future.
REFERENCE LIST
Online tours – Enjoy the Louvre at home! (n.d.). Le Louvre. https://www.louvre.fr/en/online-tours
Richardson, J. (2024, July 19). How Museums are using Augmented Reality. MuseumNext. https://www.museumnext.com/article/how-museums-are-using-augmented-reality/
Richardson, J. (2024, July 19). Virtual reality is a big trend in museums, but what are the best examples of museums using VR? MuseumNext. https://www.museumnext.com/article/how-museums-are-using-virtual-reality/
Wernsing, L. (2023, July 26). Augmented Reality tour through the Museum Quarter (Museumkwartier). DenHaag.com. https://denhaag.com/en/tips-for-you/augmented-reality-tour-through-the-museum-quarter-museumkwartier
Yu, H. K., Hanid, M. F. A., Zakaria, M. a. Z. M., Said, M. N. H. M., & Zakaria, M. I. (2024, May 31). A Systematic literature review on Types of Augmented reality (AR) technologies and learning Strategies for Problem-Solving. Yu | International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research. https://www.ijlter.org/index.php/ijlter/article/view/10287
Hi Qian, thank you for sharing your research and opinions. I believe that the application of AR and VR to the museum and tourism patterns is revolutionary. I did not know that the Museum Quarter in Den Haag had already adopted AR technology while the Louvre Museum was launching VR to broaden the possibilities of appreciating art. I am definitely going to explore these amazing new technologies afterwards. I also believe these technologies can break the boundaries of traditional tourists and museum visitors.
One unique use that I think of is that this new technology integration has special significance for hospice care, because many elderly people’s “bucket list” includes the last tourist destination they want to visit or the hometown they want to return to, but they cannot make the trip due to physical conditions and illness. This also applies to children and adolescent patients who have dreams. AR and VR technology will bring a different kind of human care and warmth to these moments.
Your blogpost is very insightful and made me think about more possibilities in the culture and tourism industry. Even though you have mentioned the hurdles of AR and VR in museums, I think it can broaden the possibilities of a museum experience. Especially museums about historical events can be depicted by VR and show, for example, the living conditions of the Middle Ages. A lot of museums try to broaden the experience by showing videos but I believe that AR and VR can make the information of these videos more lively.
But indeed, I think we have to be aware that we don’t replace the real experience completely by AR and VR and show paintings only in VR.