IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i13p7179-d582692.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Online Synchronous Model of Interpretive Sustainable Guiding in Heritage Sites: The Avatar Tourist Visit

Author

Listed:
  • María José Viñals

    (Centro de Investigación en Arquitectura, Patrimonio y Gestión para el Desarrollo Sostenible (PEGASO), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Laura Gilabert-Sansalvador

    (Centro de Investigación en Arquitectura, Patrimonio y Gestión para el Desarrollo Sostenible (PEGASO), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Anna Sanasaryan

    (Centro de Investigación en Arquitectura, Patrimonio y Gestión para el Desarrollo Sostenible (PEGASO), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Maria-Dolores Teruel-Serrano

    (Centro de Investigación en Arquitectura, Patrimonio y Gestión para el Desarrollo Sostenible (PEGASO), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Marino Darés

    (Centro de Investigación en Arquitectura, Patrimonio y Gestión para el Desarrollo Sostenible (PEGASO), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

Abstract

The health crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic created an unprecedented social situation. In the most critical moments, tourism activities were cancelled or reduced to their minimum operation, creating an extreme situation of separation of a country’s heritage from residents and tourists. The objective of this work is to propose new options and strategies to reconnect the public with heritage under any circumstance and, at the same time, offer tourism services in healthy, secure conditions. Thus, live-streaming experiences of online interpretative tourist guidance were developed in heritage spaces; those visits were led by real guide-interpreters in a real environment and transmitted for remote visitors. We have called this visiting model the “Avatar Tourist Visit”. It is based on tools associated with Heritage Interpretation, Interpersonal Communication, Filmmaking and Audio-Visual Language, and Information and Communication Technologies. The methodological development of this tool was based on Design Sciences Research as the creation of a new procedure was pursued. The result is a sustainable, immersive, interactive, inclusive, unique, and resilient tourism product designed not only for times of crisis but also to connect the public with heritage at all times and ensure universal access to it. In addition, this activity constitutes a marketable experience as a specialized and customizable tourist product.

Suggested Citation

  • María José Viñals & Laura Gilabert-Sansalvador & Anna Sanasaryan & Maria-Dolores Teruel-Serrano & Marino Darés, 2021. "Online Synchronous Model of Interpretive Sustainable Guiding in Heritage Sites: The Avatar Tourist Visit," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-18, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7179-:d:582692
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7179/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7179/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hudson, Sarah & Matson-Barkat, Sheila & Pallamin, Nico & Jegou, Guillaume, 2019. "With or without you? Interaction and immersion in a virtual reality experience," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 459-468.
    2. Joan E. van Aken, 2004. "Management Research Based on the Paradigm of the Design Sciences: The Quest for Field‐Tested and Grounded Technological Rules," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(2), pages 219-246, March.
    3. Guttentag, Daniel A., 2010. "Virtual reality: Applications and implications for tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 637-651.
    4. Sarah Hudson & Sheila Matson-Barkat & Nico Pallamin & Guillaume Jégou, 2019. "With or without you? Interaction and immersion in a virtual reality experience," Post-Print hal-02159315, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cláudia Seabra & Ketan Bhatt, 2022. "Tourism Sustainability and COVID-19 Pandemic: Is There a Positive Side?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-14, July.
    2. Yue-Ming Guo & Wai-Ling Ng & Fei Hao & Chen Zhang & Shu-Xu Liu & Adil Masud Aman, 2023. "Trust in Virtual Interaction: The Role of Avatars in Sustainable Customer Relationships," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-17, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cowan, Kirsten & Spielmann, Nathalie & Horn, Esther & Griffart, Clovis, 2021. "Perception is reality… How digital retail environments influence brand perceptions through presence," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 86-96.
    2. Ionica Oncioiu & Iustin Priescu, 2022. "The Use of Virtual Reality in Tourism Destinations as a Tool to Develop Tourist Behavior Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-15, April.
    3. Won-jun Lee & Yong Hee Kim, 2021. "Does VR Tourism Enhance Users’ Experience?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Ali Yuce & Huseyin Arasli & Ali Ozturen & Mustafa Daskin, 2020. "Feeling the Service Product Closer: Triggering Visit Intention via Virtual Reality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-17, August.
    5. Yu Li & HakJun Song & Rui Guo, 2021. "A Study on the Causal Process of Virtual Reality Tourism and Its Attributes in Terms of Their Effects on Subjective Well-Being during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-16, January.
    6. Yang, Ting & Lai, Ivan Ka Wai & Fan, Zhao Bin & Mo, Qing Min, 2021. "The impact of a 360° virtual tour on the reduction of psychological stress caused by COVID-19," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    7. Gugenishvili, Ilia & Nyström, Anna-Greta, 2023. "Virtual reality and charitable giving – the role of space, presence, and attention," 32nd European Regional ITS Conference, Madrid 2023: Realising the digital decade in the European Union – Easier said than done? 277967, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    8. Wedel, Michel & Bigné, Enrique & Zhang, Jie, 2020. "Virtual and augmented reality: Advancing research in consumer marketing," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 443-465.
    9. Laura Studen & Victor Tiberius, 2020. "Social Media, Quo Vadis? Prospective Development and Implications," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-22, August.
    10. Barney, Christian & Hancock, Tyler & Esmark Jones, Carol L. & Kazandjian, Brett & Collier, Joel E., 2022. "Ideally human-ish: How anthropomorphized do you have to be in shopper-facing retail technology?," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 98(4), pages 685-705.
    11. Battisti, Enrico & Alfiero, Simona & Leonidou, Erasmia, 2022. "Remote working and digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Economic–financial impacts and psychological drivers for employees," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 38-50.
    12. Petit, Olivia & Javornik, Ana & Velasco, Carlos, 2022. "We Eat First with Our (Digital) Eyes: Enhancing Mental Simulation of Eating Experiences via Visual-Enabling Technologies," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 277-293.
    13. Francesca De Canio & Elisa Martinelli & Margherita Peruzzini & Sara Cavallaro, 2022. "Experiencing a Food Production Site Using Wearable Devices: The Indirect Impact of Immersion and Presence in VR Tours," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-17, March.
    14. Meißner, Martin & Pfeiffer, Jella & Peukert, Christian & Dietrich, Holger & Pfeiffer, Thies, 2020. "How virtual reality affects consumer choice," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 219-231.
    15. Maksim Godovykh & Carissa Baker & Alan Fyall, 2022. "VR in Tourism: A New Call for Virtual Tourism Experience amid and after the COVID-19 Pandemic," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-11, February.
    16. Mohamed Daassi & Sana Debbabi, 2021. "Intention to reuse AR-based apps: The combined role of the sense of immersion, product presence and perceived realism," Post-Print hal-03372420, HAL.
    17. Thorsten Hennig-Thurau & Dorothea N. Aliman & Alina M. Herting & Gerrit P. Cziehso & Marc Linder & Raoul V. Kübler, 2023. "Social interactions in the metaverse: Framework, initial evidence, and research roadmap," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 889-913, July.
    18. Tsai-Chiao Wang & Cindy Hui-Ping Sit & Ta-Wei Tang & Chia-Liang Tsai, 2020. "Psychological and Physiological Responses in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder: The Use of Acute Exercise and Virtual Reality Environment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-15, July.
    19. Kautish, Pradeep & Paul, Justin & Sharma, Rajesh, 2021. "The effect of assortment and fulfillment on shopping assistance and efficiency: An e-tail servicescape perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    20. de Regt, Anouk & Plangger, Kirk & Barnes, Stuart J., 2021. "Virtual reality marketing and customer advocacy: Transforming experiences from story-telling to story-doing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 513-522.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7179-:d:582692. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.