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

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.

Driving hospitality and tourism to foster sustainable innovation: A systematic review of COVID-19-related studies and practical implications in the digital era

“…VR, AR, augmented virtuality, mixed realities, future realities, real-time tour, and videoconferencing tools) used in tourism (cultural tourism and tour operations) ( Briciu, Briciu and Kavoura, 2020 ; Caballini, Agostino and Chiara, 2021 ; Cardoso, 2020 ; Cooke and Nunes, 2021 ; Fennell, 2021 ; Gössling, 2020 ; Ianioglo and Rissanen, 2020 ; Kwok and Koh, 2021 ; Lemmi and Deri, 2020 ; Lu, Xiao, Xu, Wang, Zhang and Zhou, 2021 ; Streimikiene and Korneeva, 2020 ; Van, Vrana, Duy, Minh, Dzung, Mondal and Das, 2020 ; Varelas, Karvela and Georgopoulos, 2021 ). Also, virtual communication through live-streaming platforms and videoconferencing software ( Amoah, Belás, Khan and Metzker, 2021 ; Caballini et al, 2021 ; Viñals, Gilabert-Sansalvador, Sanasaryan, Teruel-Serrano and Darés, 2021 ).…”

“…In the same vein, Lu et al (2021) studied virtual tourism through the use of VR, which brings a new immersive experience to people without being physically at the destination, which can assist the control of COVID-19 by reinforcing stay-at-home order. The use of virtual tourism in tourism destinations, such as museums, indoor scenic sites, and cultural cities ( Briciu et al, 2020 ; Ianioglo and Rissanen, 2020 ; Viñals et al, 2021 ), can provide a unique ‘try-before-you-buy’ experience and a sneak peek of a place to potential tourists ( Lu et al, 2021 ), and could be used to increase the number of visitors to attractions and locations in the future ( Fennell, 2021 ). Digital technologies are also advantageous for hospitality firms to reinvent their offers.…”

“…To do so, it is necessary to integrate new digital technologies in teaching methods (e.g. VR for courses related to heritage management ( Viñals et al, 2021 )). Also, they should work hand in hand with industry to help upgrade the digital capabilities and creativity of lower-skill and precarious H&T sectors workers to prepare them for the future and protect them against the potential risk of technology replacement.…”

Impact of The Covid-19 Pandemic On West Sumatra Tourism

“…Semenjak wabah Virus Corona kunjungan wisatawan sangat menurun drastic karena ketatnya aturan dari pemerintah [16]. Kemudian terkait dengan adanya wabah Covid-19 terdapat tekanan pada industri pariwisata sangat terlihat pada penurunan wisatawan mancanegara dengan pembatalan besar-besaran dan penurunan pemesanan [17]. Selanjutnya Kerangka Konseptual ditampilkan pada Gambar 1.…”

Tourism Sustainability and COVID-19 Pandemic: Is There a Positive Side?

“…One of the key efforts to foster safe corridors and sustainable tourism amid COVID-19 was the creation of a "travel bubble", an agreement between two or more neighboring countries to allow citizens to travel amongst themselves without quarantining [48]. Other efforts include the promotion of live streaming experiences [49], medical tourism [50], regional tourism [31], virtual tourism [50,51], staycation programs [52,53], "untact" tourism [54,55], and the expansion of creative tourism in rural areas within the purview of sustainable development [17] to mitigate the tremendous impacts of the pandemic on the global tourism industry.…”