ROLLER, the ticketing, CRM, and POS specialist, has presented insights into how augmented reality (AR) can enhance the visitor experience by making it more engaging, accessible, and educational.
AR turns passive observation into interactive exploration, making experiences more immersive. It also enhances exhibitions and makes learning engaging. Innovative AR experiences can draw visitors back, and they seamlessly blend into actual locations, adding digital information to the visitor experience.
Why use AR?
AR enriches real-world surroundings by superimposing computer-generated perceptual information, blending the digital and physical worlds. For attractions, the benefits include enhanced visitor engagement and more immersive experiences. It can also have a bigger educational impact by making content more interactive, and a unique AR experience can draw more visitors in, as well as encourage them to return again.
In addition, AR offers new ways to market attractions and enhance branding. It allows operators to create shareable content, engage with guests before and after their visit, and provide sneak peeks of upcoming content.
AR can help people with disabilities access attractions by offering alternative ways to interact with content that can be out of reach or hard to understand. And, while AR experiences need an initial investment, they can be cost-effective over time. Venues may update digital information without replacing exhibits, saving money.
AR in museums, theme parks, zoos and more
Over time, numerous attractions have included augmented reality. For example, in the museum sector, it has been used to enrich the guest experience at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History by adding skin and movements to skeletal displays or to turn watercolour drawings into immersive journeys at the National Museum of Singapore.
Elsewhere, the Kennedy Space Center uses AR to animate astronauts with holograms, connecting visitors with the human stories behind space missions.
AR lets visitors visualise historical events and scientific concepts more interactively and immersively, improving museum education and engagement. AR helps museums communicate richer stories and enables guests to better understand their exhibits.
In the world of theme parks, AR has been used in the new Super Nintendo World land at Universal Studios Japan. In Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, visitors can experience the competitive world of Mario Kart in an experience that blends virtual elements with physical kart racing. In the UK, the Mythica attraction at Legoland uses AR to bring mythical creatures to life.
AR in rides and attractions creates unforgettable, immersive experiences. Augmented reality may freshen theme parks’ attractions and attract more visitors by combining popular digital aspects.
AR is also being used at zoos and aquariums to simulate animal habitats and behaviours, adding to the learning experience. These engaging wildlife and conservation experiences complement the science curriculum. By simulating environments and interactions, AR can enhance conservation messages and encourage empathy towards wildlife.
There are applications at historical sites too. At the Ara Pacis Museum in Rome, the “Ara as it Was” experience uses both AR and VR to present immersive 3D reconstructions and a virtual reenactment of historical ceremonies, for a multi-sensory journey back in time. Meanwhile, at the
Skriðuklaustur Monastery in Iceland, AR, recreates the monastery as it was centuries ago, offering insights into monastic life and the region’s rich history.
AR can bring historical locations to life for modern viewers. AR helps preserve cultural assets, educate visitors, and improve historical exploration by visualising history.
At the Pérez Art Museum in Miami, the AR-driven “Invasive Species” exhibition showed a future transformed by climate change, while at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, “ReBlink” reinterpreted traditional artworks for a fresh perspective. For art galleries, AR adds context and insight and allows them to question views, address current issues, and connect the past and present.
AR evolves
AR will grow in importance in the attraction venue market as technology advances. AR technology’s evolution from novelty to necessity highlights a trend towards digital visitor inclusion. AR will continue to expand, creating more immersive and interactive experiences that engage, educate, and astound people.
There are, however, some challenges regarding technical investment, accessibility, and balancing innovation with tradition. AR deployment demands significant technological and financial commitment, and creating, updating, and sustaining AR experiences requires resources.
AR experiences must be accessible and inclusive for all visitors, regardless of ability. This includes creating user-friendly interfaces and addressing sensory and physical capacities. Maintaining a balance between technology advancements and traditional experiences is also crucial. AR needs to supplement the main features of the original attractions, not replace them.
More than a trend
AR’s rise in attraction venues is more than a trend; it’s a change in how tourists interact with attractions. AR is being used at museums, zoos, theme parks, and historical sites to create immersive, interactive experiences for all ages. Because it can overlay information, graphics, and interactive aspects onto real-world environments, the visitor experience has become more dynamic and interesting.
AR has huge promise in attraction venues. It makes a visit an adventure by changing passive observation into active participation. This increased interaction boosts attraction, enjoyment, and education. AR experiences’ novelty and personalisation can boost visitor numbers and drive return visits, giving operators an edge in a digital world.
In other news, ROLLER recently helped expERIEnce Children’s Museum, a non-traditional education facility in Erie, Pennsylvania, sell $60,000 in gift cards and memberships in a single month.
