Please accept my heartfelt thanks on behalf of the persons named below, without whom I would not have been able to finish my studies and, as a result, I would not have awarded my degree!
Throughout my study, I was guided by the University of Sunderland team, particularly by my supervisor Marina A. Rahim, whose insight and expertise of the subject matter guided me through the process. It is the citizens of Tokyo who took the time to respond to surveys and who enabled me to conduct follow-up surveys and interviews, and it is them who have provided me with the substance for my thesis.
To my co-workers, who have stood with me and endured my stress and groans in order to complete the research. And I’d want to express my deepest appreciation to my family for their consistent support throughout this research endeavour, which is the culmination of three years of online education. Please accept my apologies for being a little more grumpy than normal when I was working on my dissertation!
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are two technical developments that let people see the world around them more accurately. Both have been used in tourism settings to enhance the overall experience of visitors to the area. During the past several decades, technology advancements in VR/AR have resulted in increases in immersion and the sensation of telepresence. Several instances of similar strategies in use may be found in retail, tourism, hotels, restaurants, and tourist locations, among other places. However, it is difficult to locate a full study of research that have used similar methodologies in the context of tourism-related investigations. Virtual reality (VR) has a wide range of applications in the tourist industry that demand further attention from tourism academics and industry experts. As virtual reality technology continues to develop, the number and impact of applications that use it will definitely rise.
Travel and tourism are significant contributors to the economy of many nations. As a result, the coronavirus pandemic has had an immediate and significant effect on the manufacturing sector in general. All of the world’s governments have taken exceptional measures to contain the virus and have brought the tourism industry to a standstill, resulting in a worldwide economy that is in a state of shutdown (Kim, Timothy, and Hwang, 2011). In order to battle the virus while simultaneously managing the re-opening of their tourism sectors, several countries are now embarking on a new phase of their operations, using various and innovative technology such as AR/VR. As you might see, this is a complicated and time-consuming procedure, and estimating the impact on the tourism business is challenging (Guttentag, 2010).
VR/AR are two technological developments that have the potential to alter how people perceive reality. VR mimics real-world events, while AR focuses on improving physically based reality perception via computer-generated sensory output values (Gavish et al., 2015). In the 1960s, when pioneering researchers began to use 3D graphics settings, both technologies became popular. Due to the rapid advancement of digital technology since then, virtual reality has come a long way and is now being used in a broad variety of sectors with positive outcomes, among them healthcare (Berg and Vance, 2017). On the other hand, augmented reality (AR) was still regarded a developing technology ten years ago and has only lately seen significant growth as a result of significant advancements in mobile equipment, such as smartphones, tablets, as well as wearables (Van Krevelen and Poelman, 2010). VR/AR have been employed in a range of tourist settings to improve the visitor experience. Researchers have been focusing on both of these issues in the recent years as a consequence (Paulo et al., 2018). When it comes to virtual reality and the tourism sector, Huang et al. (2016) looked at how it affects the industry, while Pantano and Servidio (2011) looked at how it affects the marketing of tourist destinations in virtual reality. Museum visitors’ experiences may be enhanced by wearable technology and marker-based augmented reality apps in theme parks, for example (Tom Dieck et al., 2016). Using a scientific perspective, this study examines the evolution of augmented and virtual reality in Tokyo’s tourist business.
Ten trillion Japanese yen will be spent on domestic tourism in Japan in 2020, down from 22 trillion yen the year before. Japan’s tourist industry is heavily reliant on domestic travel. In 2020, domestic tourism produced almost Japan’s entire tourist spending, since inbound travel was severely limited after the COVID-19 epidemic. Prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, both inbound and outbound foreign visitor consumption had been increasing.
Japan is one of the most visited countries worldwide and has a number of places that are well known as tourist destinations. Tourism Board in Japan has been implementing virtual tours for local people to enjoy sceneries and events while being in their comfort zones. The reason why I would like to work on this topic is that I would like to figure out how virtual systems and the implementation of virtual tours and sightseeing have impacted the local demand for domestic tourism. Did it rise or even go lower? This is followed by the possible reasons for that consequence.
Mixed methodology (Quantitative & Qualitative methodology)
Using an expert or organiser interview, the researcher can learn how virtual sightseeing impacts local demand and how it functions as a marketing communication method from a professional perspective. Virtual sightseeing is currently being implemented or has already been implemented by experts or organisers.
A worldwide epidemic and travel limitations will prompt the participants to share their ideas on virtual touring. Examining how the virtual system affects local demand for Japanese domestic tourism and how it may potentially promote Japanese domestic tourism will also be a part of the questions.
In the survey, participants will be asked how many individuals in Japan have really used a virtual system that is presently being implemented in the city, and how much they would evaluate it as a tool that makes travelling throughout the nation more appealing.
Travelers’ pleasure may be increased by offering them with unforgettable experiences thanks to immersive technologies like VR/AR, which are becoming more popular. Such interactive digital worlds, which are based on new and emerging technology, are transforming the way tourism companies engage with their clients before, during, and after their visit to their destination (Ali, 2016; Flavián, Ibáñez-Sánchez, and Orús, 2021). Using VR/AR to market a destination or location, to enrich the experience of being there, and ultimately to immerse the customer in a new and altogether demanding tourist experience are all possibilities (Guttentag, 2010). Through the use of stereoscopic head-mounted displays (HDM), virtual reality (VR) enables users to experience immersive and engaging other realities (Williams and Hobson, 1995). To put it another way, VR/AR removes the user’s physical surroundings and provides them with visual and aural cues to make them feel as if they are in an entirely different location (telepresence) than they are. Visitors may interact with virtual items superimposed on the actual world while they are seeing the environment using augmented reality (AR), which can be achieved through the use of see-through displays or more current methods including such spatial augmented reality (SAR), which can be achieved through the use of spatially aligned wall projections (Bogicevic et al., 2019).
Virtual reality and associated technologies are transforming the way travellers interact with and experience travel and tourism-related goods and services. However, no study has been published in the travel and tourism literature that examines the current status of VR and AR-related studies across time in order to highlight the most relevant themes and studies, as well as developing issues that may be offered for future investigation.
Tourism is regularly affected directly and long-term by technological advancements in all of its forms. Recent advancements in information and communication technologies (ICTs) have had a profound influence on the tourist industry in a variety of ways, affecting everything from consumer demand to site administration (Buhalis and Law, 2008). Thousands of visitors have used the Internet to get travel information , and a large number of tourism firms and organisations have developed themselves digitally . Numerous important insights have been gained from research into information, communication, and technology (ICT) and tourism – the combination of which is referred to as eTourism – about the ways in which ICTs are evolving the tourism sector as well as how the sector can better conform to such new technologies. Although eTourism is expanding at such a rapid pace, the tourism industry is “constantly reinventing itself and necessitating ongoing reorientation in management and marketing along the route,” Egger and Buhalis, 2008). Many important ICT advances are not produced specifically for the benefit of tourism; as a result, academics and professionals in the tourist industry may not be completely aware of these changes and as a result, they may be unprepared to accept and adapt to the new innovations.
In information and communications technology (ICT), virtual reality (VR) is a significant area of application that has already gained widespread acceptance in a variety of fields such as entertainment, design, and training simulations. In fact, virtual reality is already being used in a variety of ways in the tourist industry. As VR/AR technology continues to grow, there is no doubt that it will become more widely used throughout society in general, and the tourism sector in particular, as the technology progresses and become more widely available. While virtual reality’s applications in the tourism sector are numerous, and its implications for the industry are significant, tourism researchers and professionals must gain a better understanding of the technology in order to best equip themselves to deal with the problems and take advantage of the opportunities that VR/AR presents.
Marketing communication (MarCom) is a key and complicated component of a company’s overall marketing strategy, and it plays an important role in the success of such operations. When it comes to marketing communications, the phrase may be described as all of the communications or media that companies utilise to interact with the potential customers (Loureiro, Guerreiro, and Ali, 2020).
Generally speaking, marketing communication refers to the strategies and methods used by organisations to convey messages about their products and services to present and potential customers in a distinctive and innovative manner. Marketing communications (MarCom) may be defined as the strategies and tactics used by companies to convey messages about their goods and services to current and potential consumers, as opposed to the public. Depending on the nature of the communications, and it might be either direct or indirect in form, with the purpose of encouraging customers to purchase the products and services being pushed (Yung, Khoo-Lattimore, and Potter, 2021).
MarCom can take place through a variety of channels and platforms such as AR/VR, Google advertising, print advertisements, TV advertisements, social media marketing, public relations campaigns, blogging, online marketing, as well as participation in trade shows and exhibitions, and many others. With marketing, the primary goal is to attract the attention of prospective clients via the use of different promotional strategies. Likewise, the dictionary definition of the second word “communication” is the act of conveying or transferring information by one entity to another via the use of some kind of media such as writing, conversing, or other means of communication. Communication may take place between two persons; nevertheless, communication is insufficient if one of the participants is absent (Grudzewski et al., 2018).
As public sector budget cuts force destination marketing organisations (DMOs) to seek better value from their marketing expenditures, social media is becoming an increasingly significant component of their marketing strategies. Digital marketing organisations (DMOs) may use social media to engage a global audience while using modest resources (Hays, Page, and Buhalis, 2013). There are several methods in which a marketing professional working in the tourism sector, or more specifically in the sector of a major tourist destination, might pique the interest of prospective tourists in visiting a particular tourist location. The situation appeared to be straightforward at the outset of mass tourism in the 1960s of the twentieth century, since the desire to travel after the end of World War II was quite strong. The situation has significantly altered as a result of advancements in the technological, social, and economic fields. Not only has the number of travellers risen, but so has the number of tourist destinations. This position has altered significantly in recent years as new tourist sites have emerged, and as a result, attracting new tourists has become more challenging for many established large-scale tourist attractions in recent years. A variety of factors contribute to this; for instance, a destination may have reached a point of stagnation in the tourist lifecycle (Appendix 3) and, as a result, is unable to deal with new problems and mature (as in the case of, for example, the Costa Brava in Spain), or it may simply be a victim of volatile political developments in selected location in which tourism had been the foundation of their economy (Tokyo, Tunisia, etc) (Švajdová, 2019).
Generally speaking, marketing communications are any communications and related media that are utilised to communicate with a specific audience or market sector. In the “Marketing Mix,” which is consisting of the four Ps (price, location, promotion, and product), marketing communications is the component that promotes products and services (or the four Ps plus one). To communicate with a specific audience with the goal of inducing, persuading, or reminding people of their obligations is the core objective of marketing communications. Marketing communications that promote brand awareness and trial are two of the most successful strategies to attract new customers, according to research (Krizanova et al., 2019).
Marketing communication also assists a company in retaining its current customer base by reinforcing their purchasing behaviour by providing further information about the brand’s benefits to the public. Additionally, marketing communication strives to enhance existing relationships with customers, prospects, retailers, and other important stakeholders in addition to accomplishing the core goal of generating sales (Moro et al., 2019).
The promotional mix, which is a collection of many options, is required for efficient marketing communication to take place in order to be effective. Traditional types of advertising such as billboards and billboard placements, direct mail, and personal selling are just a few examples of these tactics. The Internet, which has evolved in recent years as a vital instrument for reaching certain critical audiences, has also become more widely available (Danaher and Rossiter, 2011).
Whether or whether a company chooses to use a push strategy or a pull strategy in its marketing communications programme influences the role that each element plays in the overall campaign. Rather of relying on personal marketing to get a product from the manufacturer to the end user, pull tactics focus more on consumer demand to get the product from the producer to the end user. Promotional activities like as advertising, public relations, and sales campaigns help to generate interest in a product or service, which then propels it through the distribution system at a faster pace. When using a push strategy, personal selling is given top priority since the product is intended to be forced via numerous channels (Todorova, 2015).
Academic and professional research has led marketing communications practitioners to develop a plan for using strategic components of branding and marketing in order to ensure a consistent message delivery across an organisation. The evolution of marketing communications has been responsible for a number of significant innovations in business, including the transition from customer service to customer relations, and the evolution from HRM to human solutions management.
When compared to prior years, the outbreak caused by COVID-19 had a major influence on Great Britain’s overall domestic travel expenditures in 2020. While domestic tourist spending is predicted to reach around 92 billion British pounds in 2019, it is likely to dip to roughly 34 billion British pounds the next year. It was estimated that in that year, the total amount spent on domestic overnight travel in the United Kingdom was less than 10 billion British pounds. Spending on day trips, on the other hand, has declined by almost 64 percent as compared to the previous year Approximately 57 billion British pounds is predicted to be spent on domestic tourism in 2021, which is still below pre-pandemic levels, according to the projections (Statista, 2021). As an instance, see Appendix 1, which has a chart, which illustrates this.
Approximately 6.7 percent of overall gross value added in the United Kingdom was generated by travel and tourist industries last year, according to government estimates. Because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the tourist sector has suffered significantly in 2020 and into 2021, with government restrictions in the United Kingdom as well as throughout the world reducing travel for lengthy periods of time in both countries. In the United Kingdom, unnecessarily long journeys were prohibited on March 16, followed by the declaration of a nationwide lockdown on March 23rd. According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, all non-essential overseas travel has been advised to avoid the country until further notice. Since the beginning of June, restrictions on non-essential retail have been progressively removed, culminating in the adoption of quarantine-free transit corridors in July and the opening of non-essential retail on 15 June. Various devolved and regional limits, on the other hand, have resulted in a wide range of consequences for enterprises. The second and third English lockdowns, which happened in November 2020 and January 2021, respectively, caused transportation to be impeded once again, and transit routes were briefly stopped on January 18, 2021, as a result of the lockdowns.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreaks have had various effects on firms across a range of industries, according to the findings of the Monthly Business Survey. Only 26.0% of February’s levels were accounted for in May by the travel and tourism industry as a whole, compared to 73.6% for all other sectors in the nation. During the first countrywide shutdown, the accommodation and travel agency industries had the greatest revenue decline, with revenue down 9.3 percent from February levels in May of this year (ONS, 2021).
Apart from the exception of trade shows and conferences, almost every sub-industry reacted favourably to the easing of restrictions throughout the summer months. For example, turn-over in the food and beverage service sectors reached a record high of 90.0 percent of its February levels in August. A previous research of the impact of the Eat Out to Help Out programme on consumer behaviour was published in this business’s previous coverage.
Exhibits and conferences have a significant seasonal trend, with the most turnover happening in autumn and spring. However, this sub-industry did see a little increase in the autumn, with turnover jumping to 35.7 percent of February levels in November, from 18.1 percent in August, indicating a slight recovery (ONS, 2021). In November, the only sub-sector that did not witness a decrease in turnover as a consequence of the national lockdown was the construction industry. Appendix 2 depicts all of the aforementioned in a visual form.
Overall, tourist communication must be dynamic and agile in order to thrive in a constantly changing and complicated context. Plans for recovery, marketing, and destination reputation must be developed in the short and medium term, while keeping an eye on the long term, in order to be prepared for the changing social situation, which will have a variety of consequences on consumer spending and travel behaviour. So, it is crucial to collaborate with the whole tourist communication ecosystem, notably the media in order to redefine marketing strategies and help to recover publications that are essential channels for the tourism value chain (Interface Tourism, 2021).
A call to action that also serves as a call to creativity: Communication techniques and messages have had to change in order to continue to inspire future travellers based on cultural features and the tales of its residents, i.e., to so do in the culture of the nation. Travel limitations have made it necessary for this to be done in a new way. The objective is to generate a “bucket list” impact, that is, to get us thinking about what we would want to do when we can travel again before promoting booking, which is not now allowed (Interface Tourism, 2021).
Reducing social distance through cultivating a sense of community: The inability to host large-scale gatherings or engage in face-to-face leisure activities sharpens the imagination of those seeking to attain proximity via virtual worlds. Building bridges among virtual environments as well as the real world is essential for preventing the exhaustion of virtual events and the development of emotional bonds. This may be accomplished by presenting activities that stimulate engagement on an individual level and that can be shared in these virtual gatherings, such as interactive presents, simultaneous activity (e.g. home catering), contests, and other similar activities (Interface Tourism, 2021).
Omni-channel internet, mobile, and commercial: Given the fact that consumers or travellers will have their movements restricted, as well as their displacements, which will include consumption in physical surroundings, it is critical to design communication actions as well as messages that could be consumed, communicated, and spread virally through social media platforms, taking into account the growth in online consumption including the use of smart phones that have been observed during stricter different stages of confinement, patterns that have become more prevalent over time (Interface Tourism, 2021).
Maintaining a healthy balance between spending for a purpose and consuming for pleasure: Consumers are now being encouraged to think of enjoyment, avoidance, and indulgence as part of the overall positive and constructive goals of consuming (such as aiding in recovery, supporting and improving local businesses, and promoting responsible consumption and sustainability). After months of confinement and constraints in social and family life, we feel that the good influence of consumerism and tourism must also be expressed in emotions or self-satisfaction, while losing sight of the duty we have to their fellow human beings (Interface Tourism, 2021).
Marketing activities have gotten more personalised and immersive for customers as a consequence of technology improvements, while marketers have benefitted from the creation of ecosystems that are more interconnected and targeted. Furthermore, there has been a dramatic shift in the relationship between brands and people. Marketers are benefiting from new technology that has entered the architecture and systems on which firms are based, bringing value to procurement while also increasing the bottom line (Grudzewski et al., 2018).
AR (augmented reality) is a digital technology that alters the way people see their actual environment when viewed via a certain device. It is also known as augmented reality technology. Although the technology is similar to virtual reality, augmented reality does not completely replace environment, but rather enhances it by superimposing digital components on top of it. As of right now, Pokemon Go is likely the most well-known example of an AR application. Furthermore, the technology has applications outside of the game industry, including the realm of marketing. When marketers utilise augmented reality to enhance an environment that is seen via a suitable device, they are often adding visuals or relevant information. AR is often experienced via the use of a smartphones, tablet, or other comparable device. As a consequence, it is less costly for the user than the majority of virtual reality headgear and gadgets now available. In many situations, augmented reality (AR) is used in conjunction with other mobile technology, such as cameras and GPS tracking (Nayyar et al., 2018).
In recent years, augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) have grown more popular in the tourism sector. For one thing, it allows hotels and other companies working in this industry to improve the physical locations that they are attempting to persuade people to visit, such as local attractions and hotel rooms, rather than just enhancing them. Travel, in contrast to other purchases, is often well-researched since clients demand a great deal of information before they arrive. Furthermore, the demand for knowledge does not cease when the consumer comes. When used in conjunction with augmented reality, users may be certain that most of this information is accessible to them at all times, even during times when it is most important. Additionally, one of the most important factors in the adoption of AR in the travel sector has been the broad shift in consumer lifestyles that has occurred over the previous decade. Customers in the modern world are already used to using their smartphones extensively, even while travelling, so the transition to utilising AR applications on their smartphones is not a significant one (Katkuri, Mantri, and Anireddy, 2019).
The use of augmented reality and virtual reality technologies in the travel business is still a relatively new topic, and as a consequence, new applications are being developed all the time. However, some of the most successful and inventive applications of augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) to date are discussed in further depth below:
Interactive Hotel Elements
Up until this point, the most popular use of augmented reality in the tourist sector has been to include more interactive features into hotels, therefore increasing the entire experience. The capacity to supply more information on demand to clients is what this really means for hotels, resorts, and other comparable enterprises (Jenny, 2017).
Examples include The Hub Hotel from Premier Inn, which is a British resort that has integrated augmented reality into its room map installation. The wall maps are viewable on a smartphone or tablet, and when seen this way, extra information about certain local areas of interest is shown, effectively serving as a sort of tourist information tool.
Augmented Tourist Destinations
Away from hotel surroundings, several firms in the travel industry are working on augmented reality applications that will enable travellers to improve physical locales and tourist attractions while they are on their vacation. This may enable a user to point their smartphone towards a structure or landmark and get more information about it in real time, if available.
Instant evaluations and menus may be supplied to users who point their phone or tablet toward restaurants they’re interested in. They can also be presented with information about historic landmarks, for example. The ability to absorb information while travelling on the road has the potential to dramatically enhance the entire travel experience (Yung, and Khoo-Lattimore, 2019).
Beacon Technology and Push Notifications
Use of Bluetooth-based beacon technology in conjunction with augmented reality is an intriguing new application. This particular technology is helpful in the travel and tourism industry since it allows organisations and marketers to send push notifications to clients or to activate certain capabilities when they visit a certain location.
In one of the most renowned examples of this, guests at Starwood Hotels may unlock their rooms using beacon technology when they are within a few feet of the door. In addition, it may be utilised to give consumers with real-time access to information such as directions, reviews, menus, special offers, and discount coupons (Wei, 2019).
Augmented Reality Gamification
As a final point, the tourist industry is starting to take advantage of the close relationship between augmented reality and gaming. An augmented reality smartphone application may be used by a hotel or hospitality organisation to bring a feeling of fun into their actual environment.
Virtual reality gaming applications have been utilised to provide treasure hunt-style features to hotel structures, while augmented reality allows youngsters to interact with Disney characters on the grounds of Best Western. For adults, examples have included augmented reality applications that enable users to customise their rooms as well as apps that put virtual celebrities in hotels (Gao, Bai, and Park, 2017).
Despite post-pandemic fear, travel will prevail, placing the responsibility on the tourist industry to establish safer infrastructure and regulations that are concerned with the well-being of travellers on them. New strategies of reaching out to visitors, which may also assist the local economies that depend on tourism, should be considered by tourism business owners after a year that was sabotaged by the epidemic (Pillai, 2021).
Recently, technology has helped travel and tourism organisations increase their reach via the use of many tools, such as online booking websites, films and blogs as well as photos while on vacation. To plan a trip or compile a list of possible sites, tourists are increasingly turning to internet tools and materials. Virtual or distant tourism has been considered in business circles for a long time, but the COVID-19 outbreak has made society more ready to accept it (Pillai, 2021).
If augmented, virtual, or mixed reality (AR/VR) and other cutting-edge technologies are used in a human-centered design, it might revolutionise the way we interact with the world. Virtual and augmented reality, as well as mixed reality, have the ability to give viewers with a smooth, continuous interactive experience from the convenience of their own homes. Visitors will get a positive image of a tourist destination thanks to the design ideas. ‘Seamless digital user experience’ (Pillai, 2021).
For example, an online interactive area that is designed with the user in mind and uses sound collected by electro-acoustics researchers to make a place accessible and real for a visitor is an example. To name just a few of the many options available, you could use video-calling services to converse with friends and family, drive through a new place, listen to the sounds of the area, and much more. In the future, this might be merged on a single platform or in distinct online silos, and then enhanced by constructing physical experience tourist centres in local communities. Tourist guides, craftsmen, crafters, motels, and transportation companies would be able to build their own digital and virtual services and communicate with potential clients under such a structure. This may assist in understanding how Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) Reality contributes to increasing demand for the tourist sector both before and after COVID (Pillai, 2021).
Missing Japan? Virtual tours come with shopping
Sightseeing and shopping
Armchair tourists may enjoy a virtual excursion to the area of Asakusa for 2,000 Japanese yen ($18), thanks to one-hour interactive tours offered by the tour business Tokyo Localized. Asakusa is one of Tokyo’s six surviving geisha districts, and the tour takes viewers through the small lanes of this historic city. Additionally, there is Tokyo’s oldest temple in Sensoji, as well as Japan’s oldest amusement park in Asakusa Hanayashiki and yakitori hot spot Hoppy Street, which is known for its eponymous beer-like beverage (Tokyolocalized, 2022). Online travellers who pay with a credit card are guided by Dai Miyamoto, the company’s creator, who claimed he buys for and ships products to them in exchange for their money. With the use of Japan Online Tour, viewers may request virtual tours of various destinations. Hourly rates are $150 per hour, including transportation costs from Kobe (Pitrelli, 2021).
Step inside Shibuya Crossing
Aside from London’s Abbey Road, it’s uncommon for a street crossing to receive widespread worldwide recognition. However, Shibuya Crossing, one of Tokyo’s most well-known intersections, has been added to the list. The crossing, which has been dubbed “the busiest crossroads in the world,” can handle an estimated 3,000 persons at every light intervals, as illustrated in Appendix 4. When Japan’s “Four Ps” are applied to one of the world’s most densely packed civilizations, the result is an orderly chaos that symbolises Japan’s commitment to patience, politeness, punctuality and precision (Radio X, 2021).
Folding Furoshiki
Virtual tours seldom include gifts, but individuals who sign up for this furoshiki online workshop will be given a bespoke box from Japan before the session starts, which they may use to make their own furoshiki. Furoshiki, or beautiful fabric squares, are used to protect valuable artefacts in Japan, and this practise dates back hundreds of years (Pitrelli, 2021). Today, the technique is regarded as an ecologically responsible method of wrapping tiny objects without the use of paper or plastic wrap, while they may also be used as little purses or as home décor accessories. During this live one-hour workshop, which is conducted entirely in English, participants will learn how to wrap presents and construct a purse out of furoshiki. The lesson, two furoshiki cloths, and a set of rings will cost you 10,000 Japanese yen ($91), which includes everything you need to participate (tokyolocalized, 2022).
Exploring Hiroshima
The world’s first atomic bomb was detonated on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, towards the conclusion of World War II, and haunting images are on display at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Virtual visitors may take a virtual tour of the museum, named “Future Memory,” which leads them through dark halls filled with charred clothes, children’s toys, and other things retrieved after the disaster that is thought to have killed 140,000 people. English subtitles capture the testimonials of individuals who survived the explosion as well as the life tales of those who did not survive. The Shukkeien Garden in Hiroshima is one of the greatest online park tours in Japan, and it is available for free. A location map gives a bird’s-eye perspective of the region, allowing visitors to virtually dive into the garden and take in 360-degree views of the tea houses, groomed lawns, and cherry blossom trees that can be seen throughout the park (Future, 2022).
Virtual tea classes
Japanese tea ceremonies are becoming more high-tech, as teachers resort to the internet to convey the country’s tea-drinking customs to their students. Maikoya, a Japanese cultural experience firm, offers a 45-minute session through Zoom in which viewers may learn the traditional manner to sip from a tea cup from a live kimono-clad instructor in Kyoto for 4,900 Japanese yen ($44). To make it easier for participants to prepare for the interactive tea ceremony, Camellia Tea Ceremony, which has two teahouses in Kyoto, will deliver matcha, a tea scoop and whisk, as well as seasonal sweet snacks to their homes before the event takes place (mai-ko, 2021).
The highly acclaimed AR iPhone app Sekai Camera was released on a worldwide scale after an extremely successful debut in the Japanese market earlier this year. Tokyo’s Tonchidot Corporation came up with the idea for Sekai Camera, which combines augmented reality (AR) with social media features like travel and point sharing and text/video chat to become the best app of 2009.
Users would be able to identify and acquire information on existing tourist attractions and other areas using their iPhone, in a manner similar to other augmented reality products now available on the market. However, it is the usage of tagging capabilities, which allows users to identify sites via the app with their own remarks or multimedia, that has garnered the most attention from critics (May, 2022). It is then possible to post text, video, and photographs in real time via our social media sources, such as Twitter, while also allowing other users to see the material on their own devices. Utilizing the iPhone’s built-in device-to-device monitoring technology, Sekai has also integrated capability that enables users to transmit Air Tags of material to others in their immediate proximity using the system’s capabilities. Sekai has developed a timeline and relevance feature to let users navigate through the most relevant or latest tags that have been discovered around a place. This helps to reduce the inevitable content noise that will accumulate around well-known areas. The app’s profile system enables users to place a virtual Air Tag over their heads wherever they are, allowing their contacts to see where they are on their own applications. Sekai Camera, which was released in Japan in September 2009, had 100,000 downloads in four days, amounting for almost one-tenth of the whole Japanese iPhone market at the time of launch (May, 2022).
Aims and Objective of Research
Mixed methodology (Quantitative & Qualitative methodology)
Qualitative
Using an expert or organiser interview, the researcher can learn how virtual sightseeing impacts local demand and how it functions as a marketing communication method from a professional perspective. Virtual sightseeing is currently being implemented or has already been implemented by experts or organisers.
A worldwide epidemic and travel limitations will prompt the participants to share their ideas on virtual touring. Examining how the virtual system affects local demand for Japanese domestic tourism and how it may potentially promote Japanese domestic tourism will also be a part of the questions.
Quantitative
In the survey, participants will be asked how many individuals in Japan have really used a virtual system that is presently being implemented in the city, and how much they would evaluate it as a tool that makes travelling throughout the nation more appealing.
In order to undertake the interview, firstly local people were identified, as the need was to select one travel agent and one citizen for this research. Upon reaching out to different people, finally two participants were brought on board, after making full disclosures to them and by taking relevant consent from them. For undertaking the survey, Google Forms were relied upon. The survey was circulated on social media and the participants were free to fill or ignore the form.
The sample size for this research for interview was two people (including one Travel Agent and one Citizen who had already gone through virtual tourism system), and for survey was 100 people.
For the purpose of analysing the interviews, an interpretative approach was adopted. And for the purpose of analysing the survey, the data was analysed by making use of charts, so as to present the collected data in a statistical manner. This was done to adopt a simplified approach of undertaking this research and to ensure that even readers with lack of understanding of complex data analysis methods, could read and interpret the results of this study.
While undertaking any research, there are several ethical considerations that have to be taken care of, by the researcher, so as to ensure that their research shows an unbiased result. While opting for a survey kind of primary research, there is a need for the researcher to ensure that the confidentiality of participants is ensured. Apart from them, there is a need to maintain their anonymity and take informed consent. For the present research, the name of participants or any such information that could lead to their identification was not collected, and a declaration regarding this was shared on the form invitation page, so as to get their informed consent. There were no attempts made to pressurize or persuade the respondents into sharing specific results or to participate in this survey. While undertaking the interview type of data, one needs to ensure that the respondents are honest and transparent in their answers. At the same time, the researcher has to make sure that they do not ask the questions in a manner to get biased results. Hence, the present researcher made certain that only unbiased and clear cut questions were put forth by them. And as is the case with surveys, the researcher ensured that the interviewed people were kept anonymous so that their confidentiality could be ensured, and that a proper informed consent was taken from them.
This study is based on two forms of data collection. The first one is a quantitative one, whereby the survey of 100 participants was undertaken by the researcher. This helped in understanding the presence of AR/VR in tourism industry of Tokyo and the integration of it in lives of people. The second form of data collection was qualitative which involved the interview of two individuals, where one was a travel agent and the other was a citizen, who had experienced virtual tourism system. A combination of these data collection measures helped the researcher in understanding the research topic and in gaining insights of non-scholarly sources.
The first question began with the standard questions, so as to understand the survey participants. Majority of the participants for this survey were below the age of 35 years, making the participant population of young people. This was crucial for the analysis as the young ones are deemed as more technology friendly and even more travel enthusiast. Hence, the survey population allowed the researcher to take insights from relevant population. Table 1 presents an overview of these statistics.
Table 1
The next question was related to the gender of the participants, where majority population was of females, followed by males, and even covered participants who did not want to reveal this. This provided an opportunity to participants to have neutral choices as well. Table 2 presents an overview of these statistics.
Table 2
The next question was related to the frequency of travel, which helped in understanding how often the participants used to travel before the pandemic struck. Again the results proved that the participants to this study were a relevant pool, as the majority of participants had a propensity of travelling in every 3-6 months, every month, and even the proportion of those making at least one travel trip a year was high. Table 3 presents an overview of these statistics.
Table 3
In order to understand the impact of COVID on travel plans of the population, a simple yes no question was put up. 69% of the participants agreed to the fact that their travel plans were cancelled as the pandemic hit. Table 4 presents an overview of these statistics.
Table 4
In order to get answers that were relevant to the theme of this research, the survey covered the question on use of AR/VR for visiting any location. The participants were split in half on this, where 51% people stated that they had undertook a virtual visit to a location, while 49% had not done so. The reason for a higher number of Yes for this question is possibly due to the young participants, who are often keen on visiting new places, and AR/VR visit opportunities post pandemic has made it easier and even cheaper for them to do so. This question does present a possibility of future studies in context of studying the use of AR/VR in older population. Table 5 presents an overview of these statistics.
Table 5
Again, in context of keeping the discussion relevant, the participants were asked on possibility of considering Tokyo as a travel destination. Again, like the previous question, the results were mixed, where 46% of the participants did consider it and 46% did not. There were 8% who were not sure of Tokyo being a possible travel destination for them. This presents an opportunity for the relevant tourism authorities to promote travel to Tokyo, particularly through AR/VR modes. Table 6 presents an overview of these statistics.
Table 6
The next question was regarding the preference of physical visit or AR/VR. Here, 51% of participants preferred a virtual visit through AR/VR while 49% preferred physical visit. This can be seen as a significant progress for AR/VR travel as there is a major shift from physical visits. This also reflects that the population is ready to accept a new form of travel, which provides a breath of fresh air to the travel industry considering the pandemic, has crippled a lot of industries, including the travel industry. Table 7 presents an overview of these statistics.
Table 7
The next question was a substantial one as it asked the participants about the experience of AR/VR being similar or divergent to physical visits. Majority of the participants agreed that the AR/VR did not provide a same or similar experience to that of a physical visit. This was possibly an answer that had shown that indeed there was a difference between the two experiences. Even though 20% people stated that they were uncertain of differences between the two visits, it could be attributed to a lack of experience, resulting in their answers being unsure. However, this is also the possibility with yes or no answers as the perception of the two visits could result in these answers being attained. A possible future study focusing on participants who had made the AR/VR and virtual visits to same location could help in getting precise answer to this question. Nonetheless, this question does provide an idea on the physical visits being different from physical visits. At this point, it is worth mentioning that this question does not mean that the AR/VR visits are better or worse than the physical visits. This question simply pointed towards the difference in experience between the two forms. Table 8 presents an overview of these statistics.
Table 8
Considering the differences in AR/VR experience, suggestions were asked from the participants as modes of bringing improvement in this experience. With travel, it is often noted that people bring with them something to remember. This is the reason why one of the suggested options put forth for the participants was that post the AR/VR visit, a souvenir was sent to the people to enhance the experience of the visit and to give them something to hold on to as a remember, as is possible in cases of physical visits. 30% of the participants selected this mode as the manner of improving the AR/VR experiences. Hence, this option opens upon a possible way of the industry to even push the sale of local products, which often is cited as a pitfall of resorting to virtual visits. The next option that could be selected by participants was the possibility of making interaction with the locals. 35% people looked for this option as a mode of bringing improvement in the AR/VR experience. The last option resorted by the participants was the possibility of experiencing the taste of the local or cultural food of the place they were visiting, which could be done by sharing food packets with the people taking AR/VR experience, adding on the possibility of cooking it on their own, to understand the process and to enhance the experience that they get from a usual physical visit. 32% of participants found this as a good measure for the AR/VR experience enhancement. Table 9 presents an overview of these statistics.
Table 9
The last question that was asked from the participants was based on the inherent advantage of opting for AR/VR mode of visit. Majority participants agreed that AR/VR was a cost effective mode, but the responses did remain neutral as well. This was again due to the possibility of people not being aware of availability or prices of AR/VR visits. This, again brings the possibility for the tourism department to work towards promotion of AR/VR travel options. Table 10 presents an overview of these statistics.
Table 10
In conducting the primary research for this discussion, reliance was placed on interview mode as well. As the study covered a survey as well, only two people were interviewed. The first one was a travel agent and the other one was a Japanese citizen residing in Tokyo, Japan. In light of the possible ethical concerns, the details of the two individuals have not been included in this work, and they continue to remain anonymous participants of this discussion. This part covers an overview of the interview that was undertaken with the two participants.
The first individual who was interviewed was a travel agent. Considering the theme of this discussion, it was crucial to take insights of a person who was related to the tourism industry. Post discussing the greetings part of the meeting, the travel agent was asked about their views on the travel industry both pre and post COVID. The travel agent began by referring to the pre pandemic era when the flow of tourists was good in the nation. It was nostalgic for them to remember what they labelled as the “good times”. The travel agent stated that pandemic was a very tough time for them as everything was brought to a standstill and there was even loss of life across the globe. However, he felt lucky to be alive and working post pandemic. The travel agent then started expressing the lack of flow of tourists in Tokyo, which had impacted their earnings. Even more so, they were still a bit apprehensive in dealing with the tourists who were coming in the nation. The travel agent highlighted the low number of old people visiting the nation, which showed that the world still feared the pandemic. The interview then moved on to questions surrounding the use of augmented and virtual reality in tourism industry for Tokyo. The travel agent did take this as a welcome step but highlighted that the actual feel of a visit to the place was missing. He stated that even though a person was able to view different locations in real time, they were missing the feel of air and people of Tokyo. The interviewer than asked the travel agent about the possible manner in which the AR/VR could enhance the present experience for the people. The travel agent laughed and asked for the possibility of feel of environment and local people to be passed on to the travellers. Upon being asked about the fear surrounding pandemic and then continuing with AR/VR tech, the travel agent deemed it as a necessity to ensure survival of industry and even for the people to learn about the various sights of Tokyo. The last question that the interviewer asked the travel agent was whether they would be using AR/VR for visiting a distant location. To the interviewer’s surprise, the travel agent was eager to gain such an experience, as it provided them an opportunity of experience travel and location in a new and fresh manner. They had experienced the one that was being offered in Tokyo but wanted to witness one for a location that was new to them, as the edge of looking at a place for the very first time was missing for them in the Tokyo VR experience.
The second person to be interviewed for this discussion was a citizen who had already gone through virtual tourism system. Like the first interview, the discussion began by standard greetings, followed by questions on the pre and post pandemic world. The details shared by the citizen were quite vivid as they explained how their brother had to witness COVID patients struggling to survive, being a nurse, and the manner in which this stress passed on from the patients to her brother and in turn to the family. She appreciated the spirit of the city and how the unity of community helped everyone in dealing with the pandemic. We then asked her regarding being comfortable for the rest of the interview and they did inform us of being fine with the questions, and stated that COVID was just one of the bad times we have to live with. Coming back to the focus of the discussion, we asked her regarding her travel experiences. The citizen had travelled to a number of cities across the globe as per profession required her to do so. For the sake of confidentiality, her profession has not been revealed here. The citizen mentioned her experience of visiting different locations of Tokyo post pandemic as a means of reliving the past and to honour the things these locations represented to her. Her love for museums led for her to take virtual visit to National Museum of Nature and Science and to Tokyo National Museum. The interviewer asked if the experience was similar to a physical visit, to which the answer was almost a yes. This was because these places have to be witnessed from a distance and even a physical visit would not have allowed her to witness the artefacts with such precision. She was a fan of this experience and wanted to visit other locations through this mode as well, since this ensured that she was not exposed to the threat of virus and could explore different locations from home. Although, she did say that she felt that the absence of interactions with the locals, as the visits were virtual visits. The interviewer asked the citizen if she was aware of the condition of tourism industry to which the citizen responded by saying that it was probably bad due to lesser number of tourists visible near the landmark places, coupled with the fact that even her travels were now restricted. Upon being enquired about the future of AR/VR in tourism industry, the citizen said she was hopeful and excited for this experience.
Both the interviews were thus on similar grounds, where the pandemic was acknowledged and the AR/VR in tourism industry was seen as an exciting way of visiting new places.
The data that had been collected from two divergent sources for this study presented similar story to what had been seen in the literature as well. One cannot deny the fact that technology is deeply integrated in every sphere of life, industry, economy, and people. This very integration is seen in the tourism industry as well in sense of use of AR/VR technology for helping people visit different locations across the globe, one of which is Tokyo, Japan. The survey results and the interview results highlighted the need of relying on AR/VR technology so as to deal with the slump caused in tourism industry owing to COVID. The pandemic restricted people in their homes and with this technology, people were able to witness a chance of making visit to different locations in a cost effective manner. Even though this experience does not reflect upon a true experience of a physical visit, this is still relied upon in the post pandemic era by people so as to continue with the travel experience. With the uncertainties surrounding pandemic, particularly its waves across the globe, the use of AR/VR provides an opportunity for all the stakeholders in the industry, to enjoy the benefits of travel industry. The participants like travel agents have been able to get to see a revival of their industry, and the visitors have been able to experience different places across the globe. The survey results in particular highlighted several opportunities for the travel related regulators and promoters to work on areas of enhancing and promoting the AR/VR experience. The interview results also highlighted this notion as both the participants were excited towards the use of AR/VR perspective.
The data collected in this study was able to show that the people still liked to make travels and this habit was particularly evident in the young people, who formed as the majority of participants of this study. The study also revealed that there are not very clear standing perspectives of visiting Tokyo as a travel destination, which requires the advertisers to focus on promoting Tokyo as a destination. This can be done in a manner so as to show that one can visit Tokyo without having to get into visa hassles or to get out of their homes. The possible suggestive questions on enhancing the experience of the AR/VR tours should also be taken into consideration by the relevant authorities, to revive the slumped tourism industry. Technology is deeply integrated in people’s travel be it through social media or such platforms and a possibility of integrating AR/VR in travellers should thus become a focal point.
The overall summary of the survey showed an inclination towards the AR/VR tours, sans the awareness regarding its details. Also, the survey pool being of young participants restricted the view of older generation to be taken on this topic. The interview results were taken from people who had already made physical and virtual visits to different locations of Tokyo and even they were open to the idea of AR/VR. This point towards the growth of AR/VR technology being on an upwards trend. There is thus a need for strategizing this opportunity and explore this as a serious manner of enhancing travellers experience. Scholars, researchers and academicians should be taken assistance of, in order to further explore the manner in which a similar physical visit experience, sans the drawbacks of physical visit, can be impart in the Tokyo tourism experience. Efforts can be made to integrate the locals into this process by including virtual conferences with them and the travellers. To promote the local products, virtual souvenir and local artefact shops can be put for the travellers to get hold of the local taste. The need is thus to elevate the present AR/VR experience to levels which are more than that offered by Google Lens, thereby creating a possibility of a niche industry to be created for the people. The collected data thus helped in gaining a range of new ideas and possibilities that could be tapped into by organizations and different entities, along with opening possibility of further and specific research into the varied aspects of the role of AR/VR in Tokyo’s tourism industry.
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendation
Conclusion
VR/AR technologies are growing and generating tremendous prospects for the tourist industry. In addition to planning, V/AR has been employed in a number of ways, management, promotion, education, and the creation or transformation of tourist experiences. Tourism mobility with new technologies such as VR/AR are becoming more popular topics of discussion among tourism academics. Tourism-related mobilities include the movement of visitors, as well as the movement of a wide variety of commodities and items. This process is related with the use of technology for a specific geographic place (Hannam et al., 2014), and it has the potential to cause long-term difficulties as a consequence of an excessive number of individuals participating in the movement (Hannam, 2014). In this context, virtual reality (VR) may assist in avoiding some of these motions by allowing customers to participate in a virtual experience despite physically being present in the location.
It is conceivable for social science researchers to develop situations in which it is possible to examine a variety of multisensory phenomena, according to the National Science Foundation. Rather than inciting emotions in the surveys (for example, adventure tourism, climbing, or indeed a relaxation event) to evaluate tourist behaviour, virtual reality enables participants to become involved in the scenarios they are surveyed about in real time. Another benefit is that researchers may utilise technology to gather data automatically and obtain a first view of the results in real time, which is a significant advantage. This allows participants to come from a variety of different nations and have a same experiences, which helps to mitigate the issue of nonrepresentative sampling.
The ability for several individuals to connect, participate in a network, and share tasks in fresh stimuli produced by virtual reality and augmented reality opens up new opportunities for social scientists working in psychology and sociology linked to tourism. Those taking part in the experiment believe that they are physically there (telepresence), that the environment is genuine, and that their feelings and actions seem responsive to what they are seeing and feeling. The themes that were discovered to be unique on Journal articles were those that dealt with mobile applications for tourism development, the use of TAM as a theoretical background model to assist AR/VR research, and lastly, a topic that dealt with Seminal and Trend papers published in high-tier journals. The conference papers included themes such as Virtual Communities, Mixed-Reality Museums, or 3D Digitalization, which were all firsts for the conference. Journal papers are more interested in making theoretical contributions, but they still seem to be using old models of technology adoption, like the theory of planned behaviour and decision making models. Conference papers, on the other hand, are more exploratory and tend to come up with new ideas and applications. A second characteristic of conference papers is that they tend to provide fresh frameworks, systems, models, and applications that have less theoretical foundation, but which may be the seeds of new theories in the future.
Contributions may aid researchers in better understanding the major themes that have been explored so far in the literature, allowing for future study to be conducted in greater depth in each thematic area. Furthermore, by concentrating on specific papers that focus on specific challenges encountered by organisations in a given area, the findings would be used to management reasons as well. Examples include firms who are striving to comprehend how they may utilise virtual reality to emphasise cultural heritage signals in their communications with prospective tourists and concentrating on papers that address this issue.
To assess perceived degrees of immersion, presence, or pleasure, questionnaires and scales are used to collect information about participants. In order to eliminate bias in future study, sensors and psychological analysis should be used more often. This area of inquiry requires researchers to address the fact that various virtual reality equipment (such as Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard, or Oculus Rift) might have varying degrees of immersion capacity and imitate different sorts of activities and interactions, making comparison of studies problematic due to the fact that results cannot be extended to other equipment. Furthermore, multi-sensory simulations in virtual reality research, as well as the consequences for consumer behaviour, are advised for settings like retail, education, travel and hospitality, or manufacturing, among others. Lastly, future studies might examine how aspects like screen size, picture motion, stereoscopic presentation, or even a realistic and complex design affect VR experiences. It is advised that you use a tool (such as a measuring scale) to measure the various dimensions of your VR experiences (e.g., emotional, psychological and cognitive dimensions). It will be easy to proceed farther in studying the antecedents of the results of virtual reality encounters with the help of this instrument.
Given that virtual reality’s uses and consequences for the tourist sector are both many and substantial, as highlighted in this study article, the insights acquired from future VR tourism research will be of immediate and practical benefit to the tourism industry. This industry is continuously growing, and virtual reality (VR) will bring both obstacles and possibilities for the sector, just as it would for any other new technology. This can only be possible with a more broad and comprehensive grasp of the linkages between virtual reality and tourism, as well as a better awareness of the possibilities that exist. In spite of these difficulties, virtual reality (VR) has a wide range of intriguing applications in a number of fields spanning from planning and management to entertainment and recreation. Furthermore, virtual reality has the ability to produce alternative experiences that, in some circumstances, might be incredibly beneficial for cultural preservation. In the future, the quantity and relevance of possible VR applications in the tourist industry will continue to rise, and it is up to tourism academics and experts to take advantage of these unique prospects.
The recommendations that can be drawn from the aforementioned discussion are the need for the travel agents, the regulatory bodies and other pertinent authorities of the travel industry to work on enhancing the overall experience of AR/VR so as to reflect the experience that people get when they make a physical visit to this place. This can be in line of the ideas presented in the survey questions in Table 8. Flavour of local food, souvenirs and such ideas should thus be explored. There is also the suggestion of creation of niche industry along with local merchants being put online with the AR/VR experiences also act out as measures of further boosting tourism through AR/VR in Tokyo.
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