The Influence of Experiential Value of Augmented Reality Technology on Destination Visit Intention: Evidence from A Multi-Mediation Model

Recent advances in information technology (IT) have allowed visitors to more completely explore and admire cultural heritage sites, overcoming time, distance, and language barriers through emerging technologies like holography, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). In the tourism industry, augmented reality has emerged as an effective marketing tool and an information channel that transmits tourist experiences to viewers. Although augmented reality has become more prevalent, not many know about the impact of the experiential value of augmented reality, especially on visitors and tourist destinations. Today, augmented reality (AR) is being used as a potential tool for enhancing visitors' experiences and increasing their chances of visiting a destination. In the current study, we proposed a multi-mediation model to look at the influence of the experiential value of augmented reality (visual appeal, entertainment, escapism, and enjoyment) directly and indirectly on destination intention to visit through two mediators; the immersive experience and visitor satisfaction. This study has been based on a quantitative approach to study the relationship between exogenous and endogenous variables. This study also used a survey method by distributing a set of questionnaires to the selected sample that amounted to 314 participants in many different tourist attractions in Egypt (Baron Empain, Pompay Pillar, Pyramids of Giza, and Qaithbay Citadel). The data has been analyzed using Smart PLS version 3.0 in order to test 14 hypotheses. Results show that visual appeal, escapism, and enjoyment have significant positive effects on the immersive experience and visitor satisfaction, ultimately increasing the destination visit intention. By contrast, entertainment does not exhibit a substantial influence on an immersive experience, visitor satisfaction, and destination visit intention. These results provide important implications for augmented reality implementations at cultural heritage sites in Egypt.