How Houston Embraced Augmented Reality to Enhance the Visitor Experience

Many travelers look for any excuse to add the latest gadget or newest smartphone app to their daily routine. Tourism companies hoping to capitalize on this tech obsession have, in recent years, turned to augmented reality, wherein virtual objects are overlaid on real-world scenes observed through smartphone cameras, a la Pokémon Go.

Release time : 2020-02-21 11:16:59

source : skift.com

Many travelers look for any excuse to add the latest gadget or newest smartphone app to their daily routine. Tourism companies hoping to capitalize on this tech obsession have, in recent years, turned to augmented reality, wherein virtual objects are overlaid on real-world scenes observed through smartphone cameras, a la Pokémon Go.

A number of travel providers have used augmented reality to improve discrete aspects of a traveler’s experience. For example, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has a mobile app feature that allows passengers to double-check baggage size, and The National Museum of Singapore and The Art Gallery of Ontario have both created AR-enhanced art installations. Meanwhile, Visit Houston has seized on the potential to harness augmented reality at the wider destination level.

At Houston First Corporation, which oversees technology development for Visit Houston and 10 other brands, director of web development Sean Herbert and chief marketing officer Holly Clapham Rosenow saw an opportunity to leverage augmented reality to help Houston spring to life for the city’s visitors. In 2018, the company launched Houston AR, an augmented reality app that makes exploring Houston more engaging. “We took all of the flat data from our content management system and created an immersive experience for locals and visitors,” said Herbert.

Here’s how it works: When a user opens the app and pans their smartphone’s camera over activated locations in the real world, they are presented with live wayfinding information about nearby restaurants, bars, and points of interest like museums, shopping venues, and other activities. Easy-to-follow directions to the locations are provided without leaving the app.

“Visitors are responding very positively,” said Herbert. “We’ve seen the number of unique users increase following a series of print and digital campaigns.”

On the Cutting Edge of Augmented Reality and