The Design Strategy of AR-Based Travel Experience in the Post-pandemic Era - An Exploratory Case Study in China

Yani Zhang, Han Han

Abstract: The Chinese tourism industry is transforming digitization and customization, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend. Tourists are increasingly seeking experiential tourism and this shift has made experiential tourism a vital focus of the industry. Augmented Reality (AR) technology has emerged as a promising tool to enhance the tourism experience. This study combines AR with experiential marketing and experience design to provide possible design strategies that utilize AR tools to promote a more comprehensive tourism experience. Adopting a case study-based qualitative research strategy with theoretical and empirical support, the study summarizes the advantages of AR in the tourism industry. It provides a design-driven approach that outlines design focuses from the five dimensions of the strategic experience module (SENSE, FEEL, THINK, ACT, and RELATE), effectively connecting marketing communication and AR-based tourism service experience. It lays the foundation for future research in two aspects: operational tools for design practices (user experience design, interface design, and service design in the tourism industry) and theoretical exploration in interdisciplinary subjects such as marketing communication, tourism management, and service design.