A Step Forward in Immersive Tourism
This year’s XR Salento conference in Otranto, Italy, brought together leading voices in immersive technologies and innovation. Among them, the DIDYMOS-XR project showcased its pioneering work on how Digital Twins (DTs) can transform cultural tourism through Extended Reality (XR). The event was a perfect opportunity to present our latest research and share insights into creating user-friendly, accessible, and engaging experiences for travelers around the globe.
Bringing Heritage to Life Through Technology
Our presentation focused on the paper “Digital Twins for Extended Reality Tourism: User Experience Evaluation Across User Groups”. The study explored two applications designed to bridge the gap between the physical and virtual worlds. The first, an Augmented Reality Virtual Tour (AR-VT), offers visitors the chance to explore historical sites through interactive AR portals using their smartphones. The second, a Virtual Reality Virtual Tour (VR-VT), allows remote travelers to immerse themselves in digital reconstructions of real locations through VR headsets.
These tools are more than just technological novelties; they represent a new way of experiencing culture. Whether standing on the streets of a historic town or engaging from thousands of kilometers away, users can enjoy authentic encounters that blend heritage and innovation.
Testing XR Tourism in the Real World
To understand how these applications perform in real settings, we conducted a large-scale user study with 84 participants across Germany and Spain. The tests took place in culturally significant locations, such as the Víctor Balaguer Museum in Vilanova i la Geltrú and Etteln’s community hall. Participants were asked to explore these environments using the AR and VR applications. Their experiences were then assessed through multiple dimensions, including usability, user experience, sense of presence, and overall enjoyment. We also measured practical aspects such as task load and potential discomfort in VR to ensure that the applications cater to a wide range of users.
What We Learned
The findings were encouraging. Both AR and VR applications provided enjoyable, easy-to-use experiences that participants appreciated. The VR-based tours created a strong sense of presence, transporting users into digital spaces with a real-world feel, though some usability challenges and mild cybersickness occurred among less experienced users. Meanwhile, the AR-based tours achieved high user experience ratings, but participants expressed interest in improvements such as richer content and better lighting for optimal visual clarity. Interestingly, the study also revealed that age, prior XR experience, and technological affinity significantly influenced the way users perceived and interacted with these applications. These insights will help us design solutions that are not only innovative but also inclusive and accessible to everyone.
Shaping the Future of Digital Tourism
This research marks an important step toward redefining how people connect with cultural heritage. By integrating Digital Twins into XR applications, tourism can become more immersive, interactive, and available to all, regardless of physical limitations or geographic distance.
Author: Tanja Kojic, Technische Universität Berlin
