Abstract
Researchers and academicians have shown many studies on how technological developments can be used in tour guidance. The common objectives of these studies are to provide tourists with a better tour experience, to assist tour guides, to help people who cannot participate in the tour, and to develop tour guide robots. The technologies used in tour guidance vary according to the type and content of the tours. In this study, technological innovations and applications used in tour guiding in the world will be investigated and explained in detail. In addition, information on technological innovations and trends that are foreseen and planned to be used in touristic tours in the future will be given. With this study, it is aimed to reveal the technological applications used today in tour guidance and technological developments that will guide the tour guidance in the future.
TopRecent Trends In Tour Guidance In Terms Of Technological Innovation
Tour guiding practice has, in many respects, matured over the past 50 years, and in contributing to and responding to this maturation, there has been a burgeoning of tour guiding research (Weiler & Black, 2015). Buhalis and Law (2008) stated that information and communication technologies changed tourism since the 1980s. Besides, according to Martin and Herrero (2011), many researchers of new information and communication technologies have directed in-depth and comprehensive research on information communication technologies and tourism.
In terms of tourism, the use of information technologies should not be considered only in terms of tourism enterprises. The use of information technologies has entered into daily life activities, and the efficiency of consumers using information technologies is increasing day by day. In this context, it can be said that tourist consumers need and use information technologies at every moment of their travels. At the same time, it is seen that tour guides, which undertake the promotion of tourist destinations to tourists and assist tourists from pre-touristic to post-touristic travel, benefit from the information technology. On the other hand, the provision of information-based services by tourist destinations to both tourists and guides will help to make the tour activities more successful. Today, there are many technological applications used by tourists, tour guides, and tourist destinations. In this section, the necessary information about recent trends in terms of tour guidance will be given through literature research.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT): Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications 3 AU52: Endnote Reference 3 and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computers, as well as necessary entreprise software, midware, storage, and audiovisual systems, that enable users to Access, store, transmit, and manipulate information. 4 AU53: Endnote Reference 4 5 AU54: Endnote Reference 5
Travel Buddy: A travel buddy is another adult who travels with you. 7 AU56: Endnote Reference 7
Global Positioning System (GPS): Communications refers to the use of signals to transfer voice, data, image, and/or video information between locations, the main applications of which are in communications science, engineering, and technology. From the bonfires and smoke signals to early modern optical telegraphs, humankind has attempted to move communication beyond the realm of earshot. 2 AU51: Endnote Reference 2
Augmented Reality (AR): A concept is an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. 1 AU50: Endnote Reference 1
Virtual Tour: A virtual tour is a simulation of an existing location, usually composed of a sequence of videos or still images. It may also use other multimedia elements such as sound effects, music, narration, and text. It is distinguished from the use of live television to affect tele-tourism. 9 AU58: Endnote Reference 9
Virtual Reality (VR): A set of images and sounds, produced by a computer, that seem to represent a place or a situation that a person can take part in the VR experience. 8 AU57: Endnote Reference 8