Seeing history come to life with augmented reality: the museum experience of generation Z in Göbeklitepe

ABSTRACT

This study investigates whether AR innovations will positively contribute to the visiting intentions of young people. We collected data from 402 Gen Z participants in the museum at Göbeklitepe, one of the first human settlements in Turkey. Study results suggest that visual appeal and enjoyment affect AR technology and that enjoyment and escapism affect revisit intention. In addition, AR had a mediating effect between the enjoyment experience and RVI. There was no moderating effect of emotions between AR and revisit intention. Our findings expand the literature on offering museum experiences to Gen Z.

KEYWORDS:

• Augmented reality
• emotion
• generation Z
• generational theory
• mental imagery theory
• museum experience

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Volkan Genc

Volkan Genc is an associate professor at the School of Tourism and Hotel Management at Batman University. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Tourism Management from Eskisehir Anadolu University in Turkey. He has published some articles in prestigious journals such as International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. He continues to work on emotional and social competence, emotional labor, aesthetic labor, and the role of employee's emotions in resistance to change. He has also served as a reviewer in international tourism and hospitality journals.

Anil Bilgihan

Anil Bilgihan is an associate professor at the Florida Atlantic University within the College of Business where he holds the Dean's Distinguished Research Fellowship. He has over 100 refereed journal articles in the areas of e-commerce and Hospitality Information Systems. He holds a Ph.D. degree from Rosen College of Hospitality Management and an M.S. degree from the University of Delaware. His research involves the use and impact of technology, user experience, digital marketing, and online social interactions in the services industries that appeared in prestigious journals including Tourism Management, Information & Management, Internet Research, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Computers in Human Behavior, Electronic Research Commerce and Applications, Journal of Service Management, and International Journal of Information Management among others. He is the co-author of Hospitality Information Technology, Learning How to Use It. He is the associate editor of the Psychology & Marketing and co-editor of the Journal of International Hospitality Management. He is the recipient of several awards including the FAU Scholar of the Year, Cisco Extensive Research Award and Highly Commended Award winner of the Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards.

Seray Gulertekin Genc

Seray Gulertekın Genc is an assistant professor at the School of Tourism and Hotel Management at Batman University. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Tourism Management from Eskisehir Eskisehir Osmangazi University in Turkey. Her academic background is reflected in her main research interests, which include the aesthetics of destinations, tourism behavior, tourism marketing. She has also served as a reviewer in international tourism and hospitality journals.

Fevzi Okumus

Fevzi Okumus is a Professor in Rosen College of Hospitality Management in University of Central Florida. He has received his PhD in Strategic Hotel Management at Oxford Brookes University. His main research areas include strategy implementation, competitive advantage, and destination marketing. He has widely published in leading journals, including Tourism Management, Management Decision, International Journal of Hospitality Management and International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. He has over 300 academic publications. Prof. Okumus serves on the editorial board of 24 international academic journals. He is the Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.