The Impact of Augmented Reality Tourism on Tourist Experience and Behavior —A Case Study of the Mogao Caves Cultural Heritage

Background and Aim: The Mogao Caves, representing the pinnacle of Chinese cave art evolution, enjoy esteemed historical significance. With backing from the local government's "Belt and Road" initiative and the establishment of the "Dunhuang Cultural Tourism Economic Circle," Mogao Caves tourism is undergoing high-quality development. However, the surge in tourist numbers has compromised the visitor experience, posing challenges to heritage conservation and tourism development balance. To address this, the Dunhuang Academy has integrated AR technology, safeguarded the heritage while enriched visitor experiences. This study aims to understand tourists' experiences and intentions in virtual Mogao Caves exploration, investigating factors influencing AR tourism experiences. By examining AR's impact and proposing management enhancements, this research contributes to Mogao Caves' sustainable development. Materials and Methods: This study utilizes a quantitative approach with two main stages: literature analysis and statistical analysis. Initially, it defines concepts and establishes the conceptual framework of AR technology by reviewing SOR theory, tourist experiences, behavioral intentions, and relevant studies. It then refines the SOR theory's origin, concept, characteristics, and application areas, analyzing variables such as stimulating factors, tourist experiences, and behavioral intentions. Research hypotheses are formulated, and a theoretical model is constructed. Offline questionnaires from 400 Mogao Caves AR tourists were collected, and data were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The study aims to understand the relationship between tourist experiences and behavioral intentions, analyze mediating effects, validate hypotheses, and confirm the structural model, offering reliable statistical support and a scientific basis for the findings. Results: The results indicate that in AR tourism, content quality, system quality, and interaction quality have a positive impact on tourist experiences. AR tourism experiences significantly influence behavioral intentions. Particularly surprising is that the impact of tourism experiences on behavioral intentions exceeds expectations, demonstrating its importance in AR tourism. This finding highlights the potential of AR technology in enhancing tourist experiences and provides new development opportunities for tourism destinations. Conclusion: AR technology holds immense promise for tourism development at the Mogao Caves heritage site. Factors like content, system, and interaction quality significantly enhance tourist experiences and behavioral intentions in AR tourism there. Quality content not only shapes a positive brand image but also opens up commercial and collaborative opportunities. System stability ensures smooth AR experiences, while interactive design boosts engagement and spending. However, the potential negative impacts of AR technology on tourism require further exploration in future research.