Visitor perceptions of technology use in tourist attraction experiences

The onsite experiences of visitors at attractions are increasingly being influenced by innovative exhibits that utilise both high-technology and non-technology techniques. However, it is unclear how different types of visitors respond to these exhibits. This paper identifies four groups of tourists based on visitor preferences for technology use in tourist attractions and technology experience in general. These groups, named compensators, spillovers, luddites and opportunity seekers, are contrasted according to their reports of positive technology based and non-technology based incidents in tourist attractions. The results suggest that there does appear to be an interaction between technology preference and experience type, especially for high-tech attraction experiences