Exploring the visitors experience and perceptions of hyperreality at cultural attractions

Chen, Chen

Abstract

This research develops a new and comprehensive understanding of ‘travels in hyperreality’ in the tourism studies, and in relation to visitors’ immersive experience and cultural attractions. The term hyperreality is explored within the context of multiple possible realities which are contingent upon the agency of heritage and arts interpretation, visitors experience and visitor subjectivities. Instead of focusing on developing future applications of emerging technologies, the research stresses the role of individual visitors’ subjectivity in the hyperreality at cultural attractions. The research aims at finding out the interrelationship between the visitors’ subjective experience versus the immersive attractions from the visitors’ perspective. By applying the qualitative research methods, the research reveals that the meanings of ‘travels in hyperreality’ has been constructed by both objectivity and subjective; the organization and the tourists. Four themes have emerged from the current research that refers to the representation, the imagination, the sensations and the interactions. The visitors’ multi-sensor domains are stimulated by their interactions and their encounters with the surrounding environments and individuals onsite that brings them the authentic experience as ‘becoming part of the scene. Most importantly, the finding stresses the importance of the visitors’ creativities and subjectivities as the co-creators of the hyperreal productions, which relates to their subjective imaginations and their understandings that add the final link to achieve the immersive experience as ‘being there’.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Aug 7, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 21, 2020
• Keywords: hyperreality, immersive experience, co-creation experience, multi-sensory stimulation, authenticity, emerging technologies
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1945803
• Award Date: Apr 21, 2020