Another challenge is deploying technology without making local guides redundant. “In a site like Petra, where we heavily rely on tourism, the current situation is not easy because the community has no income,” Farajat says. “It is very important not to make the tour guides fear that augmented reality or virtual tours, or even applications and audio guides, could take their jobs away.” To prevent that from happening, he hopes that eventually it will be the tour guides themselves who sell AR/VR experiences, so they can profit from it, as well.

Source: Washington Post July 08, 2021 18:16 UTC