Survey study reveals augmented reality shapes destination image and satisfaction in visiting tourists, indicating cognitive image drives repeat travel intentions.
This study investigates the impact of Augmented Reality (AR) on destination image, tourist satisfaction, and revisit intention, while exploring the bidirectional relationship between destination image and satisfaction in the context of AR-enhanced tourism experiences. A quantitative approach was employed, surveying 553 tourists who used AR applications during their visit. Six competing structural models were tested to analyze the structural relationships among cognitive and affective destination images, satisfaction, and revisit intention using PLS-SEM. AR experiences significantly shape destination image, satisfaction, and revisit intention. Satisfaction strongly predicts revisit intention, partially mediated by cognitive image, and influences both cognitive and affective images. The bidirectional relationship between destination image and satisfaction is confirmed, with cognitive image playing a more prominent role than affective image in AR contexts. These results highlight AR’s role in tourism, challenging traditional views on destination image and satisfaction, and revealing the distinct effects of cognitive and affective images on revisit intention in AR contexts. The study suggests destination management organizations should prioritize AR applications that boost cognitive aspects and satisfaction to foster positive destination images and encourage tourists to return.
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Kong et al. (2026) studied this question.