Use of mobile applications for visits of cultural heritage monuments, 2020

In the outdoor environment, cultural heritage monuments are exposed to several natural and anthropogenic factors that cause their deterioration. Increasing urbanization and mass tourism exacerbate the situation; however, tourism is also an important tool for enhancing and preserving cultural heritage, especially through contemporary information-communication technologies that provide additional opportunities for visitor engagement (Ismagilova et al. 2015, Ursache 2015). Moreover, there is a trend towards gamification of experiences for visitors to cultural heritage sites (Cirulis et al. 2015, Xu et al. 2017), including location-based or geolocation games (Maia et al. 2017). To better understand the perceptions and values of different visitor groups regarding cultural heritage and to develop a strategy for engaging target groups in heritage conservation, four focus groups in two Slovenian cities were conducted. Participants were selected using a screening questionnaire that asked about their travel habits and use of mobile apps when visiting monuments. In both cities, there was one focus group with users of geolocation games and one with non-users. In all groups, topics of mobile photography of cultural heritage sites, use of visitor apps for specific locations, and geolocation apps were discussed. Study contains screening data and focus group transcripts: both types of data are available in ADP.