1. QR codes

What is it? ‘Quick Response’ codes are square, 2D barcodes that can hold different types of information, from personal addresses and poems to links to websites, videos and apps. They simplify the process of getting visitors quickly from A (a brochure, for example) to B (say, a video). Users simply scan them with their smartphone camera. They’re easy and free to generate.

There are far more creative uses for QR codes than track and trace. The Alnwick Garden started using them when social distancing restrictions made group guided tours of their famous Poison Garden impossible.

“We had a choice: close the Poison Garden or look at an innovative way to get around that,” says Mark Brassell, director of The Alnwick Garden, “so we printed out QR codes on foamex boards and put them next to each poisonous plant.” The codes point visitors to brief videos about the plant, recorded by the tour guides. “[The QR codes] allow people to socially distance and still get the information that they want. It’s been really popular; people have responded well to it,” he adds.

2. Visitor trackers

What is it? Tools that visualise the flow (volume and movement) of people as they move around a place, which could be an attraction, an airport, a city or even an entire region.

Measuring visitor flow helps understand how people use a space, anticipate where any problems could arise and design a system to manage that movement, thus helping to optimise the visitor experience. Tracking people can make or break an attraction’s ability to make the site safe – and enjoyable – for visitors.

Mark Brassell partly credits the use of a 3D model, which was originally designed by Duncan McEwan to track airport visitor flow, for The Alnwick Garden’s “really strong bounceback” after lockdown. The team used the model to play around with parameters, such as how many people enter every 5 minutes and what percentage will go to the toilets, to show where the pinch points were.

Based on the model’s findings, the team made changes that included moving the shop to a different space and putting new doors into the toilets to prevent visitors crossing paths as they entered and exited. The team also based a one-way system around the garden on the model.

“It was amazing how close it was when we actually opened… We nailed it to about 85-90% accuracy,” says Mark.

3. Artificial intelligence (AI)

What is it? It’s complicated, but at its core AI mimics the cognitive functions of a human. AI technology uses real-life data to learn from experience, solve problems or apply reason – all of which are human-like tasks.

The possibilities for its application in tourism are endless, from contactless, customer service-orientated applications such as chatbots and ‘Connie’, the world’s first robot hotel concierge, to deep data analysis of customer feedback.

At Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Cente, AI was used to create a more emotional visitor experience. Here, the world’s first permanent 3D interactive hologram exhibition uses voice-activated AI and hologram technology to enable holograms of holocaust survivors to answer visitors’ questions directly. The effect is profoundly moving.

4. Virtual reality (VR)

What is it? VR allows users to place themselves inside a digital world, or a world that blends real and virtual. Perhaps the best way to describe VR is ‘near reality’. It’s a 3D, computer-generated simulation that is as like the real thing as possible – even when that ‘real thing’ is a fantasy world.

Virtual travel became so popular during the pandemic that people started asking if VR could replace travel itself. That’s highly unlikely, but VR does deserve a place near the head of the table when it comes to marketing. Thanks to VR, users can take 360-degree video tours of places such as hotels like the Atlantis Dubai, museums, landmarks and aeroplanes via their device; they don’t even need a VR headset. Few digital technologies come close when trying to convey the experience of visiting a place. VR is the ultimate try-before-you-buy.

Even more interesting is when VR itself becomes the attraction, like at theme parks such as VR World NYC. Elsewhere, galleries and museums are increasingly using VR to enable visitors to totally immerse themselves in an exhibit. A 2018 exhibition at the National Museum of Helsinki invited visitors to step inside RW Ekman’s painting, The Opening of the Diet 1863 by Alexander II, where they could even talk to the Russian Emperor.

5. Voice-activated search

What is it? Instead of typing a query into a search engine, voice-activated search allows the user to command the search using their voice.

Yes, searching by voice is convenient – and contactless – for your visitors, but there’s much more to it. Voice search, is changing the way we search for information – meaning it’s a gamechanger as far as SEO is concerned. Google voice search queries have gone up exponentially over the years so it’s vital to consider this when planning your marketing strategy.

The new goal is to create content that fits the demand for voice search, which means using natural, conversational language, building up your Google business star ratings and providing answers to specific questions.

We’ve not come close to exploring the full range of possibilities for voice technology yet, but one thing seems clear. Get it right and you’ll achieve higher web traffic, a uniquely personalised relationship with your visitors and a reputation for being well ahead of the curve.