The role of augmented reality for sustainable development: Evidence from cultural heritage tourism

Issues of sustainability have gained interest and priority, examining ways organisations can protect environmental and cultural heritage, whilst addressing stakeholders' needs. Research exploring the role of Augmented Reality (AR) for sustainable tourism development has been limited. This study adopts the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework, to explore how AR can improve tourism attraction sustainability and create business benefits beyond enhanced visitor experiences. A UNESCO-recognised small cultural heritage tourism attraction in the UK was selected as a case study. Adopting a stakeholder approach, 50 interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. This study reveals AR presents strategic opportunities to achieve social, economic, and environmental sustainability, extending the current understanding of the TBL in a small tourism business context. We propose AR as a tool to help tourism attractions ensure their long-term viability and sustainability, and the findings provide important insight into how to achieve this. •Immersive technologies can increase tourist attraction sustainability and longevity.•Triple Bottom Line (TBL) used as theoretical foundation in new context of small tourism attractions.•Framework for Sustainable Augmented Reality in Cultural Heritage Tourism proposed.•Newly identified TBL dimensions emerged, particularly in the underexplored social context.