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Abstract |
The study focuses on the evaluation of the impact of applications developed for smartphones intended for usage in connection with nature-based tourism (NBT) experience. Outdoor recreationists increasingly use mobile applications to interact with nature by consuming, creating and sharing the content related to NBT experience before, during and after the trip (Wang et al., 2014; Dickinson, Hibbert, and Filimonau, 2016). We argue that both, content and the various elements of mobile apps functionalities show the capacity to enhance major aspects of the NBT experience, such as emotional, social and epistemic experience value, as well as excellence, efficiency and safety (Chekalina, Fuchs, and Lexhagen, 2018). NBT segments utilize various functional elements of mobile apps (either web-based applications or native apps users need to download and install on their smartphones), such as map-based information, weather/avalanche warnings, augmented reality and 360 images, QR-code tags and geocaching, location-based services, near field communication (NFC) and mobile payments, as well as social media integration (Buhalis and Foerste, 2014; Kolas et al., 2015). Prior research identifies various categories of apps, which can enhance the NBT experience (Chekalina, Fossgard, and Fuchs, 2021). Digital reference books replace printed guides of birds, plants, mushrooms and integrate image recognition and augmented reality technology. The categories of “exercise and training” apps and “map and navigation” apps show similarities in terms of content and functionality. However, the former category focuses on performance, such as pace, distance, elevation or calorie consumption, while the focus of apps in the latter category is on tracks, routes and attractions. Other categories of apps include travel guides, weather apps, games, compass apps, flashlight apps, apps for photo and video, as well as niche social media networks (Chekalina et al., 2021). |
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