International Journal of Tourism Research, cilt.28, sa.3, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
Despite the increasing use of augmented reality (AR) applications (apps) to enhance tourist experience, few studies have been conducted to determine their effectiveness. This case study, which was conducted at Antalya Kaleiçi, used a quasi-experimental post-test control group design to examine how the use of AR in a heritage site influences the associations between tourist experience, place attachment, satisfaction, and storytelling intention. The results showed that AR use significantly improves tourist experience and subsequent perceptions. Moreover, multi-group analysis revealed that the associations between the study variables differed between AR users (experimental group) and non-users (control group). These findings have theoretical and managerial implications for heritage tourism research and practice.