Augmented reality technology in tourisma bibliometric analysis on postgraduate theses and articles

The utilization of technology in the tourism industry plays a pivotal role in attracting tourists and fostering competition among destinations and businesses. One of the current technological advancements with an ever-expanding scope is "Augmented Reality" (AR). The concept of augmented reality emerged towards the late 90s as a new domain of virtual reality and computer technology, and it has since permeated into a broader spectrum. AR refers to virtual objects overlaid onto real-world objects. The widespread adoption of augmented reality in tourism in recent years has led to an observed increase in studies related to augmented reality in the tourism literature. The growing number of bibliometric studies highlights the contemporary significance of the "augmented reality in tourism" subject, playing a crucial role in motivating this research. The purpose of this study is to construct a bibliometric profile of studies (articles, theses) addressing the phenomenon of "augmented reality technology in tourism" in the national and international academic literature, following predefined criteria. The findings obtained from the bibliometric analysis are expected to contribute to future research in the field of tourism science. The research universe comprises the theses and articles related to tourism science until the year 2022, sourced from the National Thesis Center, DergiPark, and Web of Science databases. The keywords used in the search were determined through a literature review and were selected with the approval of experts and academicians in the field.