Spatial Stories: Tourism, Tech, and Wellbeing

This project emerges from two deeply rooted strands of research—our award-nominated VR in Dementia initiative and the student-led Scanning Swansea heritage project. Through these explorations of immersive technology and memory, we began experimenting with Augmented Reality “portals”: doorways that transport viewers to new environments.

We have so far developed and tested prototypes including a beach portal and a doorway to Pennard Castle, blending physical surroundings with scanned, spatialised experiences. See Below:

These experiments have prompted a larger investigation into how AR portals can be used to evoke memory, inspire travel, and preserve place. The project is currently in the planning and development stage, but our intent is to build and explore two parallel strands of applied research and impact:

Strand 1: Tourism & Place-Based Storytelling

Using AR to inspire travel and cultural connection.We plan to create interactive experiences that promote tourism through immersive storytelling. These portals could be installed in airports, travel hubs, or online platforms—inviting users to “step into” beaches, mountains, or cultural landmarks. We plan to:

• Partner with tourism boards and cultural organisations to develop location-specific immersive experiences that promote destinations.

• Work with Travel & Tourism students to research, build, and promote their own digital tourism campaigns using spatial media, 3D scanning, and augmented storytelling tools.

• Develop a digital skills curriculum aligned to destination branding, sustainable tourism, and immersive tech.
  

A dream partnership for this strand would be with a tourism organisation in the USA, a place I have a strong personal affinity for.

We are currently seeking collaborators in the tourism and cultural promotion sector.

Above: Mockups of airport banners with associated AR experience QR codes

Strand 2: AR for Wellbeing and Escapism

Calm, familiar places—digitally revisited through immersive AR.

Building directly on our dementia work, this strand investigates how short-form AR experiences—like a window to the beach—might support emotional wellbeing and presence. Whether in care homes, clinics, or simply as a digital moment of peace, these “mini escapes” offer therapeutic potential.