In Quest of a New AR Technology Application to Enhance the Sustainability of Cultural Tourism: The Olive Heritage in Madeira Through the Looking Glass of a ‘Sandbox’ Approach

This article presents the results of an exploratory investigation looking for new applications of augmented reality (AR) technology to enhance the sustainability of cultural tourism. The ‘sandbox’ approach was initially developed by programmers to experiment innovative solutions in safe conditions, being adopted later in other research areas for the same reason. In this case, the olive heritage at Madeira had been chosen as a background not because it is harmless, but on the contrary, for offering some challenging characteristics. The purpose is to stimulate creativity, forcing thought outside the box. This methodological path will lead to a new concept—the hyperplace of augmented visit (HAV)—conciliating several kinds of attractions in a sustainable way. The general idea is to create a hybrid tour. The user will have the possibility of interacting with a mixture of real objects and digital avatars, virtually reachable by the mediation of AR. The former will be found at the location where the user stands, and the others will be distributed in different areas of the same destination. The study leads to the conclusion that this concept will encourage travellers to spend more time in each spot and to include new points of interest, less popular or even unexplored, in their itinerary, and is also resilient in a context of public health crisis. At the close, HAV's potential will be evaluated and relevant issues mapped to design a suitable working plan to implement a pilot experience.