Los Realejos · Augmented reality for tourism

We created a tourism experience with augmented reality and 360º environments that lets visitors discover the landscape through interactive hotspots and take virtual tours of its main points of interest.

Augmented reality applied to tourism can turn a viewpoint, a landscape or a natural area into a new layer of digital information without physically altering the environment. At REM Experience we have developed a solution for the municipality of Los Realejos, Tenerife, that combines augmented reality, interactive content and 360º virtual experiences to discover the destination straight from a smartphone.

The project takes place at two of the municipality's most representative viewpoints. From these spots, visitors can take in much of the area and discover some of its main natural, cultural and tourist attractions.

The landscape as augmented reality

The experience starts with a QR code at the viewpoint itself, which lets visitors open the app on their mobile phone.

Once the experience is running, the user points the smartphone camera at the real landscape. Augmented reality hotspots appear over the image, identifying the main places and points of interest visible from that spot.

The landscape itself thus becomes an interactive interface.

Instead of checking a separate map or deciphering large physical panels, visitors can see straight away what they are looking at and where each attraction is.

Selecting a hotspot opens content related to that place, and the experience can be extended with digital and immersive resources.

From the viewpoint to a 360º virtual experience

The solution goes beyond identifying the places visible in the landscape.

Some of these points open 360º virtual tours, so visitors can discover additional spaces without having to travel to them at that moment.

Augmented reality and 360º virtualisation work together in this way. The first interprets the area in front of the user; the second lets them step digitally into the different points of interest.

The result is a tourism experience that connects the physical and digital territory in a simple, intuitive way.

Tourism digitisation that respects the landscape

One of the advantages of destination digitisation projects like this is the ability to provide a large amount of information without cluttering the environment with physical elements.

Digital signage and augmented reality reduce the need for large information panels at viewpoints and natural areas, helping the installation blend into the landscape.

Content can also be updated, expanded or developed further without replacing any physical infrastructure.

Technology thus becomes a tool both for interpreting the destination and for managing its information sustainably.

Immersive technology for smart tourist destinations

At REM Experience we develop augmented reality apps for tourism, digital routes, geolocated experiences, 360º virtual tours and interactive solutions for smart tourist destinations.

The Los Realejos project shows how these technologies can blend naturally into a visit: the user simply looks at the landscape and their device helps them make sense of it.

The result is a new way to discover a destination, where augmented reality, tourism, landscape and immersive experiences come together to give visitors contextual information, virtual access to other spaces and a digital experience that complements the territory without competing with it visually.