ARe you able to be my travel companion? The Use of AR for Solo Travellers Experiencing Loneliness

The travel and hospitality industry has witnessed a surge in technological advancements aimed at enriching customer experiences, such as 'virtual tourism', a non-immersive way of gathering information about tourist attractions (Zhang et al., 2022, p.2). A novel area of exploration in this context is the use of technology to alleviate the pervasive issue of loneliness among solo travellers. Loneliness is a state of mind that is often felt when someone is physically alone. Research has examined feelings of loneliness as "loneliness" (Palgi et al., 2020) and "social exclusion" (Vinuales and Thomas, 2021) and found that people suffering from loneliness often turn to social technology to develop a sense of connection (Marriott and Pitardi, 2023). Nelugena et al. (2023) found that feelings of being isolated from others to be a significant concern for solo female travellers, with particular focus on feelings of homesickness, lack of intimate shared experiences, not having someone to talk to, and not having someone to take photos of them, or not having help when needed.