Researcher Designs Virtual Environment highlighting Bahrain’s Tourist Attractions

Ms. Khawla Al Hassan, Research and Teaching Assistant of Creative Technology at the College of Arts, aspires to attract more tourists to Bahrain by creating a virtual environment which highlights the main tourist attractions and the Kingdom’s culture and traditions.

Ms. Al Hassan, who teaches creative technology courses such as 3D animation, virtual design, and 3D design, has been conducting research on the use of technology to attract more tourists to Bahrain, especially from Western countries. Statistics have shown that their number is much lower than tourists coming from the region.

Her research proposal has been accepted in the PhD program at the University of Kent in the United Kingdom.

‘Creating a non-oil modern economy and focusing more on tourism to enhance economic growth has made me think about the role virtual technology can play in promoting tourism. My initial research plan is to expose visitors of exhibitions and events to a virtual environment of Bahrain and measure their behaviour and the impact of that experience on their opinions,’ explained Ms. Al Hassan.

Previous studies discussed the role of creative technology in travel decisions. However, Ms. Al Hassan’s research goes beyond that to measure levels of entertainment and change how the Arab region is perceived.

‘My PhD research proposal has been accepted at several universities mainly because research that measures the impact of creative technology on tourism is scarce. My study focuses on interactive environments and artificial intelligence which are of global interest,’ added Ms. Al Hassan.