New age of tourist information

Although numerous assumptions have been discussed and many theories have been developed in the study of modern tourism since the dawn of the 19th Century, there is insufficient research in the field of tourist information, in spite of the fact that tourist information, in particular, message delivery systems through languages, has been playing an essential role in generating tourism phenomena and promoting the movement of tourists. Thanks to the recent development of scientific technology, the age of new message delivery systems, such as digital signage or augmented reality, has emerged to create a new environment of tourist information. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a theoretical approach to the study of tourist information, and attempt to establish a field of information in the theoretical study of tourism. The author analyses the nature of tourist information, along with the ideas of the recent scientific technology in message delivery systems, i.e. digital signage or augmented reality. The author offers a working hypothesis that tourist information directly corresponds to the images or values of tourist attractions while tourist information is flexibly adapted to tourists' states and conditions.