Abstract Many tasks in our daily routine require that we focus on specific parts while hiding others. Particularly for visualisation and in graphics, it is crucial that data representations are correctly perceived and the viewer can focus on key patterns and structures. In order to ensure this, there are several methods to direct the attention efficiently and to highlight significant elements, so-called visual attention techniques. Graphical systems like tablets or other 2D displays have a more restricted display space and it is common to apply efficient and computationally generated methods such as colour or shape variations to highlight objects of interest. With the application of augmented and virtual reality, the presentation space increases to 360° around the viewer and beyond. Therefore, we need techniques that direct the user to areas outside the field of view without disturbing the perception of a realistic world. Previous research mostly studied these types of techniques in less immersive, static scenes without any additional, potentially distracting elements (distractors). Thus, this paper aims to extend previous research and compares different visual attention techniques in terms of varying degrees of visual distraction. It investigates whether the influence of static (non-moving) or dynamic (moving) objects has an effect on perception and attention guidance. Results of this work show that distractors influence the perception of visual attention techniques to some extent. Furthermore, it is found that some techniques are more suitable than others in certain contexts. However, it still unclear which factors of distractors play a role in influencing the attentional guidance of the techniques.