PRESERVING THE INTANGIBLE, ENHANCING THE EXPERIENCE: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE DIGITAL HERITAGE TOURISM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60101/rmuttgber.2026.301359Keywords:
Intangible cultural heritage, Digital heritage tourism, Sustainable tourism, Southeast Asia, Cultural authenticityAbstract
Digital technologies are reshaping intangible cultural heritage (ICH) tourism in Southeast Asia by expanding opportunities for cultural interpretation, enhancing visitor engagement, and supporting destination competitiveness. However, their use may also intensify commodification, weaken community control, and decontextualize living traditions when cultural safeguards and governance arrangements are inadequate. This article addresses the absence of an integrative framework for examining how digital strategies influence the sustainability of ICH tourism in the region. Drawing on an integrative conceptual review, it synthesizes scholarly and policy literature together with published case evidence on ICH safeguarding, sustainable tourism, smart tourism, co-creation, experience management, immersive technologies, digital storytelling, AI-assisted visitor management, and heritage governance. The analysis identifies five recurring digital strategy typologies: immersive AR/VR, Smart Tourism Technologies, dedicated ICH digital platforms, digital storytelling, and AI-assisted visitor management. The findings indicate that these strategies contribute to sustainable tourism and business value when they preserve cultural meaning, support community participation, align with local technological capacity, and operate within accountable governance. The article therefore proposes the Digital Cultural Heritage Sustainability (DCHS) Model, comprising Cultural Integrity, Community Agency, Technological Responsiveness, and Governance Alignment, as an integrative framework for assessing culturally grounded and sustainably competitive digital heritage tourism in Southeast Asia.
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