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Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 30481

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Daniele Ferdani

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Guest Editor

Istituto di Scienze del Patrimonio Culturale (ISPC), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), National Council of Research, Rome, Italy
Interests: 3D modeling in cultural heritage; virtual reconstruction; virtual restoration; photogrammetry; virtual archaeology; digital archaeology; medieval archaeology; virtual museum
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Alfonsina Pagano

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Guest Editor

Istituto di Scienze del Patrimonio Culturale (ISPC), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), National Council of Research, Rome, Italy
Interests: user experience; interaction design; web accessibility; user evaluation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Patrizia Schettino

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Guest Editor

Istituto di Scienze del Patrimonio Culturale (ISPC), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), National Council of Research, Rome, Italy
Interests: user experience research and design; digital media for cultural heritage; visitor studies; iconology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability in cultural heritage and the use of digital technologies as resources to enhance it or to mitigate related issues are of growing importance.

The European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage proposes that the safeguarding and enhancement of cultural heritage should be pursued through many European policies, and sustainability is one of the main keystones.

Digital heritage is an integral and essential part of EU cultural heritage policy. Indeed, the cultural heritage of EU countries incorporates a broad range of resources inherited from the past, such as tangible (architectures, archaeological sites, museums, artworks, etc.), intangible (music, dances, traditions, etc.), and digital heritage (both born-digital and digitized cultural objects).

Given this premise, digital technologies should help to achieve the smart development of cultural heritage and assist communities in solving the varied issues related to sustainability in this domain, which cover many different areas. For example, according to EU policies, tourism and climate change are the principal threats to protection and conservation. Climate change highlights the urgent need to design effective solutions to reduce vulnerability and safely and efficiently restore historical buildings and cultural areas affected by damage. Tourism, on the other hand, presents challenges related to overcrowding.

It is important to remember that, unlike climate change, tourism is not 100% negative. It provides, for example, access to cultural heritage, but that does not mean we can dismiss the thorny problems it causes related to conservation, loss of authenticity, and the effect it has on the quality of life of local communities. Digitalization can play a key role in many ways here. For example, access to certain fragile and/or potentially perilous sites is prohibited or restricted to the public, and digital applications can contribute to the design of innovative strategies for heritage valorization aimed at creating alternative experiences or redirecting tourist flows from major attractions to lesser known areas.

Another tourism-related issue is the protection and enhancement of Europe’s intangible cultural heritage. In this domain, digital technologies can be a leading tool to share common heritage and enhance education, memory, and sense of identity by means of virtual museums, digital libraries, and social platforms.

Accessibility to cultural heritage experiences and products is another pertinent issue. The EU guideline “Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services” (EN 301549/2019) specifies functional accessibility requirements applicable to ICT products and services, to be used in public procurement in the EU. This standard, compliant with ISO/IEC 17007:2009 (i.18), is aimed at improving the accessibility and usability of multimedia applications, and comfort of use, by people with special needs. However, these adjustments using digital technologies can be used to improve the experience of all users, in accordance with the UD principles.

This Special Issue aims to address sustainability issues in cultural heritage in all its multifaceted dimensions to provide the broadest possible overview of the topic and create an up-to-date state of the art. It comprises articles that explore the following issues:

Mitigation of the negative effects of over-tourism and its impact on cultural heritage;
Impact of COVID-19 on the digitization of cultural heritage and the production of digital outputs;
Contribution of digital heritage on historical buildings and historical area regeneration;
Innovative measures for the protection of cultural heritage in relation to climate change;
Virtual museums for enhancing dissemination, communities’ education, memory, and identity;
Cross-cultural fertilization between sustainable practices and innovative strategies for heritage valorization;
Alternative “design for all” EU policy applied to the cultural heritage project.

Dr. Daniele Ferdani
Dr. Alfonsina Pagano
Dr. Patrizia Schettino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

digital heritage
virtual museum
accessibility
design for all
heritage protection and conservation
heritage dissemination
climate change and resilience
sustainable cultural tourism
historical area regeneration

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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26 pages, 5079 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Potential for Sustainable Local Development through Digital Communication and Digitization of Intangible Cultural Heritage Resources in Făgăraș Land, Romania

by Codrina Csesznek, Gabriela Rățulea, Monica Defta, Florina-Mădălina Harabagiu and Daniela Sorea

Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1532; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041532 - 11 Feb 2024

Viewed by 821

Abstract

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) strengthens community identity and represents a resource for sustainable community development. The current extensive access to the Internet has facilitated the digitization of communication, including ICH. The aim of this article is to highlight the importance of both digitizing ICH and digital communication about ICH for local development. The results of a longitudinal research study on local ICH resources available on the official websites of Făgăraș Land administrative territorial units (ATUs) before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, together with the results of a content analysis on ICH on the social media accounts of the same ATUs, indicate the digitization of ICH as a sustainable local development resource whose potential can be better exploited. In Făgăraș Land there are also successful initiatives in the fields of both ICH digitization and digital communication about ICH local resources. The Museum of Canvases and Stories in Mândra ATU and the use of social media for communication about ICH in the case of Drăguș ATU are related to such initiatives and are presented as case studies in this article, highlighting the potential of ICH as a resource for sustainable community development in Făgăraș Land. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

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29 pages, 8723 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Geocultural Heritage as a Basis for Themed GeoTown—The “Józefów StoneTown” Model in the Roztocze Region (SE Poland)

by Teresa Brzezińska-Wójcik

Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1188; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031188 - 31 Jan 2024

Viewed by 591

Abstract

In many areas, the use of stone in architecture and art represents one of the most significant links between geological and cultural heritage. These links are used for the creation of themed places that fit into the marketing strategy of such places/towns, supporting their management and promoting geotourism as a form of sustainable tourism. In this field, the inhabitants and municipal authorities of the Józefów area have not yet used their full potential. This article presents the features of geological heritage and connected cultural heritage (stonemasonry) in the area of Józefów with a view to building a geotown in the context of the “Kamienny Las na Roztoczu” (“Stone Forest in Roztocze”) planned geopark. These features were analysed from three points of view: research (field inventory of sites and secondary data queries), perception of heritage by two groups of tourists (queries of secondary data obtained from the Tourist Information Centre and diagnostic survey), and perception of heritage by inhabitants (diagnostic survey). The results of the research show that the multicomponent and interdisciplinary space of Józefów contains closely interrelated geological and cultural features. These can be the basis for creating a themed town, which can drive its sustainable economic development and give the town a broader supralocal dimension. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

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24 pages, 4150 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Education in Tourism—Digital Information as a Source of Memory on the Examples of Places Related to the Holocaust in Poland during World War II

by Krzysztof Widawski and Piotr Oleśniewicz

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 10903; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151410903 - 12 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1367

Abstract

Tourism is one of the most effective and attractive tools for achieving many goals including educational. Learning and gaining knowledge by traveling have been present in human history for centuries. Education does so well in tourism because it is accompanied by human curiosity about the world. Tourism can teach natural, social, and historical sciences. It is an important tool for learning about the past that influences the present and the future, especially if it is a difficult past such as the memory of the Holocaust. Tourism can help to draw conclusions about the past as long as it contributes to the acquisition of specific knowledge. Considering this role of tourism, it is worth asking when tourism starts? Many authors see the beginning of tourism at the stage of gathering information. The main assumption of this publication can be summarized as the consideration that the quality of an educational tourist product depends on the availability of information, its quality, and the manner in which it is provided. Today, the most important information distribution channel is digital media, including both websites and social media. Well-provided information accelerates the development of a resource, destination, or region; at the same time, information provided incorrectly or a lack of information in the virtual space may be an inhibitor of the development of educational tourism. The aim of the article is to assess the manner of communicating information related to the Holocaust of World War II, which took place in Nazi German-occupied Poland. The study was conducted with the use of qualitative methods—expert assessment and assessment of the information transfer effectiveness based on the scoring method. The research material included existing websites presenting the resources and methods of operation of museums dedicated to the Holocaust located in Poland. During evaluation, particular attention was paid to the scope of information, methods of its transmission, its internationalization, and timeliness of activities, especially in the field of promoting elements of the offer related to education and shaping attitudes. The aim of the research was to organize the official Internet resources, classify them, and discuss the functioning of information on the Holocaust in the virtual space, so as to use the potential of information in the most effective way to create a product for educational tourism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

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22 pages, 19949 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Journeying through Time: Exploring the 19th Century Old Transportation Legacy of Weld Quay, Malaysia

by Chen-Kim Lim, Muhammad Zaffwan Idris, Yi-Chee Chan, Kian-Lam Tan, Minhaz Farid Ahmed and Mazlin Bin Mokhtar

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10511; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310511 - 4 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1408

Abstract

Cultural heritage is an extensive body of knowledge that encapsulates the historical and cultural context of a site’s creation and its present actualisation. While existing studies have defined traditional transportation, they have also recognised its importance as both tangible and intangible heritage, leading international organisations to advocate for its preservation. The tangible aspects pertain to the physical artefacts of the transportation vehicles, and intangible aspects refer to the cultural and historical context in which the transportation artefacts were used. In this study, we aim to explore the anthropological aspects of digitally preserving the historical and cultural context of significant transportation in a multi-cultural trading port. Primary sources were gathered through narrative interviews with individuals who have knowledge of the old transportation situations in Weld Quay, a cultural heritage centre from the 19th century. Secondary sources, including relevant and appropriate visual materials, were also analysed to discover information on the transportation situations. The findings of this study were synthesised through photorealistic visualisations of the artefacts’ forms to effectively convey information based on the comparative, textual, and visual data collected. Our research demonstrates the importance of transportation heritage and its potential to raise awareness among Penang communities of their living heritage. Our conclusion highlights the significance of digitally preserving transportation heritage to ensure its preservation for future generations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

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17 pages, 985 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On a City Guide App Model

by Mirela-Catrinel Voicu, Adina Bărbulescu and Denisa Abrudan

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15758; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315758 - 26 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1679

Abstract

For the travel industry, technology, digitalization, and connectivity are factors of significant importance. We proposed a city guide app (CGA) model in this research. The general city tourist information is enormous, but it is essential to know the information of interest for travelers and useful for mobile applications. We used an online survey to detect this kind of information. The interviewees were young people aged 20 to 24 from Romania who used at least a CGA while travelling in different cities, especially abroad. We kept forty questions for the proposed model—sixteen from the previous research on app quality, user habits, travel agency app usage, behavioral intention, twenty-four questions on touristic information proposed by us. We used the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) method. We concluded which touristic information influences mobile app quality and behavioral intention. Given the age and location of our interviewees, this information could be different, considering the respondent age, location, and habits. Whether we are talking about passionate information technology (IT) developers, city halls, or travel agencies, this study is helpful for those who want to develop a CGA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

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19 pages, 4405 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perception of Light in Museum Environments: Comparison between Real-Life and Virtual Visual Experiences

by Aslıhan Çevik, Zehra Tuğçe Kazanasmaz, Giuseppe Tambellini, Giacomo Salvadori and Francesco Leccese

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14288; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114288 - 1 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1629

Abstract

Alternative environments to real-life have been in recent demand in regard to lighting design and in museums. In this study, the effectiveness of the perception of the museum space in simulations or virtual-based environments is studied. Answers to a questionnaire regarding lighting in four different visual experiences are compared: Real-life, virtual-video-based, virtual-photo-based and virtual-render-based. A total of 117 participants were divided into four visual experience groups. Each group answered the same lighting related questions for four exhibition halls in the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa (Italy), which is housed in the Monumental Charterhouse of Calci. The answers were analyzed using ANOVA and a T-test. The results show that virtual experiences can be acceptable alternatives to real-life experience as the answers were indifferent in more than half of the criteria, and no criterion was affected significantly by experience, regardless of the hall’s characteristics. However, it was found that the hall’s characteristics also had an impact on the perception of the criteria in different experiences. Controlled artificial lighting or uniformly distributed lighting (full day or artificial light) were found to be more indifferent to the experience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

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18 pages, 8814 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Creating Futuristic Heritage Experiences: An Exploratory Co-Design Study through Design Fiction

by Shichao Zhao

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12027; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912027 - 23 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2851

Abstract

This study adopted design fiction and co-design as the two main methodological approaches for designers and artists to explore the complex relationships and intersections of futuristic heritage experience and engagement. A literature-based seminar and a co-design workshop were conducted with 26 participants from multidisciplinary backgrounds, via Miro Board. A series of collaborative design practices and science fiction films were utilised as key media for propelling thinking, raising awareness or questions, provoking actions, inaugurating discussions, and offering alternatives necessary for a heritage setting. Additionally, this study reflects upon the complexities of using design fiction activities to re-think the technological future of heritage engagement and experience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

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20 pages, 6798 KiB

Open AccessArticle

MasterSu: The Sustainable Development of Su Embroidery Based on Digital Technology

by Lekai Zhang, Ming Li, Lingyan Zhang, Xiaojian Liu, Zhichuan Tang and Yingfan Wang

Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7094; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127094 - 9 Jun 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2552

Abstract

Su embroidery, as an intangible cultural heritage of China, is a treasure accumulated by human civilization, but it has been gradually fading from people’s view in recent years. To handle the problems of slow creative output, high learning difficulty, and low production efficiency, and to promote the sustainable development of Su embroidery, this study builds an automatic generation system of Su embroidery called MasterSu, based on the CorelDraw platform. The system can automate the generation of embroidery sketches through area texture filling and color recognition, which allows users to participate in the design process. Finally, the performance and usefulness of the system are verified through user experiments, and it is confirmed that the system can facilitate novice users to understand the embroidery culture, learn the embroidery techniques, and create their embroidery works through the system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

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28 pages, 13417 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Analysing Key Steps of the Photogrammetric Pipeline for Museum Artefacts 3D Digitisation

by Elisa Mariarosaria Farella, Luca Morelli, Simone Rigon, Eleonora Grilli and Fabio Remondino

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5740; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095740 - 9 May 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3634

Abstract

In recent years, massive digitisation of cultural heritage (CH) assets has become a focus of European programmes and initiatives. Among CH settings, attention is reserved to the immense and precious museum collections, whose digital 3D reproduction can support broader non-invasive analyses and stimulate the realisation of more attractive and interactive exhibitions. The reconstruction pipeline typically includes numerous processing steps when passive techniques are selected to deal with object digitisation. This article presents some insights on critical operations, which, based on our experience, can rule the quality of the final models and the reconstruction times for delivering 3D heritage results, while boosting the sustainability of digital cultural contents. The depth of field (DoF) problem is explored in the acquisition phase when surveying medium and small-sized objects. Techniques for deblurring images and masking object backgrounds are examined relative to the pre-processing stage. Some point cloud denoising and mesh simplification procedures are analysed in data post-processing. Hints on physically-based rendering (PBR) materials are also presented as closing operations of the reconstruction pipeline. This paper explores these processes mainly through experiments, providing a practical guide, tricks, and suggestions when tackling museum digitisation projects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

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20 pages, 294 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effectiveness of Usage of Digital Heritage in the Sustainability of Cultural Tourism on Islands: The Case of Northern Cyprus

by Mustafa Yeniasır and Burak Gökbulut

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3621; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063621 - 19 Mar 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2555

Abstract

In Northern Cyprus, where there is a great potential for cultural tourism, transforming cultural heritage into digital heritage and preserving it, and making it sustainable by conveying it to future generations, are of great importance for the economic development of the island. For the said transformation to be carried out more sustainably and to contribute to cultural tourism, both the knowledge and opinions of those working in the field of tourism and the expectations of the tourists visiting the island are important. In this context, data were collected from both sides through the questions prepared by the researchers. In the collection of data, a semi-structured interview form consisting of nine open-ended questions for tourism professionals and seven open-ended questions for tourists visiting the island was used, four of which were common. The opinions of two experts were taken in the preparation of the interview form, which was created using the existing literature. In the analysis of the obtained data, descriptive analysis was used, while descriptive statistics were employed to quantify the collected data. Based on the research findings, it was concluded that there are important deficiencies in terms of technology, internet, and management when transferring cultural elements to digital media in Northern Cyprus and that the technological infrastructure should be developed first. In addition to the development of technology, organization, planning, and forming legal regulations at the ministerial level is also important. It was also determined in the study that tourists did not want to start and finish their touristic activities in the digital environment in a general sense. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

11 pages, 2533 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Digital Folklore of Rural Tourism in Poland

by Karol Król and Józef Hernik

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1165; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031165 - 20 Jan 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3185

Abstract

Numerous development techniques and attributes that define the unique essentiality of archaic rural tourism websites in Poland have been identified. However, the use of e-folklore graphics on the websites heretofore has not been analysed. The paper’s objective is to identify forms of digital folklore found on archaic websites of rural tourism facilities functioning in Poland from 2000 to 2015. The analysed sample was 185 websites stored in the Internet Archive. The focal points were the dynamics of content presentation and the type of graphic components, including marquee text containers and GIFs. The use of characteristic graphics and digital stamps was recorded as well. The results fuel a discussion concerning potential reasons for deleting copies stored in digital archives. It is further concluded that all digital copies, even those far from being complete or perfect, contribute to the integrity of the digital ecosystem as a whole. Therefore, the process of archiving Internet content must not be exclusive. Therefore, any actions towards preserving the digital ecosystem for further investigation are reasonable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

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Review

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13 pages, 811 KiB

Open AccessReview

Blockchain in Cultural Heritage: Insights from Literature Review

by Erica Del Vacchio and Francesco Bifulco

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2324; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042324 - 18 Feb 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4598

Abstract

Cultural and creative products play an important role in helping local cultural prosperity and economic development. Today, the cultural sector presents itself as an elective field of application for the development of new investments in technologies. These investments are also facilitated by recent development programs promoted nationally with the aim of digitizing the sector using the integration between technology and artistic and cultural heritage. A review of the impact of blockchain technology in this industry is provided in this study. From this analysis, we identified three use cases of blockchain application: provenance and authenticity, tokenization and fractional equity, and rights management and digital protection. In addition, a future research agenda is developed, and new research questions are offered within three research areas: (1) expanding empirical research on the topic, (2) developing a guideline for cultural managers, and (3) analyzing the customer point of view. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Heritage as Sustainable Resource for Culture and Tourism)

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