World Heritage Sites’ Online Virtual Tour Evaluation and Expansion Prospects: A Case Study of the Suzhou Classical Gardens
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Published
Jun 21, 2024
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Abstract
Many world cultural heritage projects have used virtual technology to build a variety of no-contact online virtual tours. China’s Suzhou Classical Gardens (SCGs) built an online virtual tour in 2016; however, the technology was outdated. This research explored the development direction of the SCGs’ online virtual tour technology by analysing their existing technology and comparing it with the technology used by other World Heritage Sites (WHSs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers investigated and summarised the existing 1,301 World Cultural Heritage Online Tourism Systems and selected seven technological representatives for case studies and comparison to obtain the analysis results. The researchers found that the SCGs’ existing technology lacked details of interaction and guidance. The study concluded that they should use the latest technology to focus on enhancing tourists’ experiences and interactions. The research indicates that the SCGs can use the latest technology, such as the Metaverse, to enhance visitors’ sense of experience and provide tourists with a more attractive and immersive experience.
Keywords: World Heritage Sites (WHSs), Online Virtual Tour, Suzhou Classical Gardens (SCGs), Tourism, Pandemics
References
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Bogicevic, V., Seo, S., Kandampully, J. A., Liu, S. Q., & Rudd, N. A. (2019). Virtual Reality Presence as a Preamble of Tourism Experience: The Role of Mental Imagery. Tourism Management, 74, 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.02.009
Boland, P., & Johnson, C. (1996). Archaeology as Computer Visualization: ‘Virtual Tours’ of Dudley Castle c.1550. In British Museum Occasional Paper Number 114, Imaging the Past: Electronic Imaging and Computer Graphics in Museums and Archaeology (pp. 227–234). London: British Museum Press. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/imagingpastelect0000unse
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Campiani, A., McAvoy, S., Lercari, N., Stuardo, R. L., Delgado, G. J., Mejía, J. L., … Kuester, F. (2023). Developing an Interoperable Cloud-based Visualization Workflow for 3D Archaeological Heritage Data: The Palenque 3D Archaeological Atlas. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 31, e00293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2023.e00293
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Dang, X., Liu, W., Hong, Q., Wang, Y., & Chen, X. (2023). Digital Twin Applications on Cultural World Heritage Sites in China: A State-of-the-Art Overview. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 64, 228–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2023.10.005
Dawson, P. C., Porter, C., Gadbois, D., Keith, D., Hughes, C., & Suluk, L. (2018). ‘Some Account of an Extraordinary Traveller’: Using Virtual Tours to Access Remote Heritage Sites of Inuit Cultural Knowledge. Études Inuit Studies, 42(1–2), 243–268. https://doi.org/10.7202/1064503ar
Frago, L. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Retail Structure in Barcelona: From Tourism-phobia to the Desertification of City Center. Sustainability, 13(15), 8215. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158215
Geng, W. (2023). Whether and How Free Virtual Tours can Bring Back Visitors. Current Issues in Tourism, 26(5), 823–834. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2022.2043253
Giannini, T., & Bowen, J. P. (2022). Museums and Digital Culture: From Reality to Digitality in the Age of COVID-19. Heritage, 5(1), 192–214. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage5010011
Hacosco. (n.d.). Himeji Castle – Photogrammetry. Retrieved from https://hacosco.com/himeji-castle_en/
Higgins, T., Main, P., & Lang, J. (1996). Imaging the Past: Electronic Imaging and Computer Graphics in Museums and Archaeology. London: British Museum Press. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/imagingpastelect0000unse
Hughes, B., Green, A., & CyArk. (n.d.). Bagan. Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved from https://artsexperiments.withgoogle.com/bagan
Ito, E., Higham, J., & Cheer, J. M. (2022). Carbon Emission Reduction and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, 3(2), 100056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2022.100056
Jones, P., Osborne, T., Sullivan-Drage, C., Keen, N., & Gadsby, E. (2022). Virtual Reality Methods: A Guide for Researchers in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Bristol, UK: Policy Press.
Kim, J., Shinaprayoon, T., & Ahn, S. J. (2022). Virtual Tours Encourage Intentions to Travel and Willingness to Pay Via Spatial Presence, Enjoyment, and Destination Image. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 43(1), 90–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641734.2021.1962441
Lai, L., Sordini, M., Campana, S., Usai, L., & Condò, F. (2015). 4D Recording and Analysis: The Case Study of Nuraghe Oes (Giave, Sardinia). Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 2(4), 233–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2015.09.001
Li, J., Nie, J.-W., & Ye, J. (2022). Evaluation of Virtual Tour in an Online Museum: Exhibition of Architecture of the Forbidden City. PLoS ONE, 17(1), e0261607. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261607
Liqin, J., & Fuzhao, H. (2007). Classical Garden Reform: Expand the Development of Cultural Connotation and Develop New Tourism Products—Take the Garden Park of Wuxi City as an Example. Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, 11z, 223-223. Retrieved from https://www.cqvip.com/qk/95786a/200711z/25801703.html
Lu, J., Xiao, X., Xu, Z., Wang, C., Zhang, M., & Zhou, Y. (2022). The Potential of Virtual Tourism in the Recovery of Tourism Industry During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(3), 441–457. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1959526
Merillas, O. F., Martínez, B. A., Ballesteros-Colino, T., & de Castro Martín, P. (2022). Heritage Conceptualization in Digital Environments Through Trainee Teacher Identity Referents. Educação and Sociedade, 43, e255396. https://doi.org/10.1590/ES.255396
Palumbo, R. (2023). Surviving COVID-19: What Museums and Cultural Institutions can Do to Attract Cultural Tourists and Get Through the Pandemic. International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 20(4), 905–926. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-022-00359-x
Rainoldi, M., Winckel, A., Yu, J., & Neuhofer, B. (2022). Video Game Experiential Marketing in Tourism: Designing for Experiences. In J. L. Stienmetz, B. Ferrer-Rosell, & D. Massimo (Eds.), Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2022, Proceedings of the ENTER 2022 eTourism Conference, January 11-14, 2022 (pp. 3–15). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94751-4_1
Ren, W., & Chen, X. (2021). Evaluation of an Online 360° Virtual Reality World Heritage Site During COVID-19. Open Archaeology, 7(1), 1192–1215. https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2020-0188
Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). (2023, February 20). Royal Commission for AlUla’s Exciting New Hot Air Balloon Experience Offers Bird’s Eye View of Hegra UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Metaverse. PR Newswire. Retrieved from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/royal-commission-for-alulas-exciting-new-hot-air-balloon-experience-offers-birds-eye-view-of-hegra-unesco-world-heritage-site-in-the-metaverse-301750840.html
Smith, M., Walford, N. S., & Jimenez-Bescos, C. (2019). Using 3D Modelling and Game Engine Technologies for Interactive Exploration of Cultural Heritage: An Evaluation of Four Game Engines in Relation to Roman Archaeological Heritage. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 14, e00113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2019.e00113
Ubik, S., Kubišta, J., & Dvořák, T. (2022). Interactive 3D Models: Documenting and Presenting Restoration and Use of Heritage Objects. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 27, e00246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2022.e00246
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Verde, A., & Valero, J. M. (2021). Virtual Museums and Google Arts & Culture: Alternatives to the Face-to-Face Visit to Experience Art. International Journal of Education Research, 9(2), 43–54.
Wiltshier, P., & Clarke, A. (2017). Virtual Cultural Tourism: Six Pillars of VCT Using Co-creation, Value Exchange and Exchange Value. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 17(4), 372-383. https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358415627301
World Tourism Organization. (2021). UNWTO Inclusive Recovery Guide–Sociocultural Impacts of COVID-19, Issue 2: Cultural Tourism. Madrid, Spain: UNWTO. https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284422579
Zaimes, G. N., Iakovoglou, V., Maclaren, F. T., & Manchanda, P. (2022). Adopting Digital Tools & Technology to Evolve Sustainable Tourism at World Heritage Sites: Case Studies from India and Greece. In M.-T. Albert, R. Bernecker, C. Cave, A. C. Prodan, & M. Ripp (Eds.), 50 Years World Heritage Convention: Shared Responsibility–Conflict & Reconciliation (pp. 363–375). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05660-4_28
Argyriou, L., Economou, D., & Bouki, V. (2020). Design Methodology for 360° Immersive Video Applications: The Case Study of a Cultural Heritage Virtual Tour. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 24(6), 843–859. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-020-01373-8
Bogicevic, V., Seo, S., Kandampully, J. A., Liu, S. Q., & Rudd, N. A. (2019). Virtual Reality Presence as a Preamble of Tourism Experience: The Role of Mental Imagery. Tourism Management, 74, 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.02.009
Boland, P., & Johnson, C. (1996). Archaeology as Computer Visualization: ‘Virtual Tours’ of Dudley Castle c.1550. In British Museum Occasional Paper Number 114, Imaging the Past: Electronic Imaging and Computer Graphics in Museums and Archaeology (pp. 227–234). London: British Museum Press. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/imagingpastelect0000unse
Buhalis, D., Leung, D., & Lin, M. (2023). Metaverse as a Disruptive Technology Revolutionising Tourism Management and Marketing. Tourism Management, 97, 104724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2023.104724
Buhalis, D., Lin, M. S., & Leung, D. (2022). Metaverse as a Driver for Customer Experience and Value Co-creation: Implications for Hospitality and Tourism Management and Marketing. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(2), 701–716. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2022-0631
Campiani, A., McAvoy, S., Lercari, N., Stuardo, R. L., Delgado, G. J., Mejía, J. L., … Kuester, F. (2023). Developing an Interoperable Cloud-based Visualization Workflow for 3D Archaeological Heritage Data: The Palenque 3D Archaeological Atlas. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 31, e00293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2023.e00293
Château de Versailles. (2019). Versailles VR: The Palace is Yours. Retrieved from https://en.chateauversailles.fr/news/life-estate/versaillesvr-palace-yours
CyArk. (n.d.). Iya Moopo, Osun-Osogbo Sacred Groves, Nigeria: 3D-Explorer. Retrieved from https://www.cyark.org/projects/osun-osogbo-sacred-groves/3D-Explorer
Dang, X., Liu, W., Hong, Q., Wang, Y., & Chen, X. (2023). Digital Twin Applications on Cultural World Heritage Sites in China: A State-of-the-Art Overview. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 64, 228–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2023.10.005
Dawson, P. C., Porter, C., Gadbois, D., Keith, D., Hughes, C., & Suluk, L. (2018). ‘Some Account of an Extraordinary Traveller’: Using Virtual Tours to Access Remote Heritage Sites of Inuit Cultural Knowledge. Études Inuit Studies, 42(1–2), 243–268. https://doi.org/10.7202/1064503ar
Frago, L. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Retail Structure in Barcelona: From Tourism-phobia to the Desertification of City Center. Sustainability, 13(15), 8215. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158215
Geng, W. (2023). Whether and How Free Virtual Tours can Bring Back Visitors. Current Issues in Tourism, 26(5), 823–834. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2022.2043253
Giannini, T., & Bowen, J. P. (2022). Museums and Digital Culture: From Reality to Digitality in the Age of COVID-19. Heritage, 5(1), 192–214. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage5010011
Hacosco. (n.d.). Himeji Castle – Photogrammetry. Retrieved from https://hacosco.com/himeji-castle_en/
Higgins, T., Main, P., & Lang, J. (1996). Imaging the Past: Electronic Imaging and Computer Graphics in Museums and Archaeology. London: British Museum Press. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/imagingpastelect0000unse
Hughes, B., Green, A., & CyArk. (n.d.). Bagan. Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved from https://artsexperiments.withgoogle.com/bagan
Ito, E., Higham, J., & Cheer, J. M. (2022). Carbon Emission Reduction and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, 3(2), 100056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2022.100056
Jones, P., Osborne, T., Sullivan-Drage, C., Keen, N., & Gadsby, E. (2022). Virtual Reality Methods: A Guide for Researchers in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Bristol, UK: Policy Press.
Kim, J., Shinaprayoon, T., & Ahn, S. J. (2022). Virtual Tours Encourage Intentions to Travel and Willingness to Pay Via Spatial Presence, Enjoyment, and Destination Image. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 43(1), 90–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641734.2021.1962441
Lai, L., Sordini, M., Campana, S., Usai, L., & Condò, F. (2015). 4D Recording and Analysis: The Case Study of Nuraghe Oes (Giave, Sardinia). Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 2(4), 233–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2015.09.001
Li, J., Nie, J.-W., & Ye, J. (2022). Evaluation of Virtual Tour in an Online Museum: Exhibition of Architecture of the Forbidden City. PLoS ONE, 17(1), e0261607. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261607
Liqin, J., & Fuzhao, H. (2007). Classical Garden Reform: Expand the Development of Cultural Connotation and Develop New Tourism Products—Take the Garden Park of Wuxi City as an Example. Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, 11z, 223-223. Retrieved from https://www.cqvip.com/qk/95786a/200711z/25801703.html
Lu, J., Xiao, X., Xu, Z., Wang, C., Zhang, M., & Zhou, Y. (2022). The Potential of Virtual Tourism in the Recovery of Tourism Industry During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(3), 441–457. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1959526
Merillas, O. F., Martínez, B. A., Ballesteros-Colino, T., & de Castro Martín, P. (2022). Heritage Conceptualization in Digital Environments Through Trainee Teacher Identity Referents. Educação and Sociedade, 43, e255396. https://doi.org/10.1590/ES.255396
Palumbo, R. (2023). Surviving COVID-19: What Museums and Cultural Institutions can Do to Attract Cultural Tourists and Get Through the Pandemic. International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 20(4), 905–926. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-022-00359-x
Rainoldi, M., Winckel, A., Yu, J., & Neuhofer, B. (2022). Video Game Experiential Marketing in Tourism: Designing for Experiences. In J. L. Stienmetz, B. Ferrer-Rosell, & D. Massimo (Eds.), Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2022, Proceedings of the ENTER 2022 eTourism Conference, January 11-14, 2022 (pp. 3–15). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94751-4_1
Ren, W., & Chen, X. (2021). Evaluation of an Online 360° Virtual Reality World Heritage Site During COVID-19. Open Archaeology, 7(1), 1192–1215. https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2020-0188
Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). (2023, February 20). Royal Commission for AlUla’s Exciting New Hot Air Balloon Experience Offers Bird’s Eye View of Hegra UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Metaverse. PR Newswire. Retrieved from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/royal-commission-for-alulas-exciting-new-hot-air-balloon-experience-offers-birds-eye-view-of-hegra-unesco-world-heritage-site-in-the-metaverse-301750840.html
Smith, M., Walford, N. S., & Jimenez-Bescos, C. (2019). Using 3D Modelling and Game Engine Technologies for Interactive Exploration of Cultural Heritage: An Evaluation of Four Game Engines in Relation to Roman Archaeological Heritage. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 14, e00113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2019.e00113
Ubik, S., Kubišta, J., & Dvořák, T. (2022). Interactive 3D Models: Documenting and Presenting Restoration and Use of Heritage Objects. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 27, e00246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2022.e00246
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (n.d.). World Heritage List. UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Retrieved from https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/
Verde, A., & Valero, J. M. (2021). Virtual Museums and Google Arts & Culture: Alternatives to the Face-to-Face Visit to Experience Art. International Journal of Education Research, 9(2), 43–54.
Wiltshier, P., & Clarke, A. (2017). Virtual Cultural Tourism: Six Pillars of VCT Using Co-creation, Value Exchange and Exchange Value. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 17(4), 372-383. https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358415627301
World Tourism Organization. (2021). UNWTO Inclusive Recovery Guide–Sociocultural Impacts of COVID-19, Issue 2: Cultural Tourism. Madrid, Spain: UNWTO. https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284422579
Zaimes, G. N., Iakovoglou, V., Maclaren, F. T., & Manchanda, P. (2022). Adopting Digital Tools & Technology to Evolve Sustainable Tourism at World Heritage Sites: Case Studies from India and Greece. In M.-T. Albert, R. Bernecker, C. Cave, A. C. Prodan, & M. Ripp (Eds.), 50 Years World Heritage Convention: Shared Responsibility–Conflict & Reconciliation (pp. 363–375). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05660-4_28
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How to Cite
YANG, Le; KARNCHANAPAYAP, Gomesh.
World Heritage Sites’ Online Virtual Tour Evaluation and Expansion Prospects: A Case Study of the Suzhou Classical Gardens.
Journal of Community Development Research (Humanities and Social Sciences), [S.l.], v. 17, n. 2, p. 14-28, june 2024.
ISSN 2985-0231.
Available at: <https://www.journal.nu.ac.th/JCDR/article/view/Vol-17-No-2-2024-14-28>. Date accessed: 21 may 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.14456/jcdr-hs.2024.10.