Participatory, purposeful, and digitally smart: a bottom-up approach to designing intangible cultural heritage tourism experiences

Digital media and immersive technologies are promoted as ways to enrich intangible cultural heritage (ICH) experiences in cultural tourism, yet their experiential value remains unexplored or is perceived as unnecessary. To improve insight into this aspect of digitalisation in tourism, this paper synthesises learnings from three linked projects in Flanders and the Netherlands – DigitICE, Unlocking the Tourism Potential of ICH, and Living Heritage Journeys – using a comparative mixed-methods approach to assess when and how digital layers meaningfully enhance ICH tourism experiences. Findings show technology rarely succeeds as a standalone driver; it is effective as a mediating layer that provides context, supports narrative stewardship, and complements human mediation. Visitors favour short, low-threshold, socially compatible tools; willingness to pay for augmented reality (AR) is modest; and interpretative clarity increases when practices are anchored in place and time. Building on these insights, the PPDS framework (Participatory, Purposeful, and Digitally Smart) is introduced. It is structured through five gates (G0–G4), including sequencing framing, guardrails (acceptable change, consent, and benefit sharing), co-design, piloting, and decide/scale tests (accessibility, compliance with General Data Regulation Protection (GDPR), and maintainability). PPDS offers a governance-first, practice-oriented approach to designing ICH tourism that deepens visitor experience while safeguarding heritage.