This study focuses on Aomori, a prefecture situated in the northern part of the Japanese main island Honshu. Riding on the popularity of time-slip-themed entertainment, Aomori began to brand itself as a place where people can experience a time-travel journey to the Jomon, the Japanese prehistoric era. Through this study, we investigated the practice of Aomori to incorporate fantasy in its heritage tourism. Mixed-method research was used to retrieve and analyze information about Aomori and its Jomon-themed time-slip tourism, including desk research and word frequency analysis. While selling fantasy in tourism is a not-so-new topic, the Aomori case shed light on the alternative strategy that regional areas can consider. The prefecture showed us the prospect to combine fantasy and the local culture to attract younger tourists and dedicated pop-culture fans to visit the local attractions. It also demonstrated the potential of thematic fantasy in heritage tourism, especially archaeotourism, often perceived as boring by the younger generation. Additionally, the Aomori case indicated the importance of tourism infrastructure, creative marketing, and innovation in heritage tourism. It further signifies the importance of speeding up digital transformation for the future of heritage tourism.

Among the great maritime trading empires of history, the Sriwijaya empire ranks among the most splendid and rich ones. Still, few people know about this empire and recognize it as an important part of the history of Indonesia. This study examined participatory practice in historic preservation by investigating stakeholders’ perspectives on the potential application of digital technology in the Sriwijaya Museum in Palembang. We introduced photogrammetry and color analysis technologies to identify some possible improvements to be implemented in the museum in the future. We invited some community members interested in Palembang’s history and in using digital technology in museums to participate in a two-day participatory workshop. Pre-workshop and post-workshop questionnaires were distributed to identify the participants’ expectations for and responses to the workshop. Moreover, we also interviewed several participants. The study revealed that all participants agreed that both technologies have great potential to provide narrations in the museum and support thematic activities such as arts, culinary, and music performances. This paper highlights the importance of the local community’s commitment and the government’s political will to realize a roadmap for the city’s cultural heritage preservation and digitization movement.
 
Abstrak. Di antara kerajaan perdagangan maritim besar dalam sejarah, Sriwijaya termasuk yang paling megah dan terkaya. Namun, hanya sedikit orang yang mengetahui dan mengakui Kerajaan Sriwijaya sebagai bagian penting dari sejarah Indonesia karena penggalian lebih banyak artefak dan sisa-sisa rumit. Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji praktik partisipatif dalam pelestarian sejarah dengan mengkaji perspektif pemangku kepentingan tentang potensi penerapan teknologi di Museum Sriwijaya. Kami memperkenalkan teknologi fotogrametri dan analisis warna untuk mengidentifikasi beberapa perbaikan yang mungkin diterapkan di masa depan. Kami mengundang beberapa anggota masyarakat yang tertarik menggunakan teknologi di museum untuk berpartisipasi dalam lokakarya dua hari tersebut. Kuesioner pra dan pasca dibagikan untuk mengidentifikasi tanggapan dan harapan peserta terhadap lokakarya. Selain itu, kami mewawancarai beberapa peserta. Studi tersebut mengungkapkan bahwa semua peserta sepakat bahwa kedua teknologi tersebut berpotensi diterapkan untuk memberikan narasi di museum dan mendukung kegiatan tematik, seperti seni, kuliner, dan pertunjukan musik. Kajian tersebut menyoroti pentingnya komitmen masyarakat lokal dan kemauan politik pemerintah untuk mewujudkan peta jalan gerakan pelestarian warisan budaya dan digitalisasi kota.
 
Kata kunci. partisipatif, workshop, pelestarian budaya, alat digital, Museum Sriwijaya.

Amid the outbreak of COVID-19, South Korea is still actively promoting its culture and tourist destinations to global audiences. Through the initiative of Imagine Korea Virtual Reality, the country invites foreign people to view Korean sightseeing places and tourist spots. Based on Imagine Korea as the case study material, our study attempted to identify the perceptions, feelings, and expectations of Indonesian consumers of Hallyu through virtual tourism offered by South Korea. The study employed in-depth interviews with 15 respondents who often consume Korean pop culture. The result revealed that most respondents had never experienced or had been interested in any virtual tours offered during the pandemic. Nevertheless, the experiments changed their perceptions of the entertainment virtual tours can provide throughout the COVID-19 crisis. While most respondents agreed that virtual tours sparked their interest in visiting Seoul after the pandemic ended, they mainly stated that virtual tours could never replace traditional travel. Thus, instead of serving as an alternative form of tourism during COVID-19 and afterwards, the study indicated the potential of virtual tours to be a primary destination marketing tool, one that can help visitors better design their itinerary routes and learn about local attractions.