10th International Congress on Information and Communication Technology in concurrent with ICT Excellence Awards (ICICT 2025) will be held at London, United Kingdom | February 18 - 21 2025.
Authors - Catia Silva, Nelson Zagalo, Mario Vairinhos Abstract - The preservation of cultural heritage, crucial for maintaining cultural identity, is increasingly threatened by natural degradation and socio-economic changes. Cultural tourism, supported by information and communication technologies, has become a key strategy for sustaining and promoting heritage sites. However, research on the most effective digital elements for amplifying tourist engagement remains limited. To address this gap, the present study explored the use of the Cultural Engagement Digital Model, which integrates participatory activities through game, narrative, and creativity elements, to enhance visitor engagement at cultural sites. The study focused on designing and testing three prototypes for Almeida, a historical village in in Guarda, Portugal, involving both visitors and interaction design experts to evaluate user preferences regarding the proposed activities. The findings of this study indicate that activities aligned with participatory dimensions can effectively engage users. These results help to solidify the model as a valuable instrument for designing mobile applications capable of promoting tourist engagement.
