Guest editorial: Special issue on digitalization and stakeholder engagement in Asian cultural heritage

A long-standing argument in the cultural heritage field has been that stakeholder engagement is critical for the preservation and enhancement of heritage (Liu et al., 2022; Fairclough, 2019). This emphasis on engagement underscores the value of integrating diverse perspectives into heritage approaches. For instance, unofficial personal stories can contribute to place identity (Roslan et al., 2021; Rogaly and Taylor, 2016), with informal archives serving as critical resources for scholarly inquiries, and establishing heritage narratives (Zhu, 2018; Auerbach, 2018). The development and advancement of accessible digital technologies have led to diverse stakeholder adoption, these are civil society organizations, private companies, local governments, NGOs, communities, groups, and even individuals, who have all played increasingly important roles in the preservation of cultural heritage (Poulopoulos and Wallace, 2022; Bailey, 2013). The recent focus on digital technologies can be beneficial for engaging with different communities, ushering them as partners into the core practices of heritage protection. The availability of digital tools then, has opened up new opportunities for professionals in heritage works (Ch'ng et al., 2022), and beyond that, within the creative cultural industry. These tools now enable heritage professionals and cultural producers to involve citizens in the collaborative shaping of cultural heritage and to use various channels to connect with new audiences (Reshma et al., 2023; Borowiecki et al., 2016). Cultural heritage institutions on the other hand, have also establish platforms of knowledge co-production and experimentation so as to facilitate the contribution of diverse communities (Davidson and Reid, 2022; Alivizatou, 2019; Jenkins, 2006). Participatory culture has become a significant paradigm in this particular context (Jenkins and Ito, 2015), as it promotes greater engagement and inclusion in the preservation and interpretation of cultural heritage. As observed globally, involving and engaging with communities can be beneficial from real-world case studies (Balestrini et al., 2014; Chakravarty, 2013; Chan, 2016; Prangnell et al., 2013; Sapu, 2009). By embracing participatory approaches, through engaging with the public and stakeholders, cultural institutions not only democratize access to heritage but also enhance the richness and diversity of the narratives that are being shared, experienced, and communicated. This shift towards co-creation and community involvement can help ensure that heritage practices are more reflective of a broader range of perspectives, and not through the dominant heritage discourse (Molho, 2023; Smith, 2020), which we believe will lead to a more vibrant and representative cultural landscape as communities participate and reflect on their own heritage, and thus create awareness. This is particularly true in Asia, where the prominence of governmental resource allocation has been prioritized in areas other than cultural heritage, and thus the cascade of such effects on the public and private sectors, including academic institutions (Grincheva and Stainforth, 2024; Ocón, 2021).In Asia, cultural heritage tended to be underrepresented in the literature, and in particular, the use, development and adoption of digital technologies in the field. This is true even when numerous initiatives and experiments have been conducted in various parts of Asia, often led by workers whose origins are not of themselves Asian. The narrative tended to be crafted not based on Asian values, and the works thereof were influenced by the heritage discourse that have been taught in textbooks, and that are rampant in the academic literature, policies, and practices (Poudyal, 2022). Furthermore, there is insufficiency in the understanding of the role of local communities, and not to say, the young generation in digital heritage activities such as preservation, conservation, communication, and enhancement. In recent years, institutions have invested in the digitalization of cultural heritage, through the development of virtual museums and galleries that digitally enhance access and learning experiences such as virtual reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and three-dimensional (3D) modeling (Ch'ng et al., 2019; Li et al., 2024; Mallik et al., 2017). Participatory digital archiving platforms have also been developed (Sari and Silalahi, 2024; Polnyotee and Thadaniti, 2015; Prompayuk and Chairattananon, 2016; Singh, 2012; Turner and Tomer, 2013). These innovations are widely lauded for their potential to rejuvenate heritage, reach out to communities in the public domain, as well as acting as a catalyst for heritage participation as a social practice (Psomadaki et al., 2019). The potentials of digital tools, and those that are visualization-oriented for community outreach have been recurrently stressed by scholars as well as policymakers (Ocón, 2021; Cominelli and Greffe, 2012; Ott and Pozzi, 2011). We see these as opportunities for Asian countries, and therefore the call for this particular special issue.While the intention to leave cultural heritage as a legacy for the younger generation has always been the foundational objective of heritage policies, the young publics are rarely envisaged as stakeholders in top-level planning of heritage strategies (Zhang et al., 2024). It appears that the younger generation, as themselves digital natives are viewed as more likely to be reached via digital tools, than through old ways and traditional means (Kasemsarn and Nickpour, 2025). The potentials of involving the young generation in heritage preservation have been put forward not only in terms of educational impact, but also for heritage sustainability (Phua and Tan, 2023; Halu and Küçükkaya, 2016). First, digital heritage communities can allow for new forms of inter-generational exchanges (McGill, 2018), leading to reinterpretations and challenging established narratives (Allen-Handy et al., 2021; Purkis, 2017). Second, engaging collaboratively with the young generations can contribute to the promotion of diversity, authenticity, and inclusiveness in the cultural heritage field (Brusaporci, 2017; Cook and Hill, 2019; Maietti et al., 2017). Given the inclinations of younger generations towards sustainability issues, their involvement has been put forward as critical for tackling the future challenges of cultural heritage preservation and achieving sustainable development goals (Jaafar et al., 2015). In this special issue, we had hoped for articles that would demonstrate significant engagement with young publics.While we feel that the articles in this special issue are still under-represented, they tell us that heritage works that are digital and that engage with communities in Asia are emerging. This special issue provides a better understanding of how digital tools can be used for mobilizing activities core to cultural heritage and within the process, engage both institutions and grassroots communities such as young people as stakeholders. The special issue contributes to addressing and reflecting upon the myriad opportunities and challenges that the use of new technologies has raised in the process of preserving cultural heritage in Asia so as to leave a legacy for our new generation. Especially focusing on community engagement, and in particular the young generation as important heritage stakeholders and investigating their role in the articulation between cultural heritage and sustainable development. What are the necessary social, economic, and political conditions for leveraging the power of digital technology that engage with local communities? How can digital technologies improve the preservation and management of cultural heritage sites? What are effective strategies for engaging local communities in the conservation and sustainability of traditional cultural practices and artifacts? How can crowdsourcing and digital tools enhance the documentation and preservation of cultural heritage? What is the impact of virtual experiences compared to physical ones on cultural education and civic engagement, particularly among younger audiences? What are the challenges and opportunities in promoting niche heritage as a tourism resource, and how can stakeholder collaboration be optimized? How can digital learning platforms be used to enhance community involvement and support tourism in cultural heritage settings? These are the questions that the special issue aims to answer.This issue features eight articles that examine diverse case studies from across Asia, including China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, and Thailand. These studies highlight various ways of engaging young generations in digital heritage initiatives. They cover collaborative approaches that actively involve youth and stakeholders in digital heritage projects, as well as educational strategies that target young audiences, leveraging digital tools to effectively reach and engage them. The contributions explore methods for involving communities in collaborative efforts, showcasing examples of partnerships between universities, public volunteers, and digital heritage projects to enhance heritage awareness. Additionally, the issue includes articles that focus on facilitating collaboration and education among a broad spectrum of heritage stakeholders—such as museums, galleries, civil society, local governments, and heritage tourism promoters—to support sustainable development.Focusing on enhanced community engagement, four selected articles present case studies and practical implementations across four key dimensions—technological applications, management systems, planning frameworks, and strategic approaches—while demonstrating effective methodologies and analyzing both the benefits and challenges of community engagement practices.The article “From memory to model: engaging communities in the virtual reconstruction of their heritage” explores a participatory digital heritage project in Ningbo, China, utilizing VR technology to recreate late 20th-century living spaces (Cai and Ch'ng, 2026). Engaging local communities throughout the planning, production, and post-production stages, Shendan Cai and Eugene Ch'ng’s study demonstrates how VR can facilitate co-creation and interpretation of heritage rooted in personal memories and lived experiences. Highlighting the transformative role of digital technologies in heritage practices, the research examines the shift from traditional collaborations between communities and institutions to more complex interactions involving actors with technological proficiency. The study addresses challenges such as navigating knowledge asymmetries, technical constraints in data capture, and translating memory accounts into meaningful digital forms. Advocating for VR as a tool to create evocative and interpretative spaces rather than merely replicating the past, the research provides key insights into facilitating socially engaged heritage practices. Offering actionable recommendations, the study underscores the need to adapt to the evolving aspirations of communities as digital technologies are increasingly employed to represent heritage in the context of migration, urbanization, and conflict.Chaitali Brahma, Bhaskar Saha, and Anirban Chowdhury's article “Approach towards service design process for heritage preservation and sustainability of Bodo Dokhona” presents a service design pipeline aimed at conserving the Bodo Dokhona, a traditional attire of the Bodo tribe in North-East India (Brahma et al., 2026). By developing a structured, three-phase management system based on surveys and interactions with local weavers, the study addresses key challenges in the preservation and sustainability of the Dokhona. The research significantly contributes to the conservation of this heritage garment by enhancing skill development and supporting the weaver community's long-term sustainability, as well as emphasizing the criticality of involving the younger generation in heritage conservation.In the article “Delineating protective boundaries using the historic urban landscape (HUL) approach a case study: heritage waterways of Isfahan”, authors Elnaz Chitsazzadeh, Mahsa Chizfahm Daneshmandian, Najmeh Jahani, and Mohammad Tahsildoost introduce an object-based approach to preserving Isfahan's historic urban waterways by proposing dynamic protective boundaries based on United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Recommendation on Historic Urban Landscape (Chitsazzadeh et al., 2026). By employing Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and urban layers, the study identifies three distinct protective zones—central, functional, and visual—that offer a more adaptive protection strategy as compared to the previous rigid and arbitrary boundaries. The method creates a significantly larger protection area, better integrating ecological, historical, and socio-economic factors. This novel approach not only improves upon traditional fixed-width buffers but also utilizes digital technologies to offer a more dynamic and effective framework for urban heritage conservation, while facilitating participatory planning.In the article “Engaging institutions in crowdsourcing close-range photogrammetry models of urban cultural heritage” Eugene Ch'ng explores an innovative approach to cultural heritage conservation by leveraging crowdsourcing and digital technology for the 3D reconstruction of the Cheah Kongsi clan temple, a 19th-century site located within the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site in Penang, Malaysia (Ch'ng, 2026). The study employs mass photogrammetry involving local volunteers to digitally preserve the temple, creating a comprehensive visual record of the site while upskilling the younger generation. The academic contribution lies in demonstrating how semi-formal crowdsourcing activities can effectively achieve digitization goals and raise awareness of cultural heritage, while also highlighting the challenges and gaps in creating complete 3D models through distributed tasks. This pioneering work underscores the potential of combining digital skills transfer with stakeholder and community involvement to enhance cultural heritage conservation. It is worth noting that the youths are involved as heritage stakeholders, and not as passive spectators.The following four articles examine the intersection of heritage tourism and civic engagement, analyzing how stakeholder engagement enhances heritage tourism promotion and how technological advancements generate benefits for heritage preservation and local communities. Case studies encompass four domains: military heritage tourism, ecotourism, food heritage tourism, and community tourism (musical instrument making heritage):In “How stakeholders collaborate? Meeting the challenges and availing the opportunities of military heritage tourism”, Prachi Mahajan, Bharti Gupta, and Sarath Chandra Kanth Pedapalli explore the challenges and opportunities in marketing military heritage as a tourism resource (Mahajan et al., 2026). By evaluating recent research and publications on military tourism, the study highlights how military historical sites, which often commemorate epic wars and tragedies, can be effectively valorized as tourism assets. The research uncovers the slow recognition by Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) and tourism bodies of the potential benefits of military heritage tourism and illustrates how stakeholder collaboration can enhance the promotion of these sites and contribute to the connection between the younger generation and history. The study provides valuable managerial implications for integrating stakeholder participation in developing military heritage tourism, offering insights into both the constraints and potential benefits of this niche tourism sector.Ishita Chanda, Manohar Sajnani, and Vanessaa G.B. Gowreesunkar's case studies in West Bengal, India evaluated various stakeholders' knowledge and awareness of ecotourism development in the Dooars region to understand the local community's attitudes and provide critical information on the influence of ecotourism and how sustainable development can be carried out in the region (Chanda et al., 2026). The article “Stakeholders’ perception of sustainable ecotourism development–an explorative study on Dooars region of West Bengal, India”, found that educated local residents held more positive attitudes toward ecotourism development than their less educated local residents. Specifically, they demonstrated stronger support for infrastructure improvements, destination promotion, and environmental preservation. Nevertheless, the study shows that the participants' awareness of ecotourism's advantages and views of their ecotourism expertise both grow as they see the sociocultural and environmental impact of ecotourism.Authors Ghifari Yuristiadhi Masyhari Makhasi examine the effectiveness of virtual walking tours compared to traditional physical walking tours in fostering cultural acculturation and inspiring civic engagement among the younger generation. The article “Actual and virtual food heritage walking tour for building better citizenship understanding (insight from Indonesia)” reveals that while virtual tours cannot fully replicate the multisensory experiences of physical tours, they offer a more engaging storytelling and guiding interpretation experience (Masyhari Makhasi, 2023). The research highlights the usefulness of integrating digital technology into citizenship education, demonstrating that virtual tours can effectively communicate messages of multiculturalism and enhance civic awareness. The study's findings suggest that virtual tours can offer a valuable alternative to physical tours, particularly in terms of accessibility and engagement.The article titled “Digital learning platform for cultural heritage: new normal tourism for community” by Sakkarin Sapu, Amphol Aphathanakorn, and Ratanachote Thienmongkol explores the integration of a digital learning platform with cultural heritage through a social return on investment (SROI) analysis of a social innovation village (SIV) program in Thailand (Sapu et al., 2026). By applying SROI methodology to data from the Tha Ruea community, known for its musical instrument making, the research highlights how digital technology enhances both the grassroots economy and tourism experiences. The findings demonstrate the value of combining digital and social media tools with cultural heritage to create interactive learning opportunities and adapt to new tourism trends. Also, the case study offers a positive view on how the digital platform has been beneficial through its involvement with the younger generation in the context of cultural heritage conservation.In this special issue, we presented recent Asian cultural heritage projects that are increasingly characterized by the integration of digital technologies, stakeholder engagement, and a focus on sustainability and accessibility. For instance, Chitsazzadeh et al. (2026) utilize GIS technology to establish adaptive protective zones for historic urban waterways, while Ch'ng (2026) employs crowdsourcing and 3D photogrammetry to digitally reconstruct cultural sites, enhancing preservation through digital records. Similarly, Masyhari Makhasi (2023) explores the use of virtual tours to provide engaging storytelling experiences, while Cai and Ch'ng (2025) engage local communities in the production of the virtual reality (VR) component, facilitating the co-creation and interpretation of heritage. Sapu et al. (2026) implement a digital learning platform to support cultural education and tourism. These projects highlight the critical role of local community involvement, as seen in Brahma et al. (2023)'s work with traditional weavers and Mahajan et al. (2026)'s exploration of stakeholder collaboration in military heritage tourism. They also demonstrate a commitment to long-term preservation and adaptability, as reflected in Chanda et al. (2026), who explore local community attitudes towards sustainable ecotourism development, a key factor in ensuring long-term sustainability. Together, these initiatives illustrate how digital integration, community participation, and innovative educational approaches are transforming heritage preservation and interpretation, ensuring that cultural practices are both sustained and dynamically adapted for future generations. As Asian cultural heritage works progress further, these projects would set a benchmark for how integrating digital tools, engaging stakeholders, and prioritizing sustainability can advance heritage conservation in the Asian region. The case studies presented here demonstrate how technological innovations and community-centered approaches can enhance both the preservation and accessibility of cultural heritage, ensuring that these critical practices are preserved and enriched for our future generations. By leveraging digital advancements and fostering inclusive participation, these initiatives pave the way for a more resilient and dynamic approach to cultural heritage management in Asia and beyond.