Comparative Study of Virtual Reality and YouTube Videos in Cultural Heritage Tourism: Experience and Information Quality Among Generation Z

This study investigates the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) and Walking Around YouTube Videos (WAYV) in promoting cultural heritage tourism, focusing on experience quality and information quality. The research addresses the challenge of engaging Generation Z, a demographic critical for the future of cultural heritage preservation, as they show declining interest in cultural tourism. VR and WAYV have emerged as innovative tools with unique capabilities for engaging this tech-savvy audience. However, comparative analyses of these media regarding user experience and information delivery remain underexplored. A quantitative approach was employed, involving 252 undergraduate students from Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Indonesia. Respondents were divided into two groups: one experienced Borobudur Temple through VR, and the other via WAYV. Experience and information quality were measured using validated questionnaires, and data were analyzed using independent sample t-tests. The results indicate no significant difference in experience quality, with both media scoring similarly. However, a significant difference in information quality was observed, with WAYV outperforming VR. The findings reveal that while VR excels in creating immersive and interactive experiences, WAYV delivers more structured and accessible information. These complementary strengths suggest that the choice of medium should align with specific tourism marketing objectives. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on technology applications in cultural heritage tourism and provides actionable insights for practitioners and policymakers.