Development of a Virtual Reality Walking Tour for Culinary Heritage Exploration in Lawang Rangga Gading, Bogor City

Abstract

The rising interest in preserving Indonesia’s cultural heritage, especially within Bogor City, is motivating innovative methods in tourism. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development of virtual tourism, allowing experiences through digital platforms, which extends to ecotourism for environmental preservation and inclusivity. This study introduces a virtual reality walking tour to maintain and promote Bogor's historical and cultural sites, focusing on the Lawang Rangga Gading, a revitalized culinary hub. The research incorporates 360 immersive video techniques and interaction design principles to deliver an engaging experience. Key design features include narrative development based on local history, scene navigation, and gamification using the Octalysis Framework to enrich user experience. In conclusion, this study successfully demonstrates using VR walking tours to preserve and promote Bogor's cultural heritage, specifically in Lawang Rangga Gading. User testing using the SUS reveals an average score of 62.3, which shows the developed system has a marginal-high acceptability range. There are several areas for improvement: increasing learnability, providing more straightforward navigation to reduce technical assistance, and growing system clarity.