Technological and Innovative Approaches in Developing Religious and Cultural Tourism
Main Article Content
Abstract
Purpose – This research aims to formulate a strategy for the development of religious and cultural tourism in Cirebon City based on technology and innovation, as an effort to answer today's challenges and maximize the existing potential in a sustainable and inclusive manner.
Methods: The research was conducted using a descriptive, quantitative method. The research sample comprised 165 respondents, including visitors, individuals, and tourism-related parties. A purposive sampling approach was used. Data analysis is performed in Microsoft Excel.
Result: The management of religious and cultural tourism in Cirebon City has significant potential in its history and palace heritage, but its development remains hampered by limited infrastructure, low-quality human resources (HR), and suboptimal technology adoption and integration across stakeholders.
Conclusion - To optimize the potential of tourism in the digital era, it is necessary to have a sustainable tourism development strategy that must rely on technological innovation and cross-sector collaboration between the government, tourism managers, and tourism actors.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Adiyati, A., Sardjono, A. B., & Murtini, T. W. (2019). Religious tourism activities in the change of settlements in the historic area of Menara Kudus. Journal of Architecture ARCADE, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.31848/arcade.v3i2.258
Adriyani, R., Erna, E., & Indrianto, R. (2023). Development of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Based on Digital Heritage. Exchall: Economic Challenge, 5(1).
Afina, R., Qatrunnada, H., Amabel Kirani, H., Kencana, W. H., Budilaksono, S., Febrianty, F., & Gantina, D. (2022). Marketing Strategy for Tourism Villages Based on Information and Technology. IKRAITH-Technology, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.37817/ikraith-teknologi.v6i3.2302
Amin, S. Bin, Khandaker, M. K., Samia, B. I., Khan, F., & Taghizadeh-Hesary, F. (2025). Fostering sustainable tourism through digital innovation and green tourism initiatives in Bangladesh. Sustainable Futures, 10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100841
Bahari, A. O., Amol, F., Pradana, D. W., & Iswanto, D. (2025). Analysis of the Experience of Using Augmented Reality Applications for Educational Tourism. Research Horizon, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.54518/rh.5.2.2025.542
Buhalis, D. (2000). Tourism Management Special Issue: The Competitive Destination Marketing the competitive destination of the future. Tourism Management, 21(1).
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publication.
Damayanti, B., Nurajijah, S., & Ali, M. N. (2023). Sunyaragi Cave as a Historical Tourism in Cirebon. JETOUR: Journal of Sharia Tourism and Hospitality, 1(2).
Fahmi, A., Suyasa, I. M., & Agusman, A. (2023). ANALYSIS OF THE POTENTIAL AND DEVELOPMENT OF SASAK ENDE VILLAGE AS A CULTURAL TOURISM ATTRACTION IN SENGKOL VILLAGE, PUJUT DISTRICT, CENTRAL LOMBOK REGENCY. Journal Of Responsible Tourism, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.47492/jrt.v3i2.2860
Fatma, A., & Bhatt, V. (2026). Conceptualizing smart tourism ecosystem: multi-level framework integrating smart technologies and stakeholders for value Co-creation. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-06-2025-0693
Ferdian, F., Bina Bangsa Munawaroh, U., Bina Bangsa Jl Raya Serang, U., & Cipocok Jaya, K. (2025). Digital Transformation in Developing Cultural and Religious Tourism in Old Banten. Scientific Journal of Student Research, 2(1), 343–355. https://doi.org/10.61722/jirs.v2i1.3666
Gelbman, A. (2020). Smart tourism cities and sustainability. In Geography Research Forum (Vol. 40, Number 1).
Giotis, G., & Papadionysiou, E. (2022). The Role of Managerial and Technological Innovations in the Tourism Industry: A Review of the Empirical Literature. In Sustainability (Switzerland) (Vol. 14, Number 9). MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095182
Imandintar, D. D., & Idajati, H. (2019). Characteristics of Religious Tourism Villages in the Development of Bejagung Village as a Religious Tourism Village. ITS Engineering Journal, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.12962/j23373539.v8i2.48404
Indrawati, L. R., Laut, L. T., & Taufik, I. (2023). Touch of Technology 4.0 as Innovation and Business Strategy for the Development of Ngargogondo Tourism Village. Journal of E-Bis, 7(2), 637–646. https://doi.org/10.37339/e-bis.v7i2.1315
Istiyanto, R., Usman, F., & Hasyim, A. W. (2025). TOURISM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IN KUNCEN VILLAGE FOR ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT OF THE KUNCEN COMMUNITY. Journal of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness (JEPA), (1). https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.jepa.2025.009.01.19
Ministry of Education and Culture. (2021). The Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language," in The Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language. Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language.
Khodiyat, R. (1992). Dictionary of Tourism and Hospitality. Grammar.
Kilichan, R., & Yilmaz, M. (2020). Artificial intelligence and robotic technologies in tourism and hospitality industry. Erciyes üniversitesi social bilimler enstitüsü dergisi, (50). https://doi.org/10.48070/erusosbilder.838193
Konstantopoulou, C., Varelas, S., & Liargovas, P. (2024). Well-Being and Tourism: A Systematic Literature Review. In Economies (Vol. 12, Number 10). https://doi.org/10.3390/economies12100281
Lee, T. J. (2025). The role of tourism in healthy aging: interdisciplinary perspectives on well-being, accessibility and their policy implications. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-08-2024-1209
Lestari, L., & Tripalupi, L. E. (2021). SWOT Analysis of the Potential and Attraction of Osing Kemiren Tourism in the Context of the Development of Osing Kemiren Traditional Village, Glagah District, Banyuwangi Regency in 2021. Journal of Economic Education Undiksha, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.23887/jjpe.v13i2.35511
Luštický, M., & Štumpf, P. (2021). Leverage points of tourism destination competitiveness dynamics. Tourism Management Perspectives, 38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100792
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic Analysis: Striving to Meet the Trustworthiness Criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
OECD. (2022). Building resilience in the tourism ecosystem. https://doi.org/10.1787/efa87744-en
Cirebon City Open Data. (2025, May 27). Regional Original Revenue (PAD) of the Cirebon City Tourism Sector in 2022-2024. Https://Opendata.Cirebonkota.Go.Id/Dataset/Pendapatan-Asli-Daerah-Pad-Sektor-Pariwisata.
Park, H., Lee, M., & Back, K. J. (2023). A critical review of technology-driven service innovation in hospitality and tourism: current discussions and future research agendas. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(12), 4502–4534. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2022-0875
Pratisto, E. H., Thompson, N., & Potdar, V. (2022). Immersive technologies for tourism: a systematic review. In Information Technology and Tourism. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-022-00228-7
Priyanti, S. E., Sugiarto, E., & Wiweka, K. (2022). Introduction to Tourism Science. DOTPLUS Publisher. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363436717
Ramadhanty, G., Setianti, Y., & Warta, W. (2024). ANALYSIS OF CIREBON CITY BRANDING AS A CULTURE-BASED TOURISM CITY. Citizen : Indonesian Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal, 4(3), 205–217. https://doi.org/10.53866/jimi.v4i3.610
Rangkuti. (2017). SWOT Analysis-Techniques for Dissecting Business Cases. How to Calculate Weight, Rating, and OCAI. In Publisher PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Rohman, A., & Fauzi, Moh. Q. (2017). Economic Impact on the Income of Stall Traders in the Religious Tourism of the Tomb of Sunan Drajat Lamongan. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Sharia Economics, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.20473/vol3iss20162pp114-126
Rohman, F. (2025, January 24). Cirebon City targets 2.6 million tourist visits by 2025. Https://Www.Antaranews.Com/Berita/4606346/Kota-Cirebon-Targetkan-Kunjungan-26-Juta-Wisatawan-Pada-2025.
Samancioglu, E., Kumlu, S., & Ozkul, E. (2024). Smart tourism destinations and sustainability: evidence from the tourism industry. In Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes (Vol. 16, Number 6). https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-07-2024-0167
Seal, M., Singh, P., & Sharma, D. (2025). Transforming visitors' experiences and site management: Role of technology in enhancing services at religious tourism destinations. In Technology and Religious Tourism: Emerging Trends, Cases and Futuristic Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83662-260-420251004
Sharma, G. D., Thomas, A., & Paul, J. (2021). Reviving tourism industry post-COVID-19: A resilience-based framework. Tourism Management Perspectives, 37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100786
Solemede, I., Tamaneha, T., Selfanay, R., Solemede, M., & Walunaman, K. (2020). STRATEGY FOR RESTORING THE POTENTIAL OF CULTURAL TOURISM IN MALUKU PROVINCE (An Analytical Study in the Transition Period of the New Normal). NOUMENA: Journal of Social Humanities and Religion, 1(1).
Sukono, Widiyanto, H., & Supriyanto, A. E. (2023). Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy Based on Cultural Heritage in the City of Surakarta. Journal of Bengawan Solo, Center for Regional Research and Development Studies, Surakarta, 2(2), 130–143. https://doi.org/10.58684/jbs.v2i2.60
Susanto, E., Hendrayati, H., Rahtomo, W. R., & Prawira, M. F. A. (2022). Adoption of Digital Payments for Travelers and Tourism Destinations. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.46222/ajhtl.19770720.254
Vodák, J., Šulyová, D., & Kubina, M. (2021). Advanced technologies and their use in smart city management. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105746
Wang, M. Y., Li, Y. Q., Ruan, W. Q., Zhang, S. N., & Li, R. (2023). Cultural inheritance-based innovation at heritage tourism destinations: Conceptualization, structural dimensions and scale development. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 55, 118–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2023.03.009
Waqanimaravu, M., & Arasanmi, C. N. (2020). Employee training and service quality in the hospitality industry. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2020.1724850
Watoni, A., Mahsun, M., & Suteja, I. W. (2023). DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL TOURISM POTENTIAL IN SEMBAGEK HAMLET, SUKADANA VILLAGE, BAYAN DISTRICT. Journal Of Responsible Tourism, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.47492/jrt.v3i1.2725
Wei, W., Önder, I., & Uysal, M. (2024). Smart tourism destination (STD): developing and validating an impact scale using residents' overall life satisfaction. Current Issues in Tourism, 27(17). https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2296587
Yuksel, F., Kement, U., Dogan, S., Erkol Bayram, G., Bayar, S. B., & Cobanoglu, C. (2024). Effect of smart tourism technology experience (STTE) on tourist satisfaction and tourist happiness in Bordeaux: the mediation role of self-gratification. International Journal of Tourism Cities. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-06-2024-0119
Zakaria, J. (2024). Sustainable Tourism as an Economic Development Model in Evaluation and Prospects of Priority Tourism Destination Development Policy in Indonesia. Journal of Public Service Management, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.24198/jmpp.v8i2.54183
Zheng, D., Luo, Q., & Ritchie, B. W. (2021). Afraid to travel after COVID-19? Self-protection, coping and resilience against pandemic 'travel fear.' Tourism Management, 83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104261