Crafting Connection: Digital Storytelling in Community-based Tourism

That is, telling stories is a powerful way of sharing information about cultures and communities. As digital technologies proliferate, storytelling can be built, selected, and delivered more effectively and deeply. Digital storytelling can especially be used for designing and delivering stories for the purpose of introducing different cultures and for introducing them as tourism products to brand the cultural stories. The general aim of this research is to find out the important factors that influenced digital storytelling as a medium and create a model for the proper application of the tool in community-based tourism (CBT). Qualitative case studies were reviewed on selected CBT projects from Asia to identify common themes and best practices. Results of this study indicated a few major factors that can help guide future digital storytelling activities in CBT, serving as a guide for promoting and preserving local cultures. This is to ensure the culture and traditions of communities are authenticated and preserved in correct representation through their own narratives, and after realising that authentic and real-life stories are rich, they have high involvement of the communities. The use of multimodal materials in digital narratives ensures richer and interactive storytelling that is more appealing for emotional connection. The use of social networks is also vital for a wider and more global reach and communication. Key messages on sustainability in digital storytelling need to be included to foster responsible tourism, increase awareness and advocacy for the preservation of cultures and environment. Lastly, data analytics in CBT is also needed to refine the storytelling strategies.