The possibility of applying metaverse in cultural heritage tourism: A case study on the ancient city of Babylon

This paper explores cultural heritage tourism decision makers’ perspectives on adopting metaverse technologies to enhance experiences and preservation at the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon in Iraq. The metaverse represents an emerging phenomenon of persistent 3D virtual environments accessed through augmented and virtual reality. Babylon’s sprawling ancient ruins could be vividly recreated to attract tourists both on-site and online. However, challenges around authenticity, infrastructure, and competing priorities may inhibit metaverse adoption. To investigate this complex issue, 8 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Iraqi government heritage and tourism officials and museum administrators. Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed to identify key opportunities and barriers. Findings revealed knowledge gaps around metaverse benefits, concerns over the inauthenticity of simulated experiences, enthusiasm for widening youth access, and various adoption challenges. Core recommendations include starting with small experimental pilots, building decision makers digital literacy, framing metaverse experiences as complements not replacements, and improving supporting technology infrastructure over time. This formative qualitative study provides crucial insights into Iraqi expert perceptions to inform policies guiding effective, context-specific integration of metaverse technologies to ultimately enrich cultural tourism and the preservation of ancient Iraqi heritage. Further research measuring pilot metaverse project outcomes is warranted.