Augmented Reality Souvenirs for Immersive Cultural Tourism: A Case Study of Bendosari Tourism Village

This study introduces a new approach in developing Augmented Reality (AR)-based souvenirs as a means to offer an engaging and immersive cultural tourism experience in Bendosari Tourism Village, located in Malang, East Java. Known for its scenic beauty and vibrant cultural heritage, the village embraces digital technology to strengthen tourist engagement. This research uses a design thinking approach, with stages starting from understanding user needs, designing ideas, creating prototypes, to testing products. The results of this study show that this product is able to integrate local cultural values with advances in digital technology effectively. Product trials were conducted using the UEQ questionnaire and obtained excellent and above average results. Overall, these Augmented Reality (AR) based souvenirs are not only souvenirs, but also innovative destination promotion and branding media. Future recommendations include enriching multimedia content, as well as integrating Virtual Reality technology and social media platforms to expand reach and increase user interaction.