A design science approach for an interactive information system: promoting national tourist products via digital libraries

Purpose – The aim of this study is to design, develop, and preliminarily evaluate a conceptual model of an interactive information system (the ‘DL-TourPromoteEU’ framework) using a Design Science Research (DSR) methodology to facilitate the promotion of Ukrainian national tourist products across the EU market. Design/methodology/approach – Following DSR guidelines, the research formulates system requirements based on document analysis of Ukraine–EU tourism cooperation, web audits of 50 regional promotional platforms, and a literature synthesis. The multi-layered artifact architecture was iteratively modeled and preliminarily evaluated via semi-structured expert consultations (N=12) spanning tourism informatics, cultural heritage, and software engineering. Findings – The resulting artifact comprises a four-tier architecture featuring data ingestion protocols, a semantic linking engine, narrative generation toolkits, and unified portal/API delivery interfaces. Expert evaluation confirmed high utility and feasibility, while identifying critical implementation challenges, particularly metadata interoperability, sustainable governance, and digital skills gaps. Practical implications – The framework offers policymakers, cultural custodians, and tourism SMEs an actionable roadmap to aggregate fragmented collections into engaging digital storytelling, enhancing destination visibility and cross-border digital collaboration. Originality/value – Grounded in the EU Erasmus+ Jean Monnet framework, the study bridges digital library science and tourism informatics through DSR, offering an integrated architectural artifact that positions digital libraries as active drivers of cultural diplomacy and economic development.