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Volume 9
Issue 5
10.3390/heritage9050202
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

From Passive Heritage Consumption to Active Tourism: Identity, Co-Creation, and AI Mediation Between Extremadura and Ecuador

by
Rafael Robina-Ramírez
1,
Nelson Cerdá Prado
2 and
Ana Leal-Solís
1,*
1
Department of Business and Sociology, Faculty of Business, Finance and Tourism, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
2
Escuela de Administración de Empresas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito 170143, Ecuador
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Heritage 2026, 9(5), 202; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9050202
Submission received: 21 April 2026 / Revised: 17 May 2026 / Accepted: 19 May 2026 / Published: 20 May 2026
Versions Notes

Abstract

This study analyzes how identity fit, narrative selection, co-creation, and AI-Enhanced Interpretation (AII) shape Tourist Active Heritage Engagement in Ecuador. Using a cross-sectional survey of 1336 international tourists and PLS-SEM with Multigroup Analysis, the results show that engagement is driven primarily by identity-based selection, rather than participation alone. MGA reveals a marked asymmetry: AII increases engagement and co-creation only among visitors with high technological readiness, whereas for low-readiness tourists, co-creation may even diminish engagement. These patterns expose digital inequalities and asymmetries in narrative agency, echoing UNESCO’s concerns about AI’s selective influence on cultural knowledge flows. Overall, the study demonstrates that co-creation operates conditionally within identity-driven processes and underscores the need for inclusive, differentiated interpretive strategies.
Keywords: cultural heritage tourism; identity fit; AI-Enhanced Interpretation; co creation; narrative selection; heritage engagement; ASA theory cultural heritage tourism; identity fit; AI-Enhanced Interpretation; co creation; narrative selection; heritage engagement; ASA theory

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MDPI and ACS Style

Robina-Ramírez, R.; Cerdá Prado, N.; Leal-Solís, A. From Passive Heritage Consumption to Active Tourism: Identity, Co-Creation, and AI Mediation Between Extremadura and Ecuador. Heritage 2026, 9, 202. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9050202

AMA Style

Robina-Ramírez R, Cerdá Prado N, Leal-Solís A. From Passive Heritage Consumption to Active Tourism: Identity, Co-Creation, and AI Mediation Between Extremadura and Ecuador. Heritage. 2026; 9(5):202. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9050202

Chicago/Turabian Style

Robina-Ramírez, Rafael, Nelson Cerdá Prado, and Ana Leal-Solís. 2026. "From Passive Heritage Consumption to Active Tourism: Identity, Co-Creation, and AI Mediation Between Extremadura and Ecuador" Heritage 9, no. 5: 202. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9050202

APA Style

Robina-Ramírez, R., Cerdá Prado, N., & Leal-Solís, A. (2026). From Passive Heritage Consumption to Active Tourism: Identity, Co-Creation, and AI Mediation Between Extremadura and Ecuador. Heritage, 9(5), 202. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9050202

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