Tourists’ Perception on Virtual Reality Application of Traditional Malay House

Abstract

Preserving the Malay heritage, like traditional Malay houses, through virtual reality (VR) technology benefits tourists in terms of learnability and initial experience. Through this technology, tourists have the opportunity to experience the surroundings of a traditional Malay house without being physically present in it. To investigate the tourists’ experience towards the virtual traditional Malay house, their perception needs to be studied. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the six measurements: (i) functionality, (ii) learnability, (iii) usefulness, (iv) perceived ease of use, (v) sense of immersion, and (vi) outcome/future application of VR to a traditional Malay house. Prior to the investigation, an application that consists of virtual environments of traditional Malay houses was developed. Next, this application, called the "virtual reality application of traditional Malay house," was presented to 30 tourists to assess their perception. To assess the tourists’ perception, they need to use and experience the surroundings of the traditional Malay house via the VR application. As a result, the virtual application of the traditional Malay house was reliable for the six measurements, and the use of VR technology was useful to preserve the traditional Malay house in its 3-dimensional form. VR will make it easier for future generations to enjoy and experience traditional Malaysian homes. This will help them appreciate and enjoy them.