Immersive Heritage Trails through Sensory Storytelling for Enhanced Visitor Learning

Abstract

The demand for meaningful cultural engagement is prompting heritage institutions to adopt approaches that move beyond passive observation toward deeper and more memorable visitor learning. This study proposes an immersive heritage trail framework that integrates sensory storytelling through coordinated multisensory cues to enhance visitor comprehension, engagement, and long-term retention. A narrative literature review was conducted to synthesize established principles in immersive experience design and multisensory interaction, which informed the development of a simulated digital heritage trail scenario. The proposed model emphasizes the alignment of narrative structure with sensory stimuli to create a cohesive and contextually rich interpretive experience. A comparative analysis between a conventional interpretive trail and the proposed immersive sensory model was performed to assess relative effectiveness. Simulation results indicate a 100% increase in narrative engagement potential and a 109% improvement in knowledge retention scores, based on widely used learning evaluation frameworks. These findings demonstrate that the deliberate orchestration of visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory elements within a unified narrative significantly enhances visitor immersion, cognitive absorption, and experiential depth. Furthermore, the study contributes a validated design guide and a replicable simulation-based evaluation methodology, providing practical insights for heritage practitioners. This work bridges the gap between theoretical experience design concepts and their systematic application in cultural site interpretation and digital placemaking.