From Heritage Site to Hybrid Tourism Destination: Tourism Attraction Diversification at Prambanan Temple

Abstract

Heritage destinations increasingly diversify their tourism products, yet the conditions under which diversification produces a distinct destination form remain insufficiently specified. This study examines the transformation of Prambanan Temple from a predominantly heritage-based destination into a hybrid tourism destination. An embedded single-case qualitative design was employed, combining semi-structured interviews with 20 participants, 14 protocol-guided observation visits, and 27 documents, analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Seven forms of attraction diversification were identified: heritage and historical experiences, performing arts and cultural entertainment, culinary experiences, nature and recreation, creative economy and shopping, recreational mobility, and participatory cultural experiences. The evidence indicates that these products accumulated over time and are now integrated commercially and institutionally under a shared destination brand, while the temple remains the dominant visit motivation and interpretive frame. The study defines a hybrid tourism destination through four necessary conditions: domain heterogeneity, core anchoring, operational and commercial integration, and interpretive framing. Heritage compatibility is uneven: performance and participatory products extend heritage interpretation, whereas mobility, catering, and some nature-based products mainly expand visit purposes. Reported extensions of the visitor experience represent participants’ perceptions rather than measured behavioural outcomes. The study contributes empirically testable transformation criteria and proposes a Destination Diversification Assessment Framework for evaluating heritage compatibility, visitor-experience contribution, community participation, economic value, environmental impact, and cultural authenticity.