Typology of Tourist Experiences in Cultural Tourism: A Case Study of Kampung Wayang, Wukirsari Tourism Village

Cultural tourism offers travelers the opportunity to engage meaningfully with local identity, heritage, and traditional values, moving beyond passive sightseeing toward experiential immersion. Kampung Wayang, located in Wukirsari Tourism Village, Yogyakarta, stands as a living cultural space where the ancestral art of wayang kulit is actively preserved and transmitted through interactive participation. This study aims to explore the typology of tourist experiences in Kampung Wayang by employing a qualitative methodology that includes in-depth interviews with domestic tourists, direct observation, and documentation. Drawing from typological frameworks by Cohen (1979), Quan and Wang (2004), and Wickens (2002), the findings reveal four overlapping experiential dimensions—emotional, aesthetic, reflective, and existential. Tourists not only observe cultural expressions but co-create meaning through hands-on workshops, philosophical dialogues with local dalangs, and self-reflective engagement with traditional narratives. These dimensions demonstrate that Kampung Wayang functions as more than a tourism destination; it serves as a transformative arena for cultural continuity, informal education, identity negotiation, and sustainable community-based tourism. The study highlights the importance of participatory frameworks in designing cultural tourism experiences that are both humanistic and impactful, offering implications for tourism development policy, heritage preservation, and experiential learning practices.