Research on the Design of Macau Tourism Cultural and Creative Products under the Perspective of Narratology

Macao, as a critical tourist destination at the junction of Chinese and Western civilisations, showcases the opportunity to feature its regional culture via culture-based tourism products, and tourism marketing presents further opportunities for cross-cultural connection. That said, there is significant thematic homogenisation, superficial and uninspired narratives, and a lack of user experience variation and engagement with the cultural products. This study employs the discipline of Narratology and analyses how narrative frameworks can be redesigned in cultural product development. This study proposes an eight constituent dimension framework: Narrative Theme, Plot Narrative, Character/IP Narrative, Situational Narrative, Symbolic Narrative, Functional Narrative, Experiential Narrative, and Emotional Extension Narrative. This study employs the Kano Model to conduct a narrative analysis, concluding the Narrative Theme is Must-be quality (M), Character/IP Narrative is high-sensitivity One-dimensional quality (O), Plot, Functional and Experiential Narratives are classified as the Detached quality (A). From this, the study develops a narrativised design approach prioritising cultural storytelling and experiential engagement. This work proposes and underscores the importance of narrative cohesiveness, the development of local IP, and the need for product stereotype breakdown with novel, immersive experience narratives. This work is the first to provide both perspective and praxis for Macao tourism cultural products.