Krebet, a small village in Pajangan Subdistrict, Bantul Regency, continues to make waves through innovation. Widely known as the producer of unique wooden batik, the village has now stepped into the digital era by introducing Virtual Reality (VR) technology as a medium to preserve and promote local cultural heritage. With this technology, the beauty and philosophical values of wooden batik can now be experienced immersively by anyone, anywhere in the world. Held at Sanggar Punokawan, a training session was conducted with 35 participants, consisting of village tourism managers, digital teams, and youth community members. This initiative brought new energy to the development of educational and culturally-based tourism. The training was structured around three key topics.

The first topic highlighted the use of VR technology as an innovative means to introduce the process of creating wooden batik. Beyond visualization, the VR content developed also incorporated ethno-science—an integration of science and local culture. The batik-making process was explored through the lenses of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics, revealing that each step holds educational value across multiple disciplines. The second topic emphasized the importance of community-based tourism (CBT) management. In this model, local residents are not merely beneficiaries but the main actors responsible for sustaining the village’s economic, social, and environmental development. Meanwhile, the third topic provided participants with technical knowledge about developing VR applications and other supporting technologies, empowering them to digitally package their local potential independently.

At the end of the program, participants took part in an evaluation through surveys and post-tests. The session concluded with the handover of VR tourism support devices to the village management. These included 35 units of 3D VR Boxes, a custom VR app showcasing the village’s history, eco-tourism attractions, local crafts, product catalogs, visitor testimonials, and a special guidebook for users and administrators. All digital content was designed to support a new attraction titled “Krebet Village VR Tour Package.” Agus Kumara Jati, S.E., Coordinator of Krebet Tourism Village, expressed his enthusiasm for the program. “We are very grateful; this really helps enrich our tourism innovation. We hope that VR can become a bridge connecting local culture with global visitors,” he said.

This initiative is part of a community service program organized by a team from Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta. The team includes Dr. Laifa Rahmawati (chair), Indri Kurniawati, M.Sc., and Dr. Sisca Rachmadonna, assisted by students Aprilia Latifah Nur Pratiwi, Nadia Syarifa Syahida S., Pramayudha Rischo Herlambang, Shabrina Dwi Annisa, and Ahmad Zahran Furqan. The program was funded by the Community Partnership Program (PKM) grant under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) and fully supported by the Directorate of Research and Community Service (DRPM) at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta. The official title of the program is “Virtual Reality-Based Eco-Tourism PKM to Enhance the Appeal and Sustainability of Wooden Batik Tourism in Krebet Tourism Village.” This initiative proves that culture does not have to remain frozen in the past. With technology as a bridge, Krebet’s wooden batik tradition has the potential to appear stronger and more relevant to future generations—both in Indonesia and around the world.