Exploring the role of information technologies in the enhancement of African cultural and touristic heritage: The case of the UNESCO site of the “Ruins of Loropéni” in southwestern Burkina Faso. 
This article is based on a case study of a cultural world heritage site in Burkina Faso, the ruins of Loropéni, in the southwest of the country, to propose avenues of development, in particular through tools linked to information technologies and virtualization. Starting from a qualitative approach focused on an exploratory case study, the main results of our study show that the adoption of ITs and more specifically their implementation process centred on the authenticity experience of tourist sites in Africa contribute to make the touristic potential of the “Loropéni ruins” site more accessible and attractive. Virtual tours thus constitute a partial response to the difficulties linked to the physical accessibility of tourist sites and appear to be sources of interactivity and attraction for visitors. However, the choice of technologies, infrastructures, and equipment adapted to the local context of poorly trained users remains a serious challenge for the promoters.