Some video games try and do the former; I play too much FFXIV and a recurring theme there is that you go to a new area and you get the tourist's experience, tour the area, view the sights, meet the locals, figure out the local history and culture, etc.

Sure, it's kind of superficial, usually based on human civilizations / design trends / etc; that is:

* Heavensward: Europe / traditional knights and castles and church stuffs

* Stormblood: East-Asia / Japan, clearly a favorite thing to work on from the developers

* Shadowbringers: is actually pretty independent

* Endwalker: Rome / Greece on the one side, India on the other, philosophical existential crises in the late game (that part is actually really good, they invented multiple (7-8 or so?) different civilizations who all achieved some kind of immortality and pursued the meaning of life, ending up disillusioned)

* Dawntrail (latest): south & mesoamerica on the one side, cyberpunk sci-fi on the other

Yeah, I saw that concept but I always feel like I'm supposed to be 6 years old to enjoy the interactions and the dialogue (both in FFXIV and FFXV). Also the "tourist moment" felt too much the canned tourist experience where everything is perfect, clean and everyone nice.

Instead travelogues are not that, they are not about being perfect or beautiful, it's about the places and people being as they are, however they are.

Didn't try all ths games you mentioned, I will take a look. Thanks!