Gamification In Travel And Why You Should Care
We all know that the tourism industry has been one of the hardest-hit sectors by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Not only are people restricted in the places they can visit, but many are not motivated to travel due to the many travel restrictions.
For many tourism establishments, to avoid shutting down completely, many have developed travel and tourism games to peak people’s interests and motivate them to start coming back.
So let us take a closer look at gamification in tourism and how it could be a viable solution to gaining new visitors and retain existing ones.
What is Gamification In Travel And Tourism?
Gamification in travel and tourism uses gaming methods to engage with consumers and motivate them to achieve specific goals or objectives. The objective is to increase the overall experience by making the entire visit to a particular site a lot more fun, engaging, and interactive.
In the Philippines and every part of the world, many have been "forced" to accept digitalization as a new way of transacting, engaging and offering services. Many tour organizations have organized virtual tours to encourage virtual visits and still earn revenue.
Pretty much everybody has a smartphone nowadays, so it is easy to start engaging with visitors via:
- Challenges – Ask people to solve a puzzle or visit certain areas of the site and submit a photo to complete that aspect of the assignment.
- Score – When you assign a certain task the user needs to complete, it stimulates them to collect points along the way. They also know how well they are advancing towards the end goal.
- Leaderboards – People love to compete with their friends and are motivated to score higher, which adds even more fun to the experience.
- Rewards – These can be virtual or real ones. If the user accumulates certain points, they can unlock new levels or be awarded with badges and titles.
These are just some of the ways gamification elements can help tourist sites attract new visitors. Now, let’s take a look at the benefits gamification can offer in the travel and tourism industry.
Benefit 1: More Engaged Visitors
We must not underestimate the immersion level that games can offer to travelers. If you have well executed gamified travel experience, then travelers will be able to enjoy the full experience of being at a particular venue or site. And, by doing so, they will have an unforgettable experience.
Although many are still hesitant to start exploring new places, providing travelers with some incentive, and giving them an experience they will never forget will go a long way towards encouraging them to visit new places or try new things.
Keep in mind that aside from making travel experiences more fun, gamification can serve many educational purposes as well. Studies have shown that students learn more material and retain it through gamification mechanics.
Benefit 2: Increased Visitor Loyalty
When somebody is truly satisfied with their experience, they are much more likely to come back. This could be accomplished in many ways. For example, local government units who want to encourage students to visit the museum, but they are worried that the students or kids will be bored and want to go home soon after arrival. If the local government in collaboration with the museum offers interactive games that keep the students and children motivated and make the entire trip more fun, and take some of the stress off the shoulders of the teachers or parent, then they are much more likely to visit this museum as well and recommend it to their friends.
Benefit 3: Improved Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism
As we mentioned before, tourism and hospitality have been the biggest ones impacted by all of the lockdown restrictions. They are using all kinds of marketing methods to motivate people to start traveling.
Gamifying reward programs help brands increase customer loyalty via better engagement and by making their overall stay a pleasant one thanks to gamification. While this is not a new concept for the hospitality sector, incorporating digital tools and social media requires a new and innovative approach.
Conclusion: Start Using Gamification to Motivate Potential Travelers
If you are looking to increase the attendance of a particular venue or improve the effectiveness of your travel services, consider using gamification.
This new approach helps you build stronger, longer-lasting relationships with your customers. Nowadays, travelers are looking for new experiences, and travel organizations who can deliver on this are sure to win the business of their clients.
The traditional models may not be effective in helping you get through this crisis, which is why you may want to try and explore a new and innovative approach.
Start gamifying the user experience today and see for yourself the difference it can make. For more questions about how you can gamify your travel services, message us at Experience Philippines and we are more than happy to help you out!
