Purpose Ecogamification can make a positive impact on Tourism. With this in mind, the present study aims to examine specific stakeholders – those positioned at the upstream side of gamification process – and their perspectives concerning not only the benefits, but also the challenges of (eco)gamification. Design/methodology/approach The study follows a qualitative-exploratory approach and bases its results on the analysis of 10 in-depth interviews conducted with buyers and providers from the emerging Portuguese tourism and tech markets. Findings Results shed light on key benefits of ecogamification, including its potential to promote “green” behaviour, transmit complex information through entertainment, reward users for good practices, improve engagement and help avoiding overtourism. Simultaneously, there are important challenges to overcome, including the lack of investment, resistance to new technologies, low eco-consciousness of tourists and distraction from issues that matter. Further, findings show that ecogamification takes on different and specific roles for buyers and providers. Research limitations/implications The research limitations are mainly related to the sample size. Practical implications An effective ecogamification process depends on the integration of the supply and demand sides and, at the same time, on the responsibility of different stakeholders (providers, buyers, players) across the value chain, through a broad logic of B2B2C. Originality/value This study contributes towards a better understanding of ecogamification in tourism, through the eyes of buyers and providers and also provides insights regarding the role of these specific stakeholders and the relationship between them.
Purpose The literature on the factors that enhance ecogamification and the intention to use smart tourism applications is vast and increasing. However, most studies tend to focus on the “user”, rather than the “tourist”, and that gap is the trigger for the present research. The purpose of this paper is to examine how home and travel environmental behaviour, travel motivations, types of entertainment (digital and non-digital) and technology proficiency (professional vs non-professional) influence the receptivity of urban tourists to different game elements in a transport and mobility context. Design/methodology/approach The study carried out a qualitative experiment with focus groups, with a total of 16 urban tourists. The software webQDA was used to systematize and categorize data and to analyze the content. Findings The results suggest differences and similarities in terms of receptivity of urban tourists to ecogamification, which might have implications for future studies on urban tourists’ typologies and segments and also for providers of ecogamified services, game designers and marketers. Originality/value Rather than addressing the game elements per se (which, in this research, are seen as means to an end), the novelty resides in the combination of characteristics that intersect urban tourism (travel motivations), gamification (entertainment preferences and technology proficiency) and sustainability (home–travel environmental behaviour). This intersection provides a lens to interpret tourists’ receptivity and interaction with different game elements (cooperation, reward, points, avatar and ranking).
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