Gamification has become a focus of attention in an increasing number of fields including business, education, and health care. Through a wide range of applications and support functions, its potential for the tourism industry is significant.Gamification of tourism can contribute to a more rewarding interactions and higher level of satisfaction, as well as increase brand awareness and loyalty to the destination.As one of the first attempts to conceptualise gamification of tourism, this paper examines gaming in general terms and the application of it in specific tourism fields.It identifies game design elements that can contribute to a meaningful gamification. A few cases of best practices are presented to show how this innovative concept can benefit tourism marketing. Implications for tourism marketing and management are discussed as well as future research recommendations.

Abstract:Gaming is rapidly developing as a method of dynamic interaction and experience development. This cutting edge concept of gaming has recently been used by some innovative tourism sectors as a marketing tool and as a method of deeper engagement with visitors. However, little is known in the sector about gaming and tourist game players. This research aims to explore the gamification trend and the potential that gaming is offering for experience development and tourism marketing. Through focus group, this paper discusses gaming and tourism, explores what drives tourists to play games. The results suggest tourists' game playing motivation is multi-dimensional. The majority of players would start with a purposive information seeking, then move onto an intrinsic stimulation, such as fun, challenge and achievement. Socialization is also an important dimension and increasingly players will play with locals or fellow travelers. The research demonstrates several implications for tourism marketing and game design.

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Cultural tourism has been identified as an important economic and social contributor worldwide. Main drivers have been linked to an increasing desire for cultural awareness, meaning-creation and learning. An increasing body of research explores the application of VR and AR in this context. While previous studies outline VR and AR as promising technologies to positively influence the visitor experience, these typically do not focus on how such technologies should be built to suit the context or add value to tourists. This study investigates elements affecting the tourist experience in the cultural tourism context from a theoretical perspective by discussing the impact of VR and AR technology on the visitor's learning experience. It offers contributions in the area of cultural tourism and consumer psychology, discussing tourist sites mediated by engaging technologies to enhance the visitor experience. Further research is highlighted in the area of VR and AR development through purpose-driven design

This study investigates the differences in purchasing behavior between the US and French cosmetic markets. Our study suggests that a difference should exist due to psychological factors, social influences, and the purchase situation. Our paper will discuss the underlying theoretical perspectives that support our proposition, and illustrate the various components which influence consumer behavior in this particular marketplace. The analysis and investigation is based on the cosmetic industry in terms of comparing US and French consumers and their historical purchase patterns. The results indicate that there are in fact notable differences in purchase behavior. The implications of these findings are important in two primary ways. First, the findings provide support for the theoretical underpinnings. Second, the findings have important managerial implications in terms of developing appropriate product development, distribution and marketing strategies.