From virtual to reality: how online gamification applications promote travel intention

Gamification marketing has become an effective means for destination to attract visitors, but research on its influence on tourists’ travel intention is limited. This paper focuses on online gamification applications for tourism marketing and examines how gamification affordances affect users’ travel intention based on the affordance theory and consumer response system model. Using a mixed-method approach, this study first identified core dimensions of online gamification affordances through qualitative method: aesthetic, narrative, achievement, and social. Then, structural analysis revealed their impact on cognition, emotions, and sensory experiences, uncovering mechanisms driving travelers to transform online gamification experiences into on-site travel intention.