When Tourism becomes a game: gamification in Catalonia’s cultural tourism

Abstract

This article is focused on gamification and the study of its strategic use in cultural and creative tourism experiences in Catalonia. From a qualitative perspective and based on ten semi‑structured interviews, the objec‑ tive of this research is to analyse the relationships between gamification and tourism from a supply perspective. Results show the importance of gamification in learning and discovering the characteristics of a place, in attract‑ ing and retaining customers, and in encouraging co‑creation of unique experiences that combine offline and online resources. This research provides visibility on a topic as yet scarcely studied within the academic literature, and represents a contribution to the study of gamification and its implications for cultural tourism in Catalonia.