Research question:
How can gamification encourage day tourists to seek access to cultural institutions and under-explored areas of the city of Venice?
Description:
The aim of this study is to use gamification to encourage day tourists, the most invasive and least profitable tourist group in Venice, to drift off from the crowded and unauthentic tourist routes and discover under-explored areas of the city to augment financial profitability and overall city well-being.
Why:
Being partly Venetian I was able to witness first-hand how Venice has changed for the worst, mainly due to unregulated mass tourism. The culture and infrastructure of the city are threatened, and residents live in fear of seeing their home being turned into a Disneyland. Hence, Locals and tourists should be able to experience the best version of Venice, not a manufactured, mass tourism-focused one.
Professionally, I hope that networking and getting accustomed to the inner workings of the city will help me stand out in the Venice job market allowing me to continue my endeavour of revitalising the city.
How:
I will gamify the tourist experience to transform the cultural visit into an adventure. Having tourists trailing off from the packed tourists’ routes and spending time in cultural institutions and deserted areas of the city will help them being more financially profitable and less inclined to remain in the crowded, unauthentic tourist routes.