Salient Factors Affecting Young Travellers’ Intention to Adopt Gamified Tourism Applications: The Moderating Role of Customer Engagement

Abstract

The emergence of advanced technology has not only become part of people’s lives, but its applications in the sector of tourism have indeed captured the attention of all relevant stakeholders. Nonetheless, understanding young travellers' perceptions and engagement with gamified tourism applications remains a critical yet understudied area. This paper aimed to understand these travellers’ technology acceptance towards their intentions to adopt gamified tourism applications during their trips. Through a quantitative analysis of 162 valid responses using partial least squares – structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the study examined the pivotal roles of perceived ease of use, usefulness, social influence, safety and security, along with customer engagement as the primary drivers influencing adoption of gamified tourism applications. This study identified all examined variables as key drivers of adoption of gamified tourism applications, with the exception of safety and security. In addition, the associations between perceived ease of use, social influence, and intention to adopt gamified tourism applications were found to be moderated by customer engagement. The present paper puts forward some meaningful insights and suggestions to improve the said adoption in Sarawak, Borneo.