Feifei Xu is Professor in Tourism Management, Tourism Department, Southeast University, Nanjing, China. She is an Associate Editor of Tourism Review. She has worked in the tourism field for 20 years. Her research interests include sustainable tourism and eTourism with a particular focus on gamification. Dimitrios Buhalis is a Professor, the Director of the eTourism Lab and Deputy Director of the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research at Bournemouth University Business School, UK. He is a strategic management and marketing expert with specialisation in ICT applications in the tourism and hospitality industries. His research launched the eTourism field and now focuses on SMART and real time tourism. He is the Editor in Chief of Tourism Review.
In hard times we must not forget the importance of having fun and enjoying life. Thus, gamification as a playful approach to interacting with systems is not only an emerging field in IT and tourism, but also a reminder not to forget the sunny side of life. I enjoyed reading this excellent collection of papers, by both well established and new researchers. * Hannes Werthner, Vienna University of Technology, Austria * Rich in theory and filled with practical cases from around the globe, this book convincingly shows how central gamification and gaming are to experience creation and persuasion in the hedonic context of tourism and hospitality. The many illustrations make it an especially engaging read! * Ulrike Gretzel, University of Southern California, USA * Given the global Covid-19 crisis, the importance of digital for travel has grown massively. Gamification adds value to digital interactions by creating more interesting and compelling digital experiences. By presenting the state of the art in both the theory and practice of gamification, this text makes a valuable contribution for anyone wanting to compete in our new and increasingly virtual travel marketplace. * Peter O'Conner, University of South Australia, Australia *