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Gaming as a cutting-edge concept has recently been used by some innovative tourism sectors as a marketing tool and as a method of deeper engagement with visitors. This research aims to explore the gamification trend and its potential for experience development and tourism marketing. Using a focus group, this paper discusses gaming and tourism, and explores what drives tourists to play games. The results suggest tourists’ game playing motivation is multidimensional. Players tend to start with purposive information seeking, then move on to an intrinsic stimulation. Socialization is also an important dimension. The research demonstrates several implications for tourism marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solidarity tourism provides tourists with the opportunity to help others who are suffering during crisis by offering shared resources and a sense of community. Although solidarity in times of crisis promises attention to tourists' desires and wellbeing, there is limited evidence of this. This paper aims to understand how solidarity occurs in times of crisis by applying value co-creation. A total of 21,719 traveller posts were thematically analysed to reveal that solidarity can be achieved in various contexts through tourists' co-created care practices, which have emotional and cognitive value. Practices include co-producing, connecting, co-advocating, co-suffering and consuming collaboratively. This paper conceptualises and illustrates solidarity as a relational practice, which is an effective means of support during crises. • Solidarity during crisis is achieved through co-creation among tourists. • Solidarity in crisis is based on co-created care practices. • Solidarity practices among tourists provide emotional and cognitive value. • Solidarity can be complex practices within tourists' public and private spheres. • The study adopts a qualitative analysis of 21, 719 traveller posts online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores value co-creation and co-destruction by focusing on the role of value propositions, practices, and institutions in the tourism ecosystem during COVID-19. Customers that had experienced travel cancellations were interviewed. The findings indicate that during service mega-disruptions, customers re-evaluate resources and value propositions by prioritizing eudemonic well-being, demonstrating at the same time sympathy for the tourism firms' well-being. However, consumers expect reciprocity, honesty, transparency, and flexibility from tourism firms. The service mega-disruption of COVID-19 provoked a misalignment of practices and routines that led to value co-destruction. This paper proposes that value co-creation can be achieved during a service mega-disruption when actors demonstrate more altruism, solidarity, and shared intentions to maximize or protect the well-being of the ecosystem's actors. [Display omitted] • Mega-disruptions lead to re-evaluate resources and value propositions. • Mega-disruptions lead to consumers' sympathy toward tourism firms. • Consumers expect honesty and transparency during mega-disruptions. • Mega-disruption's misalignment of practices leading to value co-destruction. • Altruism, solidarity, and shared intentions lead to value co-creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestreaming is an important marketing channel that could create viewers' emotional engagement with hotels and hence boost purchase. Parasocial interaction theory explains imagined social relationships and interactions with people who are distant from us and who do not reciprocate individual communication or interest. The introduction of parasocial interaction and purchase intention into the context of livestreaming enriches the literature on this important global phenomenon. Drawing from similarity attraction theory and parasocial interaction theory, the antecedents and purchase intention of viewers who interacted with the hosts of livestreaming programmes run by hotels were examined. Data from a survey of 348 individuals who had watched hotel livestreaming programmes were analysed using PLS-SEM. A model to explain the effects of hotel livestreaming on viewers' purchase intentions was proposed and tested. The findings indicated that the viewers' self-congruence and value congruence with the hosts of livestreaming programmes enhanced their parasocial interaction, which in turn strengthened their emotional engagement and purchase intention. A viewer's emotional engagement with a livestreaming programme was found to mediate the effect of their parasocial interaction and as a result influence on their purchase intention. Moreover, findings suggest that hotels need to create opportunities for livestreaming through events and should amplify user-generated content communications through livestreaming to support emotional engagement and boost bookings. • Explore the important link between similarity attraction theory and parasocial interaction theory. • Complement the research of parasocial interaction theory by exploring views' and live streaming hosts' character and values. • Explore the indirect impact of emotional engagement on the relationship between parasocial intention and purchase intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]