Research on the influence of tourism destination embedding in online games on players’ travel intentions

With the expansion of online gaming users and market size, online games play a significant role in the marketing of the tourism industry. Utilizing games as a communication medium has successfully attracted a broad spectrum of gamers. This study analyzes the impact of integrating tourism destinations into online games on players’ intentions to travel. The research finds that embedding tourism destinations or related information into games positively influences players’ intentions to travel, particularly when these elements are relevant to the game and resonate well with the gamers. However, the prominence of tourism destinations within games negatively influences players’ intentions to travel. The attitudes of players towards these embedded destinations play a mediating role in this process. Furthermore, the game experience positively moderate the impact of relevance and game enjoyment on attitudes, while negatively moderating the impact of significance on attitudes. To enhance the relevance of tourism destinations embedded into online games, this study proposes a series of strategies aimed at boosting players’ travel intention. These findings provide valuable guidance for the tourism industry and game developers, fostering collaboration and development between the two.