Game on

The application of gamification has become a transformative innovation in the tourism industry. This study explores how gamification influences tourists' attitudes and behavioural intentions, highlighting its role in driving technology adoption in the tourism sector by integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and examining the determinants of gamification adoption, emphasising hedonic behaviour and social influence as primary motivators. Data were gathered from 418 respondents using purposive sampling through a face-to-face, structured survey administered to tourists in Gembu, Nigeria, across various demographic groups. The TAM served as the theoretical framework, while Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM) was used to analyse data to evaluate the links among hedonic behaviour, social impact, and the adoption of gamification technology. The findings indicate that social influence has a substantial and positive effect on the adoption of gamification and further demonstrate that hedonic behavior is substantially associated with the utility of use. Attitude towards adoption exerted the most substantial influence on intention to use. These findings validate the need to integrate external factors, such as hedonic behaviour and social impact, into the TAM framework to better understand gamification adoption in tourism. The paper addresses potential research directions and constraints for future work. Based on the findings, the study authors recommend that tourism managers and destination marketers integrate social interaction and user enjoyment elements into gamified applications to enhance tourist engagement and technology adoption.