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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Comput. Sci.

Sec. Human-Media Interaction

Sustainable Tourism Promotion through Mobile Gamification and Reward Systems for Chiang Mai Old Town, Thailand

Provisionally accepted
Orawit ThinnukoolOrawit Thinnukool1*Rattaphol PhrommasRattaphol Phrommas2Nop KongdeeNop Kongdee1Manissaward JintapitakManissaward Jintapitak1Khanithep PitupumnakKhanithep Pitupumnak3Tatiyaporn JarumaneeratTatiyaporn Jarumaneerat4Pattaraporn KhuwuthyakornPattaraporn Khuwuthyakorn1*
  • 1Chiang Mai University, College of Arts, Media, and Technology, Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • 2Faculty of Mass Communication, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • 3Department of Thai Art, Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • 4Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism, Prince of Songkla University, Phuket, Thailand

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The integration of digital technologies into tourism has opened innovative pathways to enhance visitor 5 engagement, yet limited research explicitly examines the combined use of gamification and augmented reality (AR) in 6 heritage contexts. This study explores the effectiveness of a "play to earn" approach through the Lanna Passport mobile 7 application designed for Chiang Mai Old Town, Thailand. Utilizing AR, gamified challenges, and reward-based 8 incentives, the app guides visitors through 25 key cultural sites, encouraging physical activity and immersive exploration. 9 Evaluations demonstrate significantly increased engagement and satisfaction, particularly among younger demographics. 10 Nonetheless, usability barriers for older users underscore the importance of designing intuitive interfaces. Results 11 emphasize AR and gamification's potential to promote heritage appreciation and sustainability, offering insights for future 12 application development targeted at diverse tourist groups.

Keywords: Tourism promotion, augmented reality, play to earn, Gamification, Chiang Mai

Received: 23 Sep 2025; Accepted: 13 Nov 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Thinnukool, Phrommas, Kongdee, Jintapitak, Pitupumnak, Jarumaneerat and Khuwuthyakorn. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Orawit Thinnukool, orawit.t@cmu.ac.th
Pattaraporn Khuwuthyakorn, pattaraporn.khuwuthyakorn@cmu.ac.th

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material