The trend in online games, already popular in the entertainment industry, is set to extend to the travel industry according to research released this week.
The WTM Global Trends Report 2011 reveals the 'gamification of travel' is already taking hold with companies and tourism organisations including Lufthansa and Tourism Ireland using gaming techniques to create brand awareness and build loyalty.
Last year Tourism Ireland unveiled its Ireland Town game on Facebook giving it the potential to engage with more than 62 million people.
The report, carried out in conjunction with Euromonitor, also highlights campaigns such as Nothing Like Australia with Australians encouraged to upload a photo and share their holiday experiences with the world.
The experiences were than used to create an interactive map.
According to Gartner, by 2015 more than 70% of Forbes Global 200 companies will have at least one gamified application.
The WTM Euromonitor research also reveals location-based social networks such as foursquare will start to target travellers with local deals while airlines will launch games based on status levels.