The next big thing: The new tourism trend everyone must know about

In tourism, organizations, and academia, gamification is gaining momentum. Eran Galmor, the developer of the Yooz platform, shares how content can be delivered in an engaging way, sparking curiosity and interest, rather than offering yet another routine presentation.

“In the tourism industry, large institutions, such as major museums, have budgets. When they want to create an experiential activity for visitors, they can develop specialized apps through service providers. However, most tourism businesses in Israel don’t have large budgets. Our platform provides a solution for small and medium-sized businesses,” says Eran Galmor, an organizational development manager who also carries the title of "gameologist."

Combining his love for travel and games, 62-year-old Galmor decided to specialize in gamification—using gaming techniques to enhance performance in areas unrelated to games themselves. He developed the Yooz brand, a digital platform for creating customer experiences using gaming techniques, making it possible to create interactive experiences in the tourism world. “I used to be a tour guide, and looking back at how I guided tours 30 years ago and how it’s done today—it’s basically the same,” he says.

What does your initiative focus on?

“In tourism, there are technologies for booking trips or communicating with hotel services via apps. In this area, we’re on par with the rest of the world. But in technologies aimed at creating immersive experiences, we are less advanced.”

“For example, travelers often listen to a guide talking throughout the trip. That’s the traditional setup. We think about how to enhance the travelers’ experience beyond just listening to a guide. Through our system, we create a type of travel game, using questions or puzzles related to sites along the way. This method allows participants to learn various things interactively.”

“One example is a family tour in the Zichron Yaakov area, where the clients wanted to highlight the NILI organization. Instead of having the guide lecture for an hour, we created a quiz in the form of an animated video— a detective puzzle about NILI. The participants accessed it via a link sent to their phones.”

Creating Interaction

As mentioned, one goal of the platform is to present tourism content in an engaging way. Additionally, Galmor notes, “The system also enables group activities during tours, fostering interaction among participants. Many travelers are independent, not joining organized tours, and we need to find suitable solutions for them. For instance, a group of Israelis traveling to Vietnam next month approached me for a gamified activity tailored to their trip.”

Another example Galmor shares is culinary tours, which are increasingly popular across Israel. “What happens if you want to tour at your convenience, with your preferred group and budget, instead of joining an organized tour?” he asks, explaining, “We’re currently collaborating with a company that specializes in culinary tours to create a self-guided tour of the Carmel Market using a game. This will allow people to visit whenever they want, watch a video telling the story of a vendor, and enjoy a mobile game with market-related puzzles—something that will interest children too. Moreover, such a self-guided tour costs 40%-50% less than a guided one.”

Another platform goal, Galmor highlights, is to attract visitors to less popular sites. “At a national park that sees little traffic—even from locals nearby—we created an activity called ‘The Treasure of Baybars,’ focusing on the Mamluk sultan. This gives the experience more value than just fun.”

Unexpected Surprises

For those who want to adopt the platform in Hebrew or English, Galmor offers two options: “The client can create their content using the platform, or we can do it for them. However, the infrastructure is already in place, and the cost depends on the client’s needs. Either way, using the platform is much cheaper—by tens of percent—than developing a dedicated app.”

Regardless, tourism in Israel faces significant challenges these days.

“Absolutely. That’s why, beyond tourism, I use gamification in organizational and academic settings. In organizations, the challenge is how to engage employees, spark their curiosity, and involve them. For example, we recently created a game for a bank, a type of puzzle related to a specific role, where the content was banking-oriented. People today have short attention spans; they need something quick, about 10 minutes long. Gamified activities deliver knowledge efficiently, break routines, and surprise employees, making them curious, engaged, and challenged.”

In academia, Galmor collaborates with institutions such as Tel Aviv-Yaffo Academic College. “In the Nursing Department, there’s a course focusing on peaceful aging, which uses our system for gamified class activities. For example, instead of simply asking students about the state of elderly care in Israel, they experienced it through a game. We created a ‘True or False’ quiz. This type of gamified activity ultimately increases student satisfaction with the course.”

“Today, people everywhere seek something unique and extraordinary—not the standard. Gamification also aligns with the habits of younger generations: Impatience, short and focused formats, and ‘give me something digital.’”