Project Description
Tourism in Australia accounts for over $35b of GDP in FY22, with youth tourism making up a significant portion of that figure (according to Tourism Australia). Youth tourism is also very important for the transfer of culture between generations, something that cannot be measured by numbers. We aim to increase the availability of youth tourism through our app Terragazer.๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ฌ
Terragazer uses the principle of gamification to digitize and engage modern youth. Our app works similarly to a geo-guesser application, where users can post a short form video (minimum 5 seconds) incorporating an attraction present in their travel area with other users then attempting to guess where in the world the attraction is. Based on the location guessed, points are then awarded to other users based on how close they are to the original tourist attraction. ๐ฎ๐บ๐
These points can then be redeemed at other local tourist attractions (such as restaurants, rides, tours, etc.) encouraging users to explore more tourist attractions, with the businesses able to cash out the points or use them for marketing purposes, creating a micro-economy powered by tourism within the area. This point redemption system has the potential replace the currently used vouchers found in travel/information pamphlets with a digital alternative, reducing carbon emissions & environmental footprint of the travel industry in Australia.๐ต๐ต๐ข๐
The app also integrates travel planning features powered by machine learning, removing the complication that arises from booking short holidays, which means users are more likely to travel, benefiting the overall industry. This tool integrates with common travel agent tools allowing the booking process to be fully automated and users can pick from a list of personalized travel plans based on their budget and interests.๐ค๐ค๐ซ๐ซ๐บ
The app can also summarize trips into short viewable videos incorporating key moments and challenges that the user posted while on the trip, which can be shared with other users on the platform to gain additional points. This feature means that tourist attractions continue to be promoted even after the user has left the area.๐๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ฅ๐๐
Overall, we are confident that our app will engage and inspire the next generation of tourists through the use of short form video and geoanalytics.