Coupling the booming mobile gaming market and travellers’ quest for local experiences, Questo has designed a ‘real-world exploration game’ to help travellers explore destinations in unique ways.
As CEO Alex Govoreanu sees it, the platform allows consumers to explore cities without a guide (through gaming), taps into the growing trend of independent travel and offers a growth opportunity for traditional tour operators.
“No one is using gamification in travel and there hasn’t been any innovation in tours ever,” said Govoreanu.
Questo helps travellers experience destinations by sending them on a ‘quest’ that involves tracking down clues as they discover interesting spots within a city.
“[People] want to feel like an explorer… they want to be the ones to discover new places and take ownership of their discovery. Following a tour guide is not the same as discovering a place [yourself] and the reward is so much greater.”
Govoreanu emphasised that encouraging travellers to forgo traditional tours need not be bad for local guides. Questo works directly with local experts and operators and encourages them to design and upload quests on the platform, and gives them a revenue share whenever travellers buy it.
“[There is] opportunity for tour operators during low seasons, or for them to still make money when they are fully booked, [plus] they are also targeting a new audience [of people who don’t usually book tours],” explained Govoreanu. “You should see [Questo] as a platform for tour operators worldwide to gamify their tours.”
The startup launched a call for tour operators a month ago to begin crafting and selling their quests on the platform. “They can sell their own quests on their platforms [too], but still use the Questo app to play… It’s a B2B2C play.”
Given the competitive mobile gaming market, Questo primarily distributes its content on OTAs like GetYourGuide and TripAdvisor. It has also launched on Musement and is experimenting with Booking.com It also sells quests on its own website and mobile app.
To build inventory, creators apply and submit their quest concepts (who they are targeting i.e. travellers versus locals), and the proposed route. Once approved, users test the quest to work out any kinks, assess whether clues are challenging enough, and if the destinations are appealing enough. User feedback is also sent to creators to edit and improve their tours over time post-publishing. “Questo is a living animal. It gets smarter the more people play.”
Questo has about 125 quests currently available in 50 cities across 50 countries. The startup is mainly focused on consolidating its presence in European markets before launching in 10 cities in the USA within the next three to six months. They are also in talks with operators in Japan, South Korea and Bangkok for an eventual expansion into Asia.
“In Europe and the USA, [gamification] is still foreign but in Asia, it’s more advanced. If we’re going to come into Asia, we need to be ready.”
During their pitch at The Phocuswright Conference Summit competition, judges compared Questo with Pokemon Go, debating whether it would be able to retain consumer interest for longer than the initial hype. Though Miriam Moscovici of BCD Travel, chipped in to say she had been playing Geocaching (the world’s largest treasure hunt) for several years.
Govoreanu took a slightly different perspective, saying “Pokemon Go validated that there is a desire to go into a city and play… travellers have more incentive to [play] because the game connects places and offers context in a new, engaging way.”
He also argued that the element of role play would keep users hooked, as they can explore a city in the footsteps of different characters and contexts. The “Angels & Demons Tour in Rome” has users assume the role of Robert Langdon (played by Tom Hanks in the film), as they race through the city to save the kidnapped cardinals. “Movie fans want to do with because they want to feel like Tom Hanks and see all the places in the movie.” In London, you can similarly visit popular Harry Potter movie locations, while playing a wizard.
The quests also offer fresh perspectives of even familiar destinations. For example, the platform has over 20 haunted quests, 80% of which are played by users after 10pm. Different quests can target different audiences and age groups, like educational quests for children, where they play the role of a “penguin detective” and discuss clues with other animals in the game.
Questo’s current user base is predominantly European (80%) with an average age of 35 years; 25-30% are families with kids. The demographics shift depending on destination. “What a destination is known for is a good guide for what age category appeals; we build content depending on that.”
Questo closed an angel funding round earlier this year, which is used to expand internationally. It is currently seeking its first VC round (seed-series A).
Lead image: Getty Images
