PAST LANDMARKS
UNLOCKING DEEPER
TRAVEL EXPERIENCES

CHALLENGE

Many destinations face the challenge of encouraging visitors to explore beyond their primary points of interest. In the Middle East, a region known for its significant cultural and religious heritage, millions of visitors arrive each year, yet engagement with the area's wider historical and local offerings often remains limited. The key challenge was identifying the behavioural barriers that prevent tourists from venturing beyond the most well-known sites and designing interventions that encourage broader exploration while respecting local customs and context.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

To address this, we conducted an in-depth behavioural analysis to understand visitor motivations, decision-making processes, and barriers to engagement. Through behavioural personas and journey mapping, we identified key points where interventions could nudge visitors towards discovering more of what the region had to offer. Collaborating with local stakeholders, we developed strategies that seamlessly integrated exploration into the visitor experience while maintaining cultural sensitivity.

WHAT WE DID

  1. Behavioural Research & Analysis

    • Developed behavioural personas to capture different visitor types, their motivations, and barriers

    • Mapped out visitor journeys to pinpoint key decision moments influencing exploration

    • Analysed psychological and logistical factors that impact engagement with lesser-known sites

  2. Intervention Design

    • Created messaging strategies that reframed exploration as an extension of the primary visit

    • Developed environmental and digital prompts to guide visitors naturally towards new experiences

    • Recommended enhancements to navigation and wayfinding to make exploration feel effortless

  3. Stakeholder Collaboration

    • Ran co-creation workshops with local stakeholders to explore behavioural barriers and design solutions that encourage exploration while respecting cultural norms

    • Worked with local partners to align recommendations with cultural and operational considerations

    • Designed interventions that respected visitor expectations while encouraging organic discovery

OUTCOME

This project resulted in a comprehensive, multi-layered strategy that connected behavioural insights directly to action. By grounding all recommendations in the detailed personas and their individual visitor journeys, we developed an integrated set of interventions that bridged environmental, digital, and educational touchpoints. This approach ensured that exploration felt intuitive and rewarding at every step, encouraging visitors to engage more deeply with the region beyond the main attractions. The solutions were designed to be practical, culturally sensitive, and adaptable for implementation by local stakeholders, ultimately supporting richer tourism experiences and stronger connections to local communities.