Kerala Tourism has tied up with gaming company Zapak ( www.zapak.com ) to launch an interactive online game to sell the State's tourism destinations to gamers from around the world.
The game will feature a hand-drawn map of Kerala with a trail and markings for the important tourist attractions in God's Own Country.
VARIOUS MODES
The gamer can use various modes of transport to travel - a rented car, tourist bus, rented bike or traditional boat.
Once the gamer reaches a location, there is a ‘treasure' to discover — God's Own Treasure. The treasures are hidden in a temple or church, a historic monument, beach or a national park.
A photography mode allows the gamer to click away to a destination. Good photographs will earn more points.
“Kerala Tourism has always tried to innovate and engage the latest tools of marketing to promote its products and destinations,” says Mr T. K. Manoj Kumar, Tourism Secretary.
GEN-NEXT TARGET
“Our gaming initiative is going to be another first in that it seeks to tap the vibes of the generation-next and draws them to explore new tourist spots.” Besides being an exciting game, learning about new places and cultures will be a value-addition for them,” he added.
In February this year, Kerala Tourism had launched two new technology-driven schemes (Bring Home a Friend and Audio Guide) to market its tourism destinations.
Under ‘Bring Home a Friend,' which was targeted at the Keralite diaspora, non-residents could invite friends from their places of stay and earn free holiday back home for themselves.
The ‘Audio Guide' initiative, the first by a State in India, allowed a visitor to receive audio tours of the State's tourist destinations on their mobile phones by dialling a dedicated number.
NOVEL TOOL
According to Mr Rani George, Director, Kerala Tourism, the new interactive online game is a novel tool by which one can explore the State by following the trail through different levels.
“Apart from the excitements as a game, it also adds a real-time element by giving a Google Maps location link and information on how to get to a destination.”
Zapak is a leading gaming company that addresses the complete value chain of digital gaming.
With currently over 7.5 million registered gamers, zapak.com is claimed to be the largest casual gaming site in the country and amongst the top gaming sites in the world.
GAMING CAFES
It owns a chain of dedicated gaming cafes in the country - Zapak GamePlex. These are high-speed gaming cafes that offer world class gaming content to the Indian user. Presently there are over 100 cafes in more than 40 cities in India. Zapak Games, the licensing and merchandising arm, has created one of India's largest retail distribution networks with presence in over 5,000 retail outlets across 135 cities all across India.