The Western Cape and Cape Town’s a official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency, Wesgro is planning to become one of the first destination marketing organisations globally to launch a presence on Roblox. This is an online collection of more than 50 million games, created by its community of players with an aim to bring the world together through games.
According to Wesgro, this marketing tool will sees a series of educational, nature-themed games starring some of the Western Cape’s best loved destinations brought to life in a way of games. Starting with a ‘Climb Table Mountain’ experience, the series will feature child-friendly destinations, while emphasising the unique diversity of the natural spaces of the Cape. They said a recent study by Expedia shows that 87% of parents are giving their children a say in family vacation planning and children are technologically advanced and Roblox cleverly captures this market.
In efforts to put the Western Cape firmly on the digital “map” through innovative platforms, Wesgro said they hope to engage and inspire the young audience to lead their parents to choose the province as their next holiday destination.
The first game will see players “experiencing” a hike up Table Mountain. Gamers will be able to fully immerse themselves in the beauty of this World Heritage Site including the breath-taking nature scenes. There will also be a heavy focus on educational content. They said the team is already working on iterations that include exploring the beaches and kelp forests of the Garden Route and camping and stargazing in the Cederberg.
Wesgro CEO, Wrenelle Stander, said the world is changing and they’re ready to meet that change. “With immersive digital experiences already creating a captive audience, our game will allow kids to learn about the incredible biodiversity of the province. This includes learning about our national flower, the King Protea, and over 1460 different species of plants, 300 of which are highly endangered. On the fauna side, special attention will be given to species such as the Leopard Frog and tortoise, dassies (the distant cousins of elephants) and the elusive Cape fox,” she said.
Wesgro said they will be piloting the uptake locally, using influencers in tech and gaming like Kairo Forbes and Grant Hinds as well as presence on TikTok, Google and Roblox Social.
Wesgro’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Jean Scheltema said: “Edtech and gaming are more entwined now than ever before. We’re building assets for audiences of the future, turning to the popular Roblox platform as first port of call to let kids experience the diverse natural spaces of the Western Cape.”
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