With school holidays in full swing and kids home, Wesgro has launched a captivating Roblox game, “Starlight Adventures in the Cape Karoo,” aiming to inspire people to visit the Western Cape and explore its hidden gems to boost tourism and the local economy.
The game highlights lesser-known but exciting family destinations where tourism is critical to the local economy.
Wesgro is the first tourism promotion agency in the world to use Roblox in its marketing campaigns, with the launch being the second game it has released on the platform.
The game includes a digital clone of Prince Albert, a small town with only 7000 people, that has been transformed into a playable experience.
In researching the game, Wesgro consulted with local tour guides and cultural experts – using 3D scans of landmarks and objects to create an accurate representation of the town.
With a map spanning four square kilometres, the game is one of the largest on Roblox.
The tourism promotion agency partnered with BP, Shell, and Engen to launch the game, with collateral stationed at approximately 20 garages around the Western Cape and leading up to Prince Albert, distributing interactive adventure booklets with a checklist and map promoting the game and region.
The partnership aims to inspire young road trippers to not only download and play the animated game but visit the real-life town as part of their winter vacation itinerary.
Wesgro’s Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer Jean Scheltema says the youth market has a significant role to play in influencing family holiday decisions and comes off the back of the previously successful “Climb Table Mountain in Roblox” effort.
Through digitizing key attractions in the region, we’ve combined ed-tech and gaming to inform and inspire young minds. Strategically, BP and Shell are brands synonymous with the road trip market domestically and are valuable distribution partners for this campaign. The partnership has offered us a smart touch point to combine the Metaverse-like game with a more traditional marketing approach. A trip to the Karoo is magical and we want young people to experience this at least once in their lives.
Players compete to win unique user-generated content (UGC) items based on the local heritage and culture of Prince Albert.
Additionally, for the first time in a game, the history and culture of the Khoisan people, the world’s oldest tribe, is featured.
The game takes its cue from real-world Karoo legends. The historical, and astronomical facts that lead the dramatic action, are all garnered from people living in Prince Albert and the greater Karoo area. All characters featured in the game are either real life or modeled on people that live in Prince Albert.
Two real life characters include Museum Curator Lydia, based on Prince Albert’s Fransie Pienaar Museum Curator Lydia Barella, and Ghost Hunt Guide Ailsa, based on real-life Prince Albert Walking Tour Guide, Ailsa Tudhope. Both Barella and Tudhope were invaluable in sharing the history of the town, along with its legends and ghost stories.
Chair of Prince Albert Tourism Inga Terblanche says they are thrilled that the interactive gaming experience of Roblox’s Starlight Adventures in the Cape Karoo helps place their town on the younger visitor’s radar.
There is a definite uptake in youngsters loving what the Karoo has to offer – wholesome lifestyle, fascinating history, abundant outdoor adventure, pristine nature – the introduction of a digital Prince Albert experience will elevate this enthusiasm and ultimately lead to more visitors.
The game is available to play now on Roblox, and Wesgro says it hopes it will encourage players to visit the Western Cape in person and experience its beauty and culture first-hand.
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