As tourism slowly returns to normal following the Covid-19 pandemic, Italy’s tourism officials have come up with a rather unusual way of wooing back visitors through a video game showcasing the country’s cultural heritage.
THE Italian ministry of foreign affairs (Italian MFA) launched the video game “Italy: Land of Wonders” in India in hopes to showcase cultural heritage and wonders and attract tourists.
Players can explore Italy through puzzle game levels to uncover 3D reconstructions of select Italian landmarks, cities, and even geographical features.
You can also interact with characters who can introduce you to some of the traditions and myths in Italian culture.
The player helps Elio, who is tasked to retrieve the 20 sparks from the twenty regions of Italy to restore the sunlight.
In their journey, players meet five Guardians to guide them to discover Nature, Cuisine, Art, Performance, and Design, the five main sectors of the Italian cultural heritage.
The project is part of Italian MFA’s post-Covid programming strategy to support Italian cultural and creative sectors.
When completed, Italy. Land of Wonders can also serve as a travel guide having unlocked a collection of 600 articles about the beautiful country.
The music also uses original scores inspired by great Italian classics, from opera to famous movie soundtracks.
Italian Ambassador Lorenzo Angeloni says, “Today, the mobile gaming market is one of the main channels for the diffusion of every type of content, including cultural and informative topics. It’s our job to leverage any opportunity we see to promote our country and its culture to the world.”
The game is available for free on mobile through iOS and Android in 11 languages.
Earlier this year, the Irish tourism board did almost the same thing by using the popular game Assassin’s Creed in their promotional campaign.
The latest extension of the game features 9th century Ireland and includes game environments derived from the real-life landscapes of the country.
The board went even further by collaborating with Twitch influencers, gamers in June, marking a new era of tourism marketing with video games.
Tags: #Italy, #tourism, #videogames, #ItalyLandOfWonders