‘Make the most of Pokemon Go’

Published Jul 29, 2016

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Cape Town - The head of Cape Town tourism on Friday urged local entrepreneurs to make the most of the opportunities created by Pokemon Go.

Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, speaking to African News Agency said: “Across the globe shrewd tourism businesses are exploiting the opportunity this game represents by setting up stations to entice players or organising meet-ups, drawing visitors to places they haven't been to before.”

Since its release earlier this month, the smartphone app has been bringing people of all ages out of their homes all over the world to search for characters.

Pokemon Go characters can be seen via the app when a player is connected to the internet in certain locations. Guided by their smartphones, players seek and capture these characters.

In the process, they are exploring places they have never been before and encouraging others to visit. In short, says Duminy, they are generating local tourism.

Read also:  Why there's no profit in Pokemon Go

The augmented reality app, which has boosted the value of its manufacturer Nintendo's stock dramatically, places characters in locations all over the world, in libraries, museums, beachfronts, gardens, streets, gyms and even in people's homes.

A player wanting to progress in the game must find and collect characters. The game has not officially been launched in South Africa yet but tech-savvy locals have found a way around that and used a “patch” to download it.

Local users have been spotted snapping up characters all over Cape Town, from the Company's Garden to Simon's Town harbour and back to Seapoint, says Duminy.

The official South African release is scheduled for next month. Duminy says the millennial generation, people between the ages of 18 and 34, were especially keen on the game. Since this is the age group that made up the biggest segment of the travelling population, Duminy says, it's important that tourism businesses and destinations adopt tech solutions to allow them to engage with Pokemon Go.

A primary requirement is access to Wifi in hotels, within attractions and in city centres. Staying connected has been a crucial part of the travel experience for some time with visitors relying on apps for research, navigation, booking, sharing and even for safety, for example when hiking.

But it is more important than ever now that people are going out in droves to add Pokemon characters to their collection.

AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY

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