THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Exploring the entire stretch of ‘God’s Own Country’ or trailing ‘God’s Own Treasure’ may take only a few minutes now, if a new online game is tapped effectively. Kerala Tourism has tied up with India’s largest gaming company, Zapak, to launch an interactive online game to unfold the state’s tourism destinations to gamers around the world.The game will have a hand-drawn map of Kerala with a track and markings for important tourist attractions in the state. The gamer can use various modes of transport to travel through the state- a rented car, tourist bus, rented bike or traditional boat. Once the gamer reaches a location, there would be a treasure to be discovered -’God’s Own Treasure’. The treasures are hidden in a temple or church, a historic monument, beach or national park. A photography mode allows the gamer to click photos. Good photographs will earn more points.“Our gaming initiative is going to be the first in the country in tapping the vibes of the generation next and drawing them to explore new tourist spots. Besides being an exciting game, learning about new places and cultures will be the value addition,” said Tourism Secretary T K Manoj Kumar.“It is a novel tool by which one can explore Kerala by following the trail through different levels,” said Tourism Director Rani George.“Apart from the excitements of 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 (www.zapak.com) is India’s largest gaming company that addresses the complete value chain of digital gaming. With over 7.5 million registered gamers currently, Zapak.com is amongst the top gaming sites in the world. Zapak owns the largest chain of dedicated gaming cafes in the country- Zapak GamePlex. Kerala Tourism had launched two new technology-driven schemes (‘Bring Home a Friend’ and ‘Audio Guide’) earlier to market the state’s tourism destinations. Under ‘Bring Home a Friend’, targeted at the huge Malayalee diaspora, non-resident Keralites can invite friends from other places to stay in Kerala and earn free holiday back home for themselves.The ‘Audio Guide’ initiative, the first by a state in India, allows a visitor to receive audio tours of the state’s tourist destinations on their mobile phones by dialling a dedicated number.
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