4 in 10 Singaporeans swayed by Pokemon Go on trip spots: Survey

4 in 10 Singaporeans swayed by Pokemon Go on trip spots: Survey

The hit mobile-phone game Pokemon Go is influencing the vacation choices of Singapore travellers, a new survey has shown.

Four in 10 people admitted that they would choose their holiday destination based on Pokestops, according to Hotels.com, which commissioned a poll of 500 Singaporean adults under 30 last month.

Most of them - 76 per cent - plan to play Pokemon Go during their next overseas trip.

They also plan to set aside time in their travel itinerary to find Pokemon gyms and lures, with most saying they expect to spend two to three hours every day playing the game while abroad, said the hotel-booking website in a press release.

[embed]https://studio.brightcove.com/products/videocloud/media/videos/5105623064001[/embed]

Pokestops are places where players can obtain new items to aid in their progress in the game, which has been downloaded about 500 million times since its launch in July.

The game entails catching virtual monsters or Pokemon, and pitting them against other players' monsters in locations marked as "gyms" to gain experience points. A lure is an item that can draw more Pokemon to the player's location.

[[nid:324318]]

Jessica Chuang, director of regional marketing (Greater China, South-east Asia and India) at Hotels.com described the Pokemon-inspired holiday as a "complicated mix" of hunting monsters, going to the gyms and "exploring destinations through the eyes of the Pokemon world".

Tokyo is the city identified by Singaporean travellers as the most ideal place for playing Pokemon Go - which is not surprising, given that Japan is the birth country of the lovable "pocket monsters".

Some 51 per cent picked the Japan capital.

New York, the United States (36 per cent), Bangkok, Thailand (31 per cent) and Sydney, Australia (31 per cent) also fared well as preferred hot spots for catching Pokemon.

But Singaporeans are far from crazed game addicts - food and romance take priority over playing Pokemon Go on vacations, the survey found.

[[nid:324303]]

Said Ms Chuang: "There might be some confused girlfriends and boyfriends, expecting the romantic walk on the beach while their other half is secretly steering them towards the nearest 'lure'."

"Despite this, it's clear the Pokemon Go phenomenon is influencing our holiday destinations, opening our minds to new adventures in new destinations," she added.

[[nid:321284]]

chpoon@sph.com.sg

[embed]https://studio.brightcove.com/products/videocloud/media/videos/5081160726001[/embed]


Get MyPaper for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.