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Pokemon GO is taking over the world, with some Brits even basing their choice of holiday destination around PokeStop hotspots apparently.
A survey by booking site Hotels.com reveals more than half the 500 millennial travellers interviewed will choose their next holiday location because it’s a Pokestop hotspot.
The site reports hotel searches for Sokcho, Korea were up by 95% year-on-year between July 10 and July 19 – a surge of interest linked to the high concentration of Pokestops in the city.
Look who played tourist today #BuckinghamPalace #TheQueen #PokemonGO #London pic.twitter.com/jCBNQaBFyf
— Anna (@lpulverized) July 21, 2016
I've learned more Seattle landmarks from #PokemonGO than I did from the tourism map the hotel gave me. #travel
— Joel Kramer (@Joel_K_Kramer) July 10, 2016
Other cities enjoying a Poke-related influx include New York, London, Tokyo and LA. Some determined gamers are even prepared to travel as far as the Arctic Circle, Australian Outback and Mount Everest in a bid to fill up their Pokedex.
Because the game encourages players to basically become really good tourists – scooping out different sites – some people say they’re seeing more of a destination, and their own cities, than they perhaps would have done before.
Yeah, we kayaked out to the fountain to claim this gym for #teamblue #pokemongo pic.twitter.com/vKyWMK4bsN
— Kelsey Thomson (@Kelchup) July 10, 2016
My attention is so divided right now… #tourism #pokemongo #pokemon #stonehenge #travel #eevee #england #nintendo pic.twitter.com/wTxQMvjAa6
— Lamey Amy (@ohmycrayon) July 9, 2016
Lo sapete che #SanVitoLoCapo è un oasi (anche per allenatori di #PokemonGO)? Il @ResidenceMarino ti aspetta! pic.twitter.com/UTYpziX4eX
— MARINO TOURIST (@ResidenceMarino) August 2, 2016
In response to the game’s popularity, Geckos Adventures has recently launched a tailor-made round the world trip purely for Pokemon fans.
Addicts will have the opportunity to catch Pikachu at Machu Picchu, spot Snorlax in San Cristobal in Galapagos, get Gabite at the Great Pyramids of Giza and capture Cloyster at Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. The six-week trip, which departs on August 28, costs £5,675 per person, including accommodation, flights, selected meals and activities.
Pokemon GO is just insane right now. This is in Central Park. It's basically been HQ for Pokemon GO. pic.twitter.com/3v2VfEHzNA
— Jonathan Perez (@IGIhosT) July 11, 2016
Everyone, it seems, is eager to boast about the number of animated characters lurking in their neighbourhoods.
Tracy Farhad, executive director of the Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau in California, claims the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is brimming with the cute creatures.
She says: “There are more than 40 PokeStops and four PokeGyms in downtown Solvang, including our Visitor Information Center at 1639 Copenhagen Drive.”
Never really had the desire to travel the world until now. #PokèmonGO
— Justin Veltri (@JustinVeltri) July 7, 2016
Hotels.com has also compiled a list of the top 10 Poketels, where a high concentration of Pokemon has been spotted. The Doha Marriott Hotel in Qatar takes the top spot, followed by the Mantra 2 Hotel in Sydney and Pestana Vintage Porto in Portugal.
According to their research, Hotels.com claims 35% of holidaymakers believe they’ll learn more about a destination this summer because of the game. Instead of lounging around the pool, they plan to spend on average four hours per day seeking Pokemon.
