Thomas Cook India, SOTC and Tourism New Zealand to turn Minecraft into reality

New Delhi: Thomas Cook (India), a travel services company, and its group company, SOTC Travel, have been selected by Tourism New Zealand to showcase the destination in a gaming format.

The joint marketing campaign has been timed with the launch of the upcoming “A Minecraft Movie”, shot in New Zealand, in partnership with Warner Bros Pictures and Mojang Studios, to create a destination Minecraft DLC (downloadable content), inviting users to play New Zealand in game mode.   

The campaign creatives offer a teaser of the game, set against backdrops and experiences in New Zealand, including Waitomo Caves (Waikato), Rotorua (Bay of Plenty), Kapiti Island (Wellington), Abel Tasman (Nelson/Tasman), Tekapo (Mackenzie) and Doubtful Sound (Fiordland). 

This initiative aims to enable users to recreate their Minecraft experience via a real-life adventure trip to New Zealand.

To ensure the transition from gaming to booking, Thomas Cook India and SOTC have curated a range of Minecraft itineraries, designed around experiences featured in the Minecraft Aotearoa New Zealand DLC, like paddling a waka/canoe in Abel Tasman, visiting glowworm caves in Waitomo, or stargazing in Tekapo, and more.

René de Monchy, Chief Executive, Tourism New Zealand, said, “This is our chance to invite Indian travellers to play Aotearoa New Zealand and show just how much fun people can have here. We want to give people an immersive taste of what New Zealand has to offer and our marketing collaboration with Thomas Cook and SOTC Travel intends to highlight this.”

Abraham Alapatt, President and Group head – Marketing, Service Quality, Value-added Services and Innovation, Thomas Cook India, and SOTC Travel, said, "We are excited to be selected as travel partners in this exciting collaboration with New Zealand Tourism. India’s young, dynamic demographic is engaging with travel in new ways, and leveraging gaming offers a unique opportunity to connect. With the Minecraft DLC set against New Zealand’s landscapes, our campaign intends to inspire travel - by converting their digital journey into a real-world adventure and experiencing New Zealand firsthand.” 

He added, “This collaboration aligns with our vision to offer innovative travel solutions that resonate with India’s digital natives, seamlessly moving from pixels to places!”