Tourism Ireland has launched a marketing campaign in Second Life; the first time a real world tourist board has used the Internet-based virtual world to market a real holiday destination. The campaign involves Tourism Ireland sponsoring a range of events and activities in Second Life's replica of Dublin City , which was created by London based Irish developer John Mahon of PickSL until St Patrick's Day 2008.
Since its establishment in 2003, Second Life has grown significantly and now has more than nine million registered users or "residents", 1.6 million of whom use it regularly. Dublin in Second Life and is a well established destination for live music and DJs - It occasionally makes the top ten list of the most popular places to visit in the virtual world. Tourism Ireland partnered with PickSL to leverage the success of virtual Dublin as a Second Life destination, to promote the message of holidaying in the real-world destination.
Tourism Ireland's decision was influenced by the fact that 60% of Second Life's users are from Ireland's four biggest tourist markets - Great Britain, the US, Germany and France, and half those are more than 30 - a key demographic for tourism to Ireland.
Original Article, Click here
Tuesday, November 13, 2007