Travel Alberta launches Pokémon Go guide to the province

Travel Alberta was set to launch a guide to Pokémon Go Thursday evening, showing players of the popular game where to find rare creatures across the province.

“Pokémon Go has captured the attention of not only this province, but the world,” said Phil Klassen, the vice-president of global marketing at Travel Alberta.

“We just want to make sure that our province’s beauty and wonder is part of that conversation.”

Pokémon Go, which was released earlier this month, is based on the anime Pokémon franchise made popular in the 1990s and early 2000s. The app allows users to capture “pocket monsters” using augmented reality features on their smartphones.

“The great thing about Pokémon Go is, it encourages people to go out and explore, so we thought this was a natural tie-in,” Klassen said.

But the guide, which would direct players to the best Pokéstops, gyms and hidden gems in the province’s landscape, isn’t the only Pokémon-related initiative by Travel Alberta. The agency also announced signups for a free Pokémon tour of Calgary earlier this week.

The free, guided trip would allow players to explore Calgary using Pokémon Go, taking them to six pieces of public art and a stop at local favourite Village Ice Cream. Registration for that tour, taking place Saturday, are now closed.

“All the 50 seats were taken within the hour,” Klassen said. “People are obviously very excited, so that was fantastic.”

Klassen said if early enthusiasm is any indicator, there may be more Pokémon Go-related ventures on the way for more of the province.

“The guide itself will allow people to explore all of Alberta,” he said. “For the tour, we’ll see how the pilot goes. We may do more tours later.”

Once live, the Pokémon Go guide can be found at travelalberta.tumblr.com.