The pandemic had put an abrupt halt to the travel industry. Border closures and government-imposed stay-at-home notices meant that Sentosa, Singapore’s holiday island, had to close its gates to guests.

Overnight, Sentosa went from hosting millions of visitors each year to zero. 

Without a reopening date on the horizon, Sentosa wanted to maintain its visibility and its relevance until it could welcome people back in the real world.

In the grips of the pandemic 16% of all COVID related social conversation focused on the disappointment of not being able to travel. Travel FOMO was hitting Singaporeans hard. Sentosa needed to find a way for people to escape to Singapore’s Holiday Island from the comfort and safety of their homes.

Riding the cultural moment of Animal Crossing - an entire game built around travelling to islands - we recreated Sentosa within the game.

Beyond recreating the island to a degree of accuracy, social listening indicated the aspects of life that people were really missing, which allowed us to prioritise aspects of the island such as nature trails and the butterfly garden, in addition to some of the more widely recalled attractions and beach bars.

Without any paid media investment, Virtual Sentosa’ became one of the most widely reported tourism destinations globally, generating over $2.66M in PR value (and counting). With over 320 headlines across every continent (except Antarctica) and category, it made the ‘must visit’ list for top travel journalists, was commended by politicians, featured on prime time news from Singapore to Peru, and mentioned in countless social conversations.

Over 15,000 individuals registered for a chance to fly onto the island. The island hosted fellow travel brands, top travel influencers, parents who threw their kids an unforgettable surprise birthday party and even a couple who wanted an alternative wedding destination. Virtual Sentosa provided people with the ultimate island escape, regardless of border closures.