Singapore is giving Americans virtual taxi tours via Twitch

Americans can't easily travel to Singapore at the moment (nor anywhere else for that matter). But the city state has come up with a creative way of keeping itself front of mind when it comes to tourism: targeting gamers.

In a campaign via TBWA/Chiat/Day, the Singapore Tourism Board is livestreaming taxi tours of the city, with a real taxi driver, via Twitch. The tours are running all of this week, spanning four live streams and two hours in length. Singapore Tourism promises that each day and night tour will be an immersive experience, allowing the streamer to experience the landmarks and hidden gems of Singapore (like where to find the best chicken satay or kaya toast). Twitchers can also chat to the driver about what they want to see and where to go next. The next tours take place March 24 at 10AM EST, and Thursday 25 and Sunday 28 at 8pm EST. 

It's claimed to be the first virtual tourism campaign using Twitch; the idea is to tap into the huge numbers of people who have turned to gaming during the pandemic. It's not the first time, however, that Twitch users have been invited to "control" people over the platform. Back in 2015, for example, Old Spice allowed fans to steer a human on a three-day wilderness adventure.