The immersive travel experience comes after Monopoly research discovered 2.3m British kids cannot name more than 10 countries.
New research from Monopoly has unveiled that UK children know more about virtual worlds and cities, found in video games and TV shows, than countries and destinations across the world.
While over half of kids have heard of Gotham (55%), Zootopia (58%) and Neverland (60%), only a quarter have heard of Shanghai (25%), Milan (28%) or Cape Town (26%). In response, Monopoly has launched Monopoly Travel World Tour, a twist on the classic game which sees properties and roads replaced with far-flung locations and experiences in a bid to educate and excite children today about the many wonders of the world.
To bring the concept to life, Monopoly is hosting an immersive travel experience for budding young adventurers and their families at London’s Noho Studios on 11th and 12th November. Monopoly Travel World Tour will enable guests to explore the world without even packing a bag or boarding a plane.
Monopoly’s latest edition of its classic board game aims to help kids learn whilst they play, bringing real locations around the world to life.
The research also found that 67% of parents were concerned their children will not have the same sense of excitement to explore the world as they did, with 96% agreeing that learning about different countries and cultures is important for children’s development.
The top five cities UK kids aged 7-12 have never heard of are Shanghai (75%), Milan (72%), Cairo (70%), Belfast (53%) and Sydney (47%).
The Monopoly Travel World Tour experience is free to attend. Families will be invited to explore the Great Barrier Reef, help to build the Great Wall of China and enjoy the festivities at Colombia’s Carnaval de Barranquilla, before finishing with the opportunity to enter a competition to win a trip to any of the destinations on the Monopoly Travel World Tour board game.
Steve Backshall, TV presenter, British naturalist, explorer and author, said: “There are so many incredible places to explore across our globe, and I am lucky to have visited many of them. But not everyone has this opportunity, of course. Monopoly has been teaching kids about money for decades, now it is teaching kids about the wonders of our world, with the launch of Monopoly Travel World Tour – a new family game that’s both fun and educational.”
Those unable to make it to the event in London can visit www.MonopolyTravelWorldTour.co.uk to start exploring online instead. Visitors to the site will be able to board a virtual flight to China, Australia or Colombia, picking up geographical knowledge and answering questions along the way to also be in with a chance of winning the once-in-a-lifetime holiday to a boardgame destination.
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