Explore a French Island Paradise With Start VR's App for New Caledonia Tourism

Sydney, Australia-based virtual reality studio Start VR transports viewers to the picturesque archipelago of New Caledonia in a virtual reality travel experience for New Caledonia Tourism. The Start VR team specially designed the program’s navigation plane. The interface, called StartGATE, established user engagement properties and enables publishers and brands to create multi-platform VR experiences.

The app is now available for download on the Samsung Gear and Google Cardboard headsets. Designed to entice viewers to travel to the colorful island paradise, the 360 video and soundscape experience covers diverse regions in New Caledonia, including the Grande Terre and Loyalty islands, as well the Isle of Pines. The app includes fascinating local stories, tours of private beaches and a glimpse into the cosmopolitan New Caledonia lifestyle, all in an immersive and interactive environment. 

Click here to view the VR experience using iTunes and here for Google Play.

“We set out to create a sensory, interactive and exploratory experience that revels in the diverse and compelling stories of the New Caledonia people. As an active participant in the narrative, we experience the lifestyle, beauty and uniqueness of each location, as told through the stories of each locations local guide,” says Kain Tietzel, CEO and Creative Director at Start VR.

Tietzel notes, “Virtual Reality is finally achieving the critical mass that brands and marketers have been waiting for. New Caledonia is a great example of a tourism brand who have embraced the unique qualities afforded by the medium to tell immersive, interactive and stories.” 

New Caledonia Tourism commissioned Start VR to develop the experience, which features five local guides leading viewers across the five regions of New Caledonia and through 12 fantastic locations, bringing viewers a multi-sensory glimpse into the remote island paradise. The app currently hosts a menu in VR and provides four language options, multi-channel distribution, and app alerts. 

Users are encouraged to explore the island and experience the local stories of New Caledonia. Users will unlock additional locations and stories as they explore the islands’ attractions, creating a choose-your-own-adventure style experience. From a silver-sand cove littered with fish, players might follow their guide up one of the many jungle-laden mountains. Or, they can meet the island chief himself and be offered a ceremonious gift. In all, users can partake in the pristine Isle of Pines, Noumea Markets, dirt roads with present-day operating cowboys, and more. The linear sequence of the experience lets viewers see the island as any tourist—through one breathtaking story at a time.