Visitors to Disney theme parks can now earn snazzy virtual pins and badges for their Gowalla passports, thanks to a partnership rolled out Thursday.
All major attractions at Walt Disney World and Disneyland will be showcased on Gowalla in the initiative, which treats the parks like cities unto themselves. It's the "largest number of custom Gowalla passport stamps ever developed for a brand," according to the location-based check-in service that competes with Foursquare.
Special Disney-curated "trips" within the parks will send visitors on self-guided tours. "Gowalla is the perfect complement to the park visit by rewarding guests with exclusive digital stamps, and by suggesting new ways to explore the parks with fun trip itineraries," said Leslie Ferraro, executive vice president of global marketing for Disney Destinations in a press release.
For instance, the Thrill Seekers Unite trip bundles together Disney World rides like Space Mountain, Astro Orbiter and The Haunted Mansion (which is being turned into a horror movie by Guillermo del Toro).
"Part of what makes Gowalla special is our vision to inspire people to discover and explore truly remarkable places around the world and then share those experiences with friends and family worldwide," said Andy Ellwood, Gowalla's business development director. "Disney has consistently created this kind of wonder and excitement with its park-goers, so teaming up to create something new has been a thrill for us."
Gowalla has about 600,000 registered users, according to a company representative. The location-based service offers apps for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Palm and iPad.
Follow us on Twitter: @lewiswallace and @theunderwire.
See Also:
