Lanzarote Video Games and Tourism: How Gaming Could Promote the Island
Lanzarote is famous for volcanoes, beaches, César Manrique's architecture, outdoor adventures and year-round sunshine. But the island is now looking at a very different way of putting itself in front of potential visitors: video games.
A new professional meeting in Lanzarote has brought the tourism sector and the video game industry together to explore how digital entertainment could help promote the island, create new visitor experiences and give travellers another reason to engage with the Canary Islands before, during and after a trip.
Tourism meets the gaming industry
The meeting, held on 30 September 2026 at the Chamber of Commerce of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, was organised within the ImpulsaTech Lanzarote programme, funded by the Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa. It was designed to examine the meeting point between tourism, technology and digital entertainment.
The programme brought together people from video game development, virtual reality, tourism marketing and accommodation. Rather than treating gaming simply as entertainment, the event looked at whether interactive digital experiences can become part of the way a destination is marketed and experienced.
Lanzarote and the Canary Islands already have a digital head start
One of the most interesting examples discussed was the Canary Islands' presence on Roblox. Turismo de Islas Canarias has developed the 'Find the Seasouls' experience, using an interactive game environment to introduce users to the islands' natural and cultural attractions.
The regional tourism organisation says the Roblox project had already passed four million visits and 2.6 million unique users by 2026. The experience combines entertainment with environmental and destination storytelling, allowing users to explore a digital version of the islands in a format familiar to younger audiences.
From the salto del pastor to a video game
Another example highlighted at the Lanzarote event was 'Risko – Shepherd's Lead', created by Aday Melián of Daydream Software. The game draws inspiration from the traditional Canarian practice known as salto del pastor, in which a long pole is used to help navigate rugged terrain.
A locally created game can carry elements of Canarian heritage into an international digital space. Someone who has never visited the islands could encounter a piece of local culture through a game before ever stepping onto a Canarian beach.
Could gaming change the way people plan a Lanzarote holiday?
For travellers, the potential is not necessarily about replacing real holidays with virtual ones. It is about creating another route into the destination. A player might discover volcanic landscapes, local traditions, marine life or island architecture online, become curious about the real places and then decide to experience them in person.
That could make digital tourism particularly useful for Lanzarote. The island already has a strong visual identity, from Timanfaya's volcanic scenery to whitewashed villages, lava fields and dramatic Atlantic coastlines. Those distinctive features lend themselves naturally to interactive storytelling and virtual exploration.
Hotels could become part of the game too
The discussion also looked beyond destination marketing. Christopher Vegas of Rising Pixel examined how gamification could be used by accommodation businesses to make a stay more interactive and encourage guest loyalty.
Gamification could mean digital challenges, interactive activities, rewards or location-based experiences that encourage guests to explore a hotel, resort or destination. The exact applications will depend on each business, but the principle is simple: make the visitor an active participant rather than just a consumer of information.
A new strand of Lanzarote tourism?
It is far too early to say that video games will become a major tourism driver for Lanzarote. What has happened so far is more exploratory: local institutions and industry professionals are examining what could be possible when tourism and technology work together.
The idea fits into a wider move towards digital tourism in the Canary Islands. Virtual reality, interactive content, gaming and other digital tools can allow a destination to tell its story in new formats and reach people who may not respond to traditional holiday advertising.
For residents, a stronger creative and technology sector could create opportunities for local talent and help diversify the island economy beyond its traditional tourism base. That was one of the themes behind ImpulsaTech Lanzarote, which aims to support technological development and training.
What does this mean for visitors to Lanzarote?
For now, visitors should not expect to arrive in Puerto del Carmen or Playa Blanca and find the island transformed into a giant video game. The developments discussed at the conference are about exploring possibilities and building digital experiences alongside the real destination.
It is an intriguing glimpse at how Lanzarote tourism could evolve. The next generation of travellers is increasingly comfortable discovering places through screens, games, social media and interactive experiences. If Lanzarote can combine that digital world with the island's genuine landscapes, culture and heritage, the result could be a new way of inspiring people to visit—and perhaps a new way of helping them discover more once they arrive.
The real Lanzarote is still waiting
No virtual landscape can quite reproduce the feeling of standing beside a Lanzarote volcano, watching the Atlantic from a clifftop or walking through one of the island's distinctive villages. The purpose of digital tourism is therefore likely to be complementary: spark curiosity online, then encourage people to experience the real island for themselves.
For a destination built around unforgettable landscapes and strong cultural identity, the combination of Lanzarote tourism and digital storytelling could become an interesting part of the island's future.
