Imagine sitting in your living room, feeling the ocean waves at Maldives on a beach. You aren’t in the Maldives, but it is at your home. That’s the power of VR tourism.
You can immerse yourself into any space right from the comfort of your home. But, VR in tourism is changing more than this. We’ll explore everything that VR is transforming in the travel industry here.
Contents
- 1 What is Virtual Reality in Tourism?
- 2 How Does VR Tourism Work?
- 3 Applications of Virtual Reality in Tourism
- 4 Why are Virtual Tours Beneficial?
- 5 Real-World Examples of Successful Implementation of VR in Tourism
- 6 Conclusion
- 7 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- 8 1. What are VR tours?
- 9 2. How can you use VR for travel?
- 10 3. How does VR help with sustainable travel?
- 11 4. What are the disadvantages of VR tourism?
- 12 5. What is the difference between 3D and 360-degree virtual tourism?
What is Virtual Reality in Tourism?
Virtual reality in tourism, or VR tourism, is the virtual way to explore new destinations, see hotel previews, and have your first in-flight experience — all from your home. Not only for travel enthusiasts, but virtual reality in tourism is beneficial to travel agencies and hotels too.
But, how is it possible to visit a destination in VR? Well, virtual reality supports various forms of videos, from 360-degree to 3D. So, you can feel the Hawaiian breeze even from your smartphone. Let’s find out how VR tourism works?
How Does VR Tourism Work?
Virtual reality can be used in many different ways in the tourism industry. Since the technology is evolving at a rapid rate, the applications are countless.
The two main ways that VR tourism works are: VR tourism video and tourism photography. Let’s learn about them.
1. VR Tourism Video
VR tourism videos are the kind that can take you to Paris, or the Grand Canyon — from the comfort of your living room. These videos are captured with specialist cameras called “omnidirectional cameras”.
Omnidirectional cameras can capture the destination from every angle at once. After filming, the footage is then stitched together to create a VR tourism video.
Still, there are two types of VR tourism videos:
- Monoscopic VR tourism video
- Stereoscopic VR tourism video
The difference between the two is in the devices on which you can watch them. For instance, monoscopic VR tourism videos can be viewed on mobiles and computers. To explore the destination, the viewer just has to scroll across the screen.
Here’s an example of a monoscopic VR tourism video:
https://youtu.be/K_LBBV0XtYE?si=mC5melB20kqaXint
On the other hand, stereoscopic VR tourism videos can only be watched on VR headsets. These videos take more time to produce and thus, are expensive. However, they provide an impressively realistic view.
2. VR Tourism Photography
VR tourism photography involves capturing 360-degree pictures of travel destinations. These images can be viewed on regular devices like mobiles, tablets, and desktop. Such images are still, but you can scroll or swipe across them to get the whole view.
Take a look at these 360-degree images:
[ https://immersion360video.co.uk/?controller=360photos ]
It looks so cool, doesn’t it? These images are taken with state-of-the-art DSLR cameras on specialist rigs that allow for 360-degree images. They are in higher resolution than VR tourism videos because of the DSLR camera.
Although these images aren’t as immersive, they are cost-effective and easier to produce. Therefore, they are a great way to create VR hotel tours as well.
You may also read: – How to Watch VR Movies For The First Time?
Applications of Virtual Reality in Tourism
Virtual reality has many applications in the tourism industry. Here are the top five real-life applications:
1. VR Travel Experiences
360-degree, or monoscopic VR travel experiences are gaining popularity. YouTube’s VR experiences offer a 360-degree virtual experience, for instance. Viewers can scroll around their screens to view the whole space.
Have a look at this soothing view of Maldives:
2. Immersive Tourism
Stereoscopic videos can provide a realistic, immersive virtual travel experience to users. It’s as if you’re actually there. Since these videos cannot be viewed on desktop, they require virtual reality headsets.
In addition, stereoscopic VR tourism videos are expensive to produce with spatial audio. Therefore, unlike 360-degree virtual travel experiences, they aren’t easily accessible.
3. Tourism Marketing
Travel agencies can use VR to change their marketing approaches. Typically, agents show their prospects brochures and travel destinations on a computer screen. It feels too old now.
Instead, travel agents can create an in-store immersive experience for prospects to feel. Then, the customers can feel what their vacation would be like. Consequently, it can improve sales and boost brand exposure.
4. Virtual Hotel Tours
Virtual hotel tours can allow prospects to view hotels from inside-and-out for a complete visualisation. This can have a huge impact on the travel industry as people would now get to imagine their vacation.
It’s usually possible with monoscopic, 360-degree photography that allows users to view hotels in an immersive way. Additionally, businesses can post these pictures on websites and social media as a marketing tactic.
Such immersive experiences also leave a lasting impression, boosting brand engagement. Therefore, virtual tours are gaining popularity among hotels too.
5. Cultural Experiences
Virtual reality can be used to learn about new cultures, experience the history, and rewind time. For instance, you can go and explore New York City from your living room. You can take a virtual assistance as a guide to the trip.
Whether it’s a museum in France, or the old Egyptian pyramids, virtual reality can show you all the facts and proofs. It’s a fascinating way to explore different parts of the world and their cultural heritage.
Why are Virtual Tours Beneficial?
VR tourism has many benefits — from realistic travel experiences to a boost in the tourism industry. Here, we’ve listed the top 5 benefits that virtual tours offer:
- First Hand Experience: The tourists can travel to a destination without even booking for it, getting a new experience. Thus, vacation planning gets easier.
- Sustainable traveling: Virtual reality users can travel anywhere from their living room. Therefore, it promotes a sustainable traveling mode.
- Realistic 360-degree views: The 360-degree view allows people to see a hotel, a destination, or a flight right from their smartphone.
- Better marketing: Traveling agencies can market themselves better with the immersive views, creating a unique brand engagement.
- Traveling becomes easier: Travel enthusiasts can now explore the world more easily, and in a cost-effective way.
You may also read – Future Trends of Virtual Reality for 2024
Real-World Examples of Successful Implementation of VR in Tourism
VR tourism isn’t the future anymore. It’s the present. Several companies have already tapped into its potential and the results were remarkable. Let’s have a glance at two real-world examples of virtual tourism: Marriott’s VR Postcards and First Airlines’ virtual flights.
1. Marriot’s VR Postcards
Mirriott, the hotel chain, conducted an experiment with their guests. The main objective was to find if virtual reality can boost the guest satisfaction rates.
Here’s what happened: Marriott handed VR headsets to their guests at the New York Marriott and the London Marriott Park Lane. For 24 hours, the guests had these devices with them. In the end, it was concluded that virtual reality can really boost customer experience.
2. First Airlines’ Virtual Flights
First Airlines is a visionary ‘airline’ that uses the power of VR to give passionate travellers an immersive journey. It combines both the real-world and digital elements to create a thrilling experience.
In a replica of an A310’s cabin, passengers strap on a VR headset and immerse them into their destination. Meanwhile, the cabin crew keeps on pampering them as in a real flight.
This unique and thrilling experience offers a preview of the hidden potential in VR tourism. As travel brands realize this, we can expect to see more experiences like the First Airlines’ virtual flight experiences.
You may also read:- Beyond Gaming: Practical Applications & Use of VR
Conclusion
Virtual reality in tourism seems promising to the prospects. As the technology advances further, we can expect to see its use in more applications than previews. Possibly, it could create more realistic simulations in future.
As we have seen VR’s potential with Marriott’s experiment and First Airlines’ virtual in-flight experiences, it can change the way we explore the world. In addition, these experiences can strike customers’ emotional chords and increase brand loyalty.