In today’s world, Virtual Reality (VR) has proven to be the most valuable contribution of modern technology to the world of travel and tourism. It helps in enhancing the real- world tours and travels. VR, basically is an interactive computer-generated experience, putting places within a simulated environment. It incorporates mainly auditory and visual feedback of the desired destination.
With this, you can traverse destinations all over the world without even leaving your home. If done correctly, it almost feels like you’re right there at the place physically ! And this raises the question – Should people start checking destinations off their bucket lists by booting up a device, instead of booking tours and actually going for a real trip?
According to a survey, 57 percent Indian travellers and 51 percent APCA travellers prefer to experience virtual reality tours before booking their holiday destinations. Because VR tours are not only attract people to visit a destination, but help them to plan out what they’re going to do and provide an idea about the quality time they’re going to spend there. The report published in Amadeus’s ‘Journey of Me Insights’.
Further the report reveals, compared to other new technologies, the APAC travellers are more interested in mobile app that offers digital overlays containing interactive information about the culture or history of a tourist site. Where as Indian travellers prefer a 360-degree interactive video that offers them to have a full sense of the place, they wish to see on their trip. Virtual reality actually helps in ramping up tourism.
As explained by an expert, “VR gives you a quick preview of things or else that would take you weeks to analyse … It’s a technology where you teleport yourself into an experience, which is a great way to make a shortlist for your trip.”
As per the case study, among all tourism destinations, Las Vegas is the one who proactively embraces VR tours to attract and entertain its visitors. It has recently launched a virtual reality companion app, called Vegas VR – the app that complements the immersive desktop experience, GeoVegas, which offers 360 degree video tours of attractions, hotels and more.
No doubt that Virtual Reality is one of the most amazing technologies in existence, but it still fades in comparison to the real life experience, especially when it comes to shaping the memories that are cling to actual traveling experiences.
While on a trip or vacation, you’re immersed in your destination 24 hours a day, with varied and unique actions to experience personally.
As said by Abi Mandelbaum, CEO and co-founder of YouVisit, an organization that expertises in VR tours, “You can’t replicate that in VR, but you can surely allow people a preview and understanding of what they would experience if they opt to visit the place physically.”
