Digital actuality tourism prepared for takeoff as travellers stay grounded | Know-how

With wandering the world banned in the pandemic, more and more people are turning to virtual reality to ease the pent-up demand for travel.

The escape from the sofa through a growing number of VR travel experiences whets the appetite for post-pandemic vacations and could be a turning point for technology in tourism, according to analysts.

“As long as the pandemic increases and we spend more time indoors, adoption should continue to grow,” said Ralph Hollister, tourism analyst at Global data and the author of a recent report on VR in Tourism.

Oculus started his Quest 2 The October headset and most popular experiences are National Geographic VR, which takes users to places like Antarctica, where they can kayak through icebergs, climb an ice shelf, and survive a raging blizzard while searching for a lost emperor penguin colony.

Another app, Wander, can teleport VR travelers from the pyramids of Egypt to the gardens of the Taj Mahal, while Alcove offers immersive experiences from hot air balloon rides to city tours.

When We Stayed Home brings travelers to the heart of Paris, Venice, Jerusalem and Tokyo as they mostly are today. With the eyes of a local, you can experience the tranquility, beauty and emptiness of a place to take a break in April 2020.

“In this era of social distancing, people are looking for different ways to be entertained, connected, and active, and VR offers just that,” said one Oculus Speaker. “Whether you want to transport yourself to different places in the world, play with friends, get fit or just hang out and feel like in the same room, people realize they can do it with VR.”

A prominent proponent of the pandemic VR is Germany’s national tourism authority, which has presented a number of comprehensive projects. Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation uses VR to showcase experiences like beach yoga and snorkeling.

Hollister said VR was still a gimmick. “It remains to be seen whether increased use will continue beyond the resumption of a meaningful journey.” But he thinks it could.

“I think the rise will continue, especially among Gen Z and Millennials in the years to come, as they move to higher paying jobs and marketers take them more seriously as a consumer group. You won’t feel alienated from the technology, ”he said.

Currently, VR is used in the “dreamer” phase before travel in tourism, with people looking where they want to go. Among the offers of the tour operator Kuoni, potential customers can take a 360-degree tour through the upscale luxury resort Sandy Lane in Barbados.

Hollister predicts that in the future, people could use VR to book trips directly and select seats on airplanes and hotel rooms with the click of a controller.

“Many travelers and consumers want a seamless experience, from searching to booking with minimal clicks, instant gratification and saving as much time as possible,” he said.

It has its limits. “Tourism is also about touch, taste, smell and all those other sensory experiences that VR can’t,” he said. The price of high quality headsets also limits access.

As the world moves towards more sustainable tourism, VR also has a solution, according to Hollister. As historical sites are being damaged by mass tourism, restoring them in VR could help preserve them.

So this could be a turning point for VR and travel. “Everyone will analyze this and see what value it really has to the industry,” he said.

“More immersive than I could have imagined”

Angel Ross was hoping to travel this year – and he has. He dived with great white sharks in cages, kayaked in Antarctica and played poker in China – all virtually.

Ross, who works for a London-based marketing firm, invested in an Oculus Quest 2 in January to quench his wanderlust after he was “stuck at home and the winter turned a bit depressing”.

He said, “I love to travel. I’m 22 and these are the years I’ve wanted to do a lot of things and obviously can’t do anything right now. I love the ocean and I love snorkeling. The Oculus lets you dive with all of these different animals and it’s super immersive and realistic.

“There is a great white shark, you can step into a cage and it will come towards you. It was pretty terrifying, but amazing. Then there are friendlier animals like dolphins to play with. I’ve done them all pretty accurately. “

To make it more inclusive, he can cast what he sees onto his computer or television to share with friends. “You feel pretty disoriented when you come out because you are really getting your brain to believe you are there,” he said.

In the National Geographic VR app, he went on an adventure in Antarctica. “I’ve seen whales, I’ve been in a kayak and you can climb an ice shelf. You really feel like you are going and moving and going somewhere. All of your senses – obviously not smelling and touching – feel that they are completely absorbed.

“I’m a big poker player, with friends, not for money. And the poker there is amazing. You can go to all of these different places. And one is this Chinese rooftop garden pool. Really cool.”

He has also climbed in the Alps, “which is super realistic – you can chalk your hands and look around and see the drop. Pretty crazy. “

On YouTube VR, he walked a drone up to 40,000 feet to see the curvature of the earth. “It’s even more haunting than I could have imagined. One hundred percent, ”he said.

“Because it’s so haunting and intense, you can’t sit on it for hours. You need breaks. This allows you to have an intense, fun experience and do so many different things to stimulate your senses. And then just stop, take a break. And you don’t need this constant solution. “