• The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the travel and tourism industry.
  • Companies in this sector need to build infrastructures and practices that enable people to travel safely in a post-pandemic world and support local communities that benefit from tourism.
  • Augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies offer alternative ways to travel the world and an exciting new model for the industry.

The tourism industry has hit rock bottom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will continue to feel the effects for at least the first three quarters of 2021 – According to a recent UN reportGlobal tourist arrivals decreased 87% in January 2021 compared to January 2020.

Travel will outweigh post-pandemic fear, so it will be up to the aviation and tourism industries to build safer infrastructures and practices that care for the wellbeing of travelers.

After a year thwarted by the pandemic, and the future of which is not overly optimistic for the industry at this point, tourism company owners should look for alternative methods of interaction for vacationers that can also help tourism-dependent people and economies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has noticeably accelerated testing and the introduction of future-oriented technologies. In addition to enabling citizens around the world to interact with loved ones, technology has helped industries like healthcare, information technology, education, and many others to work remotely.

Effects of COVID-19 on international tourism

Image: statesman

Over the past few decades, technology has helped the travel and tourism industry expand their reach through websites, videos, blogs, and travel photography for travel booking. Digital tools and content are an important source of information for vacationers organizing their next vacation or creating a wish list for travel destinations. While long-distance or virtual tourism has been a futuristic topic on industry forums for some time, today’s world shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic might now be ready to embrace it.

A human-centered design that gains insights from cognitive behavior, social psychology, neurosciences and behavioral economics and is applied with state-of-the-art technologies such as augmented, virtual or mixed reality (AR, VR, MR) could play a decisive role. AR, VR and MR can enable a seamless, uninterrupted interactive experience for viewers from their own private space. The design principles create a smooth digital user experience and create a positive perception of a travel destination.

The COVID-19 pandemic could set the tourism sector back by $ 1 trillion

Image: statesman

There have been previous attempts to accomplish this feat: if you are an aqua sightseer you may be aware of it A documentary about the Great Barrier Reef. An interactive website is available to view the clear, calm currents of the Pacific Ocean, the biodiversity of the reef and experience the sounds of a healthy coral reef. Another much discussed VR experience is Mission 828 This allows you to take a virtual parachute jump from the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The Faroe Islands Official Tourism Association has also created a virtual experience to attract post-pandemic visitors from all over the world.

Imagine a human-centered, online interactive space that makes a target accessible and real to a sightseer whose sounds have been picked up by electroacoustic researchers. You can view vacation spots in a video or by self-navigation using voice or joystick controls, interact with people through video calling platforms, travel the streets of that place, listen to local music, and more. This could be put together individually or in silos on the internet on a single platform and further enhanced by the establishment of tourism centers for on-site physical experiences. Such a setup would allow travel guides, artisans, artisans, hoteliers and transport companies to create their own digital and virtual offerings and to interact with potential customers.

It could look like this: A vacationer begins his experience with the start of his flight. The aircraft descends to the target runway and images of the surroundings are taken from the window pane of the aircraft. Airport signs greet passengers and direct them to a pre-booked taxi. The vacationer can choose his first destination and drive through the streets in a chauffeured car, whose interactions along the way become part of his cherished memories. When you arrive, a travel guide will guide you through the destination with just a tap of your device. During the tour, you’ll hear random people talking, posing for photos, and more. You take a picture to post on social media, go shopping, and negotiate with a local supplier to buy a piece of art and have it delivered to your doorstep. You will learn how to prepare a local dish and learn about local customs.

A virtual platform could even offer the opportunity to explore areas affected by or fighting terrorism. For example, imagine seeing the diverse range of wildlife and snow leopards of the Gurez Valley in the Union of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It doesn’t stop there: if you think about it, you can experience how to travel to the South Pole, into space and beyond. It could also serve as a learning portal for students to understand geography, culture, art and history.

As technology improves life around the world, virtual tourism could revitalize the tourism industry and its people and help build a more sustainable economic model. As a people-centered platform, it can establish local guides, artisans and others as global citizens in the tourism industry.

Written by

Anu Pillai S., Head of Digital Transformation, Innovation Engineering, Wipro