Virtual Tourism

All of this downtime from the Coronavirus Pandemic stay is a great opportunity for individuals to take a ride down memory lane by looking through old photo albums and videos.

Cabin fever from Federal and local stay at home mandates certainly have caused pent up demand for travel and viewing one’s photo albums and videos geared to past trips will undoubtedly contribute to this thirst for rewarding travel experiences.

During these days of enforced ‘staycation’ amchair travelers can scope out potential destinations for their next trip and explore the world through the advent of Virtual Tourism and Augmented Tourism. They are free offerings on the Internet designed to widen one’s horizons and whet one’s appetite for premier travel destinations around the world, tours, sights and attractions, experiential travel, and augmented reality experiences.

One’s wanderlust can be virtually experienced at a variety of destinations from wine tastings at a Napa winery to pasta and pizza making live-streams from Italy to a digital African safari. Individuals can explore the new Seven Wonders of the World on platforms by the New York Times, Panoramas, Google, and Airpano.

Virtual Even video games have entered the realm of virtual tourism. Gamers can enjoy simulated visits to places like Versailles Palace and the Sistine Chapel.

360 degree panoramic photography and video content can be viewed from one’s computer, tablet, or mobile phone on the following digital technology platforms -

• World renowned museums and art exhibits can be viewed on Google’s virtual reality Arts & Culture platform.

• Google Earth is a rendered 3d representation of the earth through high resolution satellite images and aerial photography.

• CyArk has created a Virtual Reality application called Master Works that focuses on historic wonders and cultural heritage sites around the world.

• Airpano offers high-resolution aerial 360° photographs and 360° video footage at destinations around the world.

• The VR World Travel channel on Youtube features 360 degree views of popular destinations.

• Fatmap is geared to planning and retracing outdoor adventures for hikes, cyclists, skiers, and runners.

Armchair travel on apps with immersive 360 degree at destinations throughout the USA are showcased on a large number of virtual and augmented reality platforms.  

In the United States local destination marketing organizations have setup campaigns to foster local travel once the new normal in travel has set in.

Hawaii’s top sights and attractions are showcased in virtual tours, educational resources, and Internet offerings.

• Highton launched Virtual Yosemite, a high resolution digital display showcasing Yosemite Valley. Many other national parks in the USA can be viewed on Google and Google Earth.

• Google features high resolution pieces of art at many world class museums in the United States including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Art Institute in Chicago, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

• The Smithsonian Museums in Washington DC

• Rollercoasters at Six Flags theme parks

• Popular hikes can be accessed from a variety of platforms including those from Lonely Planet on Youtube.

Although Virtual Tourism cannot replace the experience of physically traveling to a location tourism industry professionals such as hoteliers, tour operators, tourism bureaus, etc. should keep in mind the following important consumer statistics regarding the future of VR Travel –

“According to research carried out in Germany by Statista (see below), almost 50% of people would use VR as a tool for choosing their holiday destination (providing it was free).

Research carried out by Tourism Australia found that almost 20% of consumers had used VR to select a holiday destination. Around 25% of consumers said they planned to use VR in the future to help them decide on a holiday destination.”