virtual reality in travel and tourism

Tourism in the metaverse: Can travel go virtual?

Imagine a future where your travel choices have no geographic constraints. Where you can join your friends in the front row of a concert by your favorite star—but the crowd is 300 million strong, your friends are on the other side of the world, and it’s all happening at the Great Pyramid of Giza. Later you’ll do some shopping at the virtual souk and take a digital Nile cruise, before teleporting back home in an instant.

Impossible? Or a tempting package trip that might soon be available from the comfort of your home? With the internet’s rapid evolution, many see this vision of transformed travel on the horizon—in the metaverse. Others caution that this future might take a little longer to arrive, and that travelers resist “metaversification” of key parts of the tourism journey.

The metaverse is seen as the next evolution of the internet—a collective space where physical and digital worlds converge to deliver more immersive, interactive virtual- or augmented-reality (VR/AR) user experiences, often referred to together as extended reality (XR). The underlying technology for this exists and is proving relatively cheap and fast to implement. Driven largely by inspirational advertising and virtual events, the potential rewards for the travel industry are already substantial: more than $20 billion by 2030, by McKinsey estimates.

This has potential to revolutionize the way we explore new worlds: already, you can attend concerts, shop, test products, visit attractions, and take workshops, all without physically traveling anywhere. Currently, the user demographic trends very young, but it’s crucial for the tourism sector to appeal to this segment. 1 Hristina Nikolovska, “Metaverse Statistics to Prepare You for the Future,” February 16, 2023. After all, these are the travelers of the future—and players not keeping pace with their interests will lose out.

But does XR live up to all the hype—with appeal beyond a gamer demographic? A virtual trip can never replace the thrill of certain tangible, real-word experiences, and some traveler touchpoints have proved more ripe for disruption than others.

Despite these hesitations, the XR ecosystem is maturing at pace. Immersive VR/AR devices may well follow the steep adoption curves of laptops and smartphones. Widespread use could lead to a radical extension of the global economy from physical into virtual life, not least in tourism.

So how does a tourism player go about monetizing this virtual paradigm, which is still taking shape and many struggle to define? It’s time for the sector to take a serious look at these complex opportunities—and figure out what best drives traction in the new XR universe.

Touring the metaverse: early trends

The metaverse could enrich the tourism experience in countless unprecedented, innovative ways—but which use cases have the most potential, and which are still deemed risky? Early adopters have already started experimenting, and several trends have emerged. Virtual elements can be layered onto an established business:

• In the wake of the fire that damaged the famous cathedral in 2019, French start-up Histovery produced an augmented exhibition on the history of Notre-Dame de Paris—motivated in part by an increased awareness of the fragility of physical landmarks. To navigate the exhibition, each visitor uses a “HistoPad” touch screen to take an immersive tour that allows interaction with physical elements: giant photographs, 3-D models of statues, replica flooring and stained glass, and audio of Notre-Dame’s organs and bells. Effects include animation and a virtual scavenger hunt for younger visitors. 2 “Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition,” National Building Museum, April 2022.
• In December 2021, faced with record staff turnover, MGM Resorts International decided to apply a virtual solution. In partnership with immersive platform provider Strivr, MGM developed VR headsets that give aspirant front-of-house staff a realistic sense of what working at MGM casinos and hotels entails. The training package was rolled out at the company’s properties in 2022. It’s designed to speed up onboarding and upskilling, increase employee confidence, and familiarize potential hires with MGM procedures and culture. 3 Grace Dean, “MGM Resorts is letting job seekers try out roles using virtual reality as it looks to reduce employee churn,” Business Insider, December 12, 2021; Phil Albinus, “Rising Star goes all in on VR talent marketplace for MGM Resorts,” Human Resource Executive, June 14, 2022; “4 Examples of Strivr Virtual Reality Training,” Strivr.com.

Other virtual platforms allow visitors to explore major global landmarks, incorporating rich edutainment and retail opportunities. Several such initiatives have been launched:

• Responding to pandemic travel restrictions, ZEPETO World is a smartphone app that allows users to create personal avatars and travel around Korea. For example, the tour includes a highly detailed interactive map of Han River Park; this feature gets almost 257,000 visitors a day. Users are also able to communicate with each other, shop, and watch performances. ZEPETO World has approximately 190 million members. 4 Majid Mushtaq, “Korea Virtual Travel with ZEPETO World,” KoreabyMe, September 6, 2021.
• The BCB Group—a leading crypto banking group—has created a metaverse city that includes representations of some of the most visited destinations in the world, such as the Great Wall of China and the Statue of Liberty. According to BCB, the total cost of flights, transfers, and entry for all these landmarks would come to $7,600—while a virtual trip would cost just over $2. 5 “What impact can the Metaverse have on the travel industry?” Middle East Economy , July 29, 2022.
• Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) recently announced that the ancient city of Hegra had entered the metaverse, in line with a national program to drive technological transformation and innovation. It is the first UNESCO World Heritage Site to be placed in the metaverse, allowing digital tourists to explore the surroundings as well as Hegra’s Tomb of Lihyan son of Kuza. 6 Divsha Bhat, “Saudi’s Royal Commission for AlUla enters the metaverse,” Gulf Business , November 15, 2022; “Vision 2030,” The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; “Saudi Arabia’s AlUla enters the metaverse,” Arabian Business , November 14, 2022; One Carlo Diaz, “Hegra’s Tomb of Lihyan in AlUla is recreated in the metaverse,” NTravel, November 7, 2022.

Instead of attempting to replicate real-world experiences, entirely novel environments can also be created, convening people in a single immersive space—as in multiplayer online games. (Indeed, many people currently associate the metaverse largely with games.) The travel industry can harness this utility too.

This is particularly relevant to the meeting, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) sector, with virtual gatherings, exhibitions, and trade fairs looking to become mainstream. These allow people to gather and take part in activities in the same immersive space, while connecting from anywhere. This dramatically reduces travel, venue, catering, and other costs, while avoiding setbacks like adverse weather conditions or disease scares. For example, one Japanese start-up recently held a virtual market that attracted a wide response, with around 60 well-known companies participating. 7 “Metaverse x MICE; 3D virtual world that will transform MICE industry in the future,” Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau.

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What areas of tourism show promise.

As innovative formats become more mainstream, new economic models are emerging. The travel experience of the future will not be exclusively online or offline. Instead, we’ll most likely see a proliferation of hybrid offerings, with virtual events, edutainment, and inspiration combined with physical destinations.

One way to grapple with this complexity is to adopt a traveler-first mindset. By putting themselves in the shoes (or bedroom slippers) of their target tourist, travel companies can identify opportunities to embed relevant virtual elements.

Individual touchpoints, not end-to-end offerings

Virtual experiences that show promise are focused on a few specific, discrete steps in the end-to-end traveler journey (exhibit). Which touchpoints can be most effectively disrupted? Which hold the greatest possibilities for integration? Which steps can be elevated by an immersive element, allowing for exhilarating, fantastical or deluxe experiences not available in the physical world? Three touchpoints show great potential: travel inspiration, virtual events and visitor support.

Inspiration and planning: The metaverse creates a $13 billion opportunity for tourism inspiration, mostly driven by digital travel advertising. Virtual spaces—which can be used to showcase hotel amenities, airline classes, or an entire landmark—spark the desire to travel, give a holistic idea of a destination, help in traveler decision-making, showcase broader offerings, and raise awareness of unfamiliar locations. The case studies of AlUla and ZEPETO demonstrate how this can work. Qatar Airways offers another example: a recently launched VR experience called QVerse allows travelers to view cabin interiors, the business-class QSuite, and the VIP check-in area at Hamad International Airport. 8 Rose Dykins, “Qatar Airways creates virtual reality ‘QVerse’ experience,” Globetrender, June 13, 2022.

Leisure and entertainment: Live streaming soared during the pandemic, followed by a wave of interest in virtual concerts—with significant increases in consumer demand, spend, and audience numbers. 9 John Koetsier, “Virtual Events Up 1000% Since COVID-19, With 52,000 On Just One Platform,” May 27, 2020. In 2020, the metaverse accounted for 0.1 percent of live-music revenues—a figure which rose more than tenfold by 2021. By 2030, we estimate that virtual events could account for up to 20 percent of revenues, driven in part by their capacity to accommodate huge audience numbers at reduced cost.

Ariana Grande leads the way into the music future

In August 2021, Epic Games launched its latest Fortnite event, the Rift Tour, starring Grammy-winning artist Ariana Grande. 1 Isamu Nishijima, “Ariana Grande x Fortnite Rift Tour: The Apogee of Pop Culture or Just the Beginning?”, Headline Asia Publication , Aug 30, 2021. It was a match made in heaven: Fortnite, a wildly popular battle-royale game with then around 350 million registered users, and Ariana Grande, a universally adored pop artist. 2 Emi La Capra, “The Metaverse Concerts: Where Online Games and Music Performances Meet,” Alexandria , 2022. One of the first of such Fortnite collaborations, this was particularly significant: the first time Ariana Grande had performed in nearly two years, and the first concert to allow attendees to participate in minigames.

The concert was an acclaimed success. The Rift Tour was viewed by as many as 78 million players (compared to average conventional concert attendance of under 15,000); the number of streams of Grande’s songs rose by up to 123 percent during the concert, and other featured artists also saw a streaming boost. 3 Maggie Klaers, “PCP: Concert attendance,” SLP Echo, April 29, 2022. While a traditional concert by a top North American performer might rake in less than $1 million, it’s estimated that Grande made more than $20 million from her headline performance—which may be remembered as a critical inflection point for the live-entertainment industry. 4 Bob Allen, “Concert Industry Roars Back! Pollstar 2022 Mid-Year Report,” Pollstar, June 24, 2022.

With top artists generating around $20 million per metaverse concert, this industry has an anticipated income potential of upwards of $800 million by 2025, according to McKinsey estimates (see sidebar, “Ariana Grande leads the way into the music future”). Taken together with XR MICE, this sector is a rich opportunity: an expected $7 billion by 2030.

Visitor support: Some destinations have been exploring the idea of virtual concierges to support travelers at every stage of the journey with real-time itineraries, information, troubleshooting, visa issues, and more. Qatar Airways, for example, provides a MetaHuman cabin crew for an interactive customer experience. Immersive use cases already account for over 1 percent of chatbot investment, and this is expected to increase. Still, it may be several years before this touchpoint gains real traction.

Then there are touchpoints where the disruption potential of the metaverse is still debatable, or where opportunities may take longer to mature:

• Shopping: Multiple stores could be built in virtual destinations, adding a revenue stream with the sale of accessories, souvenirs and other items. These might be digital, or goods to be shipped in the real world. Iconic real-life stores might also operate as digital recreations.
• Booking: Customers are already comfortable with online booking, so a shift to XR interactions with virtual travel agents could be seamless. However, this is a relatively small business opportunity, with uncertain added value: the new technology is not expected to change or boost the functionality of current booking processes in any fundamental way.

There is currently limited interest in adding virtual elements to aspects of travel that are necessarily physical, such as mobility, accommodation, the logistics of arrival and departure, and food and drink (F&B).

Mobility is currently expected to have very limited XR use cases: tourists may access a metaverse experience while in a taxi, but are unlikely to replace physical with virtual mobility. The “stay” category is similarly sized. While people may wish to explore virtual stays in hotels or on cruise ships, these will not yet replace actual stays. Hotel developer CitizenM, for example, has announced plans to build a hotel in gaming world The Sandbox, allowing virtual visitors to explore the digital property and raise awareness of its brand. 10 Cajsa Carlson, “CitizenM to become ‘first hospitality company to build in the metaverse’,” dezeen, April 7, 2022.

Similarly, arrival-and-departure use cases are largely limited to customers seeking XR versions of modes of transport, such as business-class flights or special railway routes, without intending to visit. (Such experiences may serve as “portals” to expanded immersive worlds, however.) The F&B industry will likely be among the last to enter the metaverse.

Post trip, the real potential lies in the capacity to inspire further travel. However, actual follow up, currently often achieved via surveys, is unlikely to be deeply impacted.

Travel Disruptors: Sonder’s Francis Davidson on the future of hospitality

“no-regret” metaverse moves.

Taking the above factors into account, there are certain no-regret functions that tourism-industry players can pursue to be at the forefront of disruption. These promising use cases have already gained traction, with fast-moving industry players stepping in early to bet on their viability.

They fall into two categories: virtual event centers, and recreations of memorable landmarks that inspire visits. As we’ve seen, event centers are already showing substantial revenue potential for organizers and destinations through business gatherings and entertainment, with ticket sales, attendance fees, and ancillary retail opportunities.

At XR landmarks, visitors can explore, socialize, shop, and learn—all while gaining awareness of lesser-known destinations. Young people and tourists may flock to these social spaces for immersive fun. There may be edutainment opportunities, including specialized archaeology, geology or architecture classes. These spaces can be built on established or upcoming platforms (such as Metapolis) and operate in collaboration with third-party vendors to increase retail opportunities.

Themed gaming, too, can drive engagement with a location, and caters to a core XR demographic. This includes game developers: Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) is a newly released PC application for designing and publishing games and experiences directly into the online video game Fortnite. 11 The Fortnite Team, “Unreal Editor for Fortnite and Creator Economy 2.0 are here. New worlds await,” Fortnite, March 22, 2023.

There appears to be public appetite for recreations of individual landmarks rather than entire destinations: a metaverse Eiffel Tower rather than a complete metaverse Paris. An example is Dubai’s Burj Khalifa virtual experience, launched by event-management platform Eventcombo, which offers users a focused tour of the world’s tallest building. 12 “Dubai: Take an immersive tour of Burj Khalifa in metaverse,” Khaleej Times, October 8, 2022. For now, there seem to be fewer opportunities to create whole customer journeys (although this may work well for certain cases like theme parks). When it comes to end-to-end tourism experiences, travelers still seem prefer the “real thing.”

Preparing for the future of travel

How can travel companies leverage the metaverse to create more compelling experiences for their customers? Certain challenges must be overcome: these include enabling interoperability between decentralized worlds, protecting data security, and making immersive devices more readily available.

However, it’s prudent for travel players to think proactively about engaging with the metaverse—and perhaps seize a first-mover’s advantage. Early control will help to sidestep thorny issues like third parties claiming virtual rights to a location.

Once travel players have plotted out potential traveler journeys (whether hybrid or fully digital), they can find the right collaborators to bring these experiences to life—such as virtual-universe and retail platforms, communications channels, and designers. As many tech players are still only starting to come to grips with immersive experiences, companies may be able to secure favorable partnership agreements and experiment with different executions.

Four steps for travel players contemplating the metaverse

Step 1: Create a strategy based on individual traveler touchpoints to be disrupted. Develop offers targeted at travelers of the future, considering demographic groups, travel purpose and likely journeys. Imagining specific future touchpoint needs and desires and how these can be satisfied or enhanced in a virtual world will ensure a targeted strategy.

Step 2: Identify the platform you want to play on. There are several options here, depending on factors like the strength of your brand and how much independence you require. With a very strong brand, you might be in a position to create your own platform. If your brand is less widely recognized—as with most tourism destinations—or the advantages of a dedicated platform are not clear, then it might be unwise to go it alone. It may be possible to integrate your experience with another organization’s platform, with the added benefit that their established users can stumble across your product. Or partner with an existing platform, as Saudi Arabia’s RCU have done with browser-based platform Decentraland and Korean tourism with the ZEPETO app.

Step 3: Choose the right talent. Developing any offer will likely require new skills—not just to make your immersive world look good, but to ensure that it’s smooth and exhilarating to use. Excellent “game mechanics” motivate users to come back repeatedly for new experiences. In turn, this requires constant maintenance, operation and innovation, as with any great tourist attraction. Talent for these tasks can be either recruited or outsourced. Hiring a new, dedicated workforce might make sense for a large service that requires intensive modification and security monitoring. For simpler or once-off offerings developed to test the waters, outsourcing will ensure a smoother, faster process.

Step 4: Understand the agreement you have with your partner. Be sure to clarify safeguards related to IP and other potential challenges. Also ensure that virtual experiences cohere with your existing brand identity, as well as the values and cultural context of heritage assets.

The metaverse promises to shake up many sectors of the global economy. Virtual experiences have huge potential for the tourism and travel industries, with the prospect of hybrid and fully immersive digital destinations. But our research indicates that opportunities may, for now, be limited to a few key touchpoints—most prominently, travel inspiration, events, and edutainment. It may take longer for the metaverse to reveal its utility for end-to-end travel experiences, if it ever does.

Nonetheless, there are undeniably travel touchpoints where metaverse integration feels inevitable, profitable and “no regret.” Players in the sector would do well to start planning their metaverse strategy now, focusing on specific touchpoints and destinations, while this rapidly developing arena matures.

Margaux Constantin is a partner in McKinsey’s Dubai office, where Kashiff Munawar is an expert associate partner; Giuseppe Genovese is a consultant in the Dallas office; and Rebecca Stone is a consultant in New York City.

The authors wish to thank Samvit Kanoria, Hamza Khan, and Kevin Neher for their contributions to this article.

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The Faroe Islands is just one destination using new technologies to create a virtual tourism experience Image:  Knud Erik Vinding/Pixabay

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Stay up to date:, virtual and augmented reality.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the travel and tourism industries;
• Businesses in this sector must build infrastructure and practices that allow people to travel safely in a post-pandemic world and support local communities that benefit from tourism;
• Augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies can offer alternative ways to travel the world and an exciting new model for the industry.

The tourism industry has hit a nadir owing 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 report , tourist arrivals globally in January 2021 were down 87% when compared to January 2020.

Travel will prevail over post-pandemic anxiety, making it incumbent on the aviation and tourism industry to build safer infrastructure and practices that take care of travellers’ well being.

Have you read?

International tourism is set to plunge by 80% this year – but some regions could recover more quickly, how global tourism can become more sustainable, inclusive and resilient, virtual reality adds to tourism through touch, smell and real people’s experiences.

After a year thwarted by the pandemic and with the future not looking too upbeat for the industry at this juncture, tourism business owners should look at alternative modes of interaction for holidaymakers that can also aid the people and economies who depend on tourism.

The COVID-19 pandemic has noticeably hastened the testing and rollout of forward-looking technologies. Technology has not only enabled citizens globally to interact with loved ones, but also helped industries such as healthcare, information technology, education and many more to work remotely.

In the last few decades, technology has helped travel and tourism industries increase their reach through travel booking websites, videos, blogs and travel photography. Digital tools and content are a vital source of information for vacationists organizing their next holiday or creating a destination wish list. Whilst remote or virtual tourism has been a futuristic theme within industry forums for some time, the world today, shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, might now be ready to accept it.

A human-centric design that draws insights from cognitive behaviour, social psychology, neuroscience and behavioural economics applied with cutting edge technologies such as augmented, virtual or mixed reality (AR, VR, MR) could be a game-changer. AR, VR and MR can enable a seamless, uninterrupted interactive experience for viewers from their own private space. The design principles will create a frictionless digital user experience and construct a positive perception of a tourist destination.

There have been previous attempts to achieve this feat: if you are an aqua sightseer, you might be aware of a documentary exploring the Great Barrier Reef . Through an interactive website, one can view the clear, tranquil currents of the Pacific Ocean and the biodiversity of the reef, and experience the sounds of a healthy coral reef. Another much-discussed VR experience is Mission 828 which allows you to take a virtual parachute jump from the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The Official Tourist Board of the Faroe Islands has also crafted a virtual experience to entice post-pandemic visitors from across the world.

Imagine a human-centric designed, interactive space online that makes a destination accessible and so real for a sightseer with sound captured by electro-acoustics researchers. You could view holiday sites in a video or through self-navigation using voice or joystick controls, interact with people using video-calling platforms, travel through the streets of said location, eavesdrop on local music and much more. This could be stitched together in a single platform individually or in silos on the internet and further enhanced by setting up physical experience tourism centres locally. Such a setup would allow tourist guides, artisans, craftspeople, hoteliers and transport business to create their own digital and virtual offerings and interact with possible customers.

Here’s how it might look: a vacationer starts their experience from the time their flight commences. The plane descends to the destination runway and pictures of the vicinity from the aircraft window pane are captured. The airport signage welcomes passengers and directs them to a pre-booked taxi. The vacationer gets to choose their first destination and travels through the streets in a chauffeur-driven car whose interactions en route become part of their cherished memories. On arrival, a tourist guide walks you through the destination all controlled with just a tap on your gadget. During the sightseeing, you hear random people speaking, posing for photographs and more. You take a photo to post on social media, go shopping and negotiate with a local vendor to purchase an artwork and get it delivered to your door. You learn how a local dish is prepared and get familiar with local customs.

A virtual platform could even provide an opportunity for people to explore areas that are affected by or fighting terrorism. For example, imagine seeing the diverse wildlife and snow leopard of the Gurez Valley, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It doesn’t stop there: if thought through, one could experience travelling to the South Pole, space and beyond. It could also serve as a learning portal for students to understand geographies, culture, art and history.

With technology improving lives globally, virtual tourism could reignite the tourism industry and its people and help build a more sustainable economic model. As a human-centric platform, it can establish local tourist guides, artisans and others as global citizens in the tourism industry.

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Who says you can't see the world if you stay home? Virtual reality (VR) tourism experiences let you see places all over the world without ever leaving your couch. These aren't games; they're experiences, so the pace may be slower than you expect, but they are worth your patience. Here are some of the best VR tourist destinations to help you decide on your next virtual adventure.

Before diving in, make sure your computer is beefy enough to handle the demands of virtual reality technology and check the VR headset requirements for each experience.

The Grand Canyon VR Experience

Very relaxing experience.

Excellent visual and sound quality.

Impressive attention to detail.

Predefined with little control.

Requires powerful hardware.

Short experience.

In The Grand Canyon VR Experience (by Immersive Entertainment), you sit in a virtual motorized kayak ride through the Grand Canyon. Tailor the tour to your preferences by selecting either a sunlit or moonlit experience and controlling the ride's speed.

While you cruise along, you'll enjoy the sights and sounds of procedurally generated, artificially intelligent wildlife. Attract and feed the virtual fish as you navigate the waterways.

The ride is on rails, so you can't steer the kayak. However, you can stop at various points and enjoy the scenery by using the throttle speed controls of your motorized kayak or by exiting at scenic rest stops.

The tour is short, and there's no historical background information for history buffs. Still, it is a fun ride perfect for someone new to VR.

Explore amazing places.

Impressively detailed.

Good for beginners.

Not updated recently.

Some experiences are very brief.

Limited destinations library.

Realities is a VR travel app that allows you to explore scanned and modeled real-world environments. The environments aren't just 360-degree photos; these locations were captured with specialized scanning equipment, allowing for immersive rendering in virtual reality.

The user interface is a giant globe you rotate with your VR controllers. Once you decide on the place you want to visit, tap the area on the virtual globe, and you are instantly whisked away to the exotic locale.

One interesting destination is a cell in the infamous Alcatraz prison. When you arrive, you're greeted by an unseen narrator, presumably a former prisoner in the cell next to you, who recalls their experiences. It's museum-like and an educational adventure worth having.

There are other destinations of varying size and complexity which still hold up despite no recent updates with new realities.

Titans of Space PLUS

Great soundtrack.

Detailed 3D visuals.

Impressive sense of scale.

Flying through space makes some users feel nauseated.

No improvements since late 2019.

Do you like planetariums? Have you always wished they were more realistic? If you've ever dreamed of riding in a spaceship and exploring the solar system and beyond, Titans of Space PLUS (by DrashVR LLC) helps make this a reality—at least a virtual one).

The original Titans of Space was one of the first polished virtual reality experiences available; it created a lot of buzz about all the potential VR had to offer.

This app provides a theme park-style ride through the solar system and beyond, allowing you to control the pace of the experience. Factoids about the planets and moons appear throughout your journey, as do distances and other measurements of interest.

The sense of scale of the planets and moons is truly awe-inspiring and gives a unique perspective only astronauts usually get to have.

This title runs in both standard and VR modes; it doesn't require a VR headset.

Impressive rendering technology.

Auto-tunes for your GPU.

Stunning visuals.

Can feel slow.

Mostly narration with little hands-on time.

Everest VR (from Sólfar Studios) is an interactive Mount Everest VR tourism experience.

This game takes you through the journey toward summiting Mount Everest by making five key stops. First, start by preparing for the expedition at Basecamp. From there, experiences at Khumbu Icefalls, Camp 4, and Hillary Step await before reaching Everest's summit.

You can unlock God Mode after you complete your first ascent. This mode gives you a breathtaking view of the Himalayas, almost as if you're there in person overlooking the scene.

EVEREST VR is a must if you're into mountain climbing, adventuring, or if you're a VR newbie who wants to ease in to the experience.

The VR Museum of Fine Art

Lots of content.

Educational experience.

No recent updates.

No voice narration.

Only takes about 20 minutes to experience.

If you've ever wanted to peruse a museum at your own pace with no limits on how close you can get to the artwork, then The VR Museum of Fine Art (free from Finn Sinclair) is for you.

This free app holds amazing educational value with incredibly detailed scans of some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. Look at the brushstrokes of Monet's Water Lilies or take a 360-degree tour of Michelangelo's David. This experience is an art lover's delight.  

The VR Museum of Fine Art makes you feel as if you're visiting a museum, complete with a pamphlet map to help you navigate your way around the exhibits, an elevator, and a cafe.

Google Earth VR

Amazing street view VR.

Travel the world virtually.

Impressive, vast experience.

Can be slow to load.

Lacks a search feature.

May cause motion sickness.

When Google Earth was released many years ago, everyone marveled at the novelty of finding and viewing their house from satellite imagery. Now, Google Earth VR (free from Google) lets you see your house from space and virtually fly to it and stand in your front yard or on your rooftop.

Change the sun's position, scale objects to any size you like, and fly around the world. The detail levels depend on what you're trying to view. For example, tourist destinations are likely to have more detailed geospatial imagery than rural areas. There is so much to see, and Google offers virtual tours to help you get started.

Google has even added several comfort features to prevent virtual travel sickness in this must-see virtual reality app.

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The Rise of Virtual Reality Tourism/Digitization of Culture in the Time of COVID-19

Flights canceled, famous attractions closed to the public, once crowded streets now vacant— emptied of tourists snapping photos. In the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional tourism has ground to a screeching halt in most places. Tourism has had to evolve to match the unprecedented and prolonged global travel restrictions, a situation that has made a profound impact on nations and industries around the globe. It has been indicated that the global tourism sector should expect to suffer a drop of about US$8.1 trillion in revenue due to the pandemic and will likely not recover until 2024. With many of their most popular landmarks, cities, and heritage sites closing or implementing restrictions, countries have had to radically rethink their tourism industries and cultural institutions have had to adapt to a time of reduced visitors and in-person engagement. The intersection of innovation with the need to digitize experiences and content in order to reduce human interaction have converged uniquely in 2020, marking a critical moment in the rise of virtual reality tourism and the digitization of culture.

Virtual reality tourism technologies have been evolving for the past few years, used primarily as an educational tool, allowing users to engage with the history, geography, and cultural aspects of location and serving as a substitute for physical visitation. It incorporates cutting edge technologies, such as high resolution 360- degree imaging and simulated movement capabilities to enable users to view, tour, and engage with landmarks and tourist destinations without leaving their homes. Museums, cultural sites, and locations of worldwide-renown can be explored on personal computers and tablets. One such site, the Seokguram Grotto hermitage and monastery complex in South Korea, utilized VR technology to construct a 3D stereopsis of the site and provide a digitized experience for visitors. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an additional opportunity for virtual tourism to provide travel-related content accessible around the world and explore the additional benefits of VR technology.

Many governments have been crafting virtual tours in hopes of attracting viewers who wish to visit cities around the world without the current risks of travel: exposure to the virus, or the logistical complications of widespread, pandemic-related bans and restrictions. Cities such as Paris, which attracted 38 million tourists in 2019 alone, have adopted virtual technology to continue to showcase iconic landmarks, by using the interactive features of Google Arts and Culture: users can select sites of interest and navigate the landscapes by clicking their way from one vantage point to another. The Paris Tourist Board website, for example, also allows users to view landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Palais Garnier. Because of the 2020 Olympics’ postponement, the Japan National Tourism Organization created a 360-degree virtual tour that can be viewed via smartphone or with VR goggles, Japan: Where Tradition Meets the Future , which virtually transports users to well-known landmarks including the Tokyo Tower and the Sagano Bamboo Forest, blending culture and technology in an innovative and engaging way. Smaller towns that are less tourist-dependent are also hoping to retain exposure and relevance by creating virtual representations of their architecture. This way people can continue to experience the landscapes and perhaps become inspired to travel to the destination post-pandemic. Germany’s Herrenberg is one such town; they created a “virtual twin” utilizing computerized technologies usually used for high-level aerospace tasks to replicate the town’s architecture on a digital platform, enabling visitors to immerse themselves in the sites of the town center via VR glasses.

Digitization of Culture

Outdoor landmarks and city streets are not the only places that can now be enjoyed virtually as people hunker down in their homes. Cultural institutions, particularly museums, which face  a severe reduction in the number of visitors strolling through galleries and perusing collections due to pandemic-related restrictions, have also started to adapt and modernize to continue to attract attention and virtual visitors. An empirical study of 100 of the largest state museums in Italy revealed that, throughout the most restrictive period of national lockdown, there was a sharp increase in online cultural initiatives conducted by museums via social media in order to continue stimulating viewer engagement through digital material. In this way, social media platforms—such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter—have been an invaluable tool in promoting cultural engagement during the COVID-19 crisis.

Besides simply engaging people in museum content, social media and digital platforms have also connected people during this time of limited social interaction. The Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, for example, organized unique, virtual community events including the ArtYouReady virtual flash mob, an initiative that encouraged online users to post pictures of their favorite Italian cultural sites. Such virtual opportunities and initiatives have continued throughout the pandemic, likely remaining a staple for cultural organizations’ public engagement strategies.

The evolution of digital engagement at museums in Europe was highlighted in a post written by Chiarra Zuanni, assistant professor in digital humanities at the Centre for Information Modelling at the University of Graz, for Europeana, a European organization that works to support and empower the digitization of cultural heritage. Zuanni compiled a map to visually depict the evolving digital activities of museums throughout Europe. The map identified various categories of digital offerings, such as contemporary collecting projects, social media initiatives (local hashtags, targeted projects, etc.), streaming content, virtual tours, online exhibitions, games, and educational content. The map enables users to select locations or activities of interest and access direct links to the respective museum’s interactive sites. The map shows a widespread rise in online activity from museums across the continent, providing a look into just a small fraction of museums that are adopting modernized and digitized tactics to maintain and foster relationships with a global audience in a time when in-person interactions and the usual flow of tourists have been severely curbed.

COVID-19 has caused museums’, galleries’, and historic residences’ usage of digital technology to transition from being a mere supplementary tool used to offer additional and secondary services and content to being the primary source of continued engagement with the arts. The pandemic has created the unique opportunity for museums to radically redefine their marketing and content strategies, forcing traditionally archaic institutions to adapt to the modern world at a rapid speed.

New Opportunities to Explore

Is this the future? Are the days strolling through cobblestone streets, snapping photos at iconic landmarks and wandering through bustling art galleries simply experiences of the past? Not necessarily. When the pandemic subsides and the world reawakens from lockdowns, restrictions, and travel bans, travel will likely resume. While it may take years for the industry to fully recover, tourism will eventually reemerge as a prominent economic sector. Cultural institutions will reopen, welcoming visitors from around the world to engage with history and art once more.

Yet, although the COVID-19 pandemic devastated numerous economic sectors and rendered several aspects of daily life and travel unrecognizable, it has also unlocked the enhanced opportunity for countries and organizations to harness the full potential of virtual reality tourism. Museum attendance across several countries, particularly attendance at art museums,  has been in decline in recent years. Virtual offerings however, seem to be driving significant user interest due to the increase in virtual engagement with cultural and artistic content on cultural websites. The increased adoption of technology could help prevent museums from buckling under the weight of low visitor rates if they can identify ways to accrue revenue through digital means.

In the same vein, the COVID-19 epidemic and subsequent lockdown have prompted countries to rethink their tourism strategies, opening the door for an already burgeoning virtual tourism industry to take root. Easily accessible for users around the world, providing access to landmarks and locations that are currently restricted, and free or low in cost for users, virtual tours allow for global experiences to be enjoyed by large, international audiences. While not a replacement for the thrill of physical travel, the virtual tourism sector offers intriguing opportunities for accessible global experiences.

The intersection of modern, cutting-edge innovation with a global pandemic has created a pivotal moment in how we access, view, and support tourism and cultural markets, both of which are critical to developing and sustaining national economies. The use of digital technologies in light of the COVID-19 epidemic highlights the benefits of rising technological innovations, offering viable and fascinating avenues for nations to adapt to a largely unprecedented world in the years ahead.

Abby LaBreck

Abby LaBreck is an Executive Content Editor & Staff Writer for the HIR. She is interested in European affairs and transatlantic relations. She has previously written about French culture/politics.

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Virtual reality and modern tourism

Journal of Tourism Futures

ISSN : 2055-5911

Article publication date: 29 April 2020

Issue publication date: 2 June 2021

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight as to how recent trends in virtual reality (VR) have changed the way tourism and hospitality industry communicates their offerings and meets the tourists’ needs.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is based on systematic literature review, where the relations between focal concepts are given to analyze potential future developments concerning VR.

The paper identifies and analyzes how VR technology affected tourism and hospitality industry through three main touch points – future tourism planning and management, technology-based marketing of tourism destinations and VR potential in changing consumer requirements. These concepts were analyzed to identify changing forces and suggest potential paradigm shifts that tourism and hospitality suppliers and marketers need to consider. These included realistic virtual travel replacements, the importance of interactive experiences and innovation in future tourism systems.

Originality/value

While there has been increasingly larger number of discussions on how tourists and tourism and hospitality industry have been using information and communication technology recently, there is little evidence of scholars and practitioners applying such methods. This paper used systematic literature review to illustrate means in which VR could be ingrained into tourism and hospitality services to meet the needs of tourists. It suggests that VR can and probably will fundamentally change the way in which tourists’ experiences and requirements are managed entirely.

• Virtual reality
• Development
• Emerging trends

Pestek, A. and Sarvan, M. (2021), "Virtual reality and modern tourism", Journal of Tourism Futures , Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 245-250. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-01-2020-0004

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Almir Pestek and Maida Sarvan.

Published in Journal of Tourism Futures . Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

Introduction

One of the most significant developments in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) expected to greatly impact the tourism industry today is virtual reality (VR). Many of the recent innovations such as VR platforms, devices and content production tools enable the evolution of VR. As such, VR technologies nowadays offer unbounded potentials for mass virtual visitations to actual tourism destinations. Moreover, the roles of such technologies in tourism and hospitality industries, its management and marketing have been described in literature as capable of showing their intricate abilities to simulate real-life situations and contexts, occasionally being touted as a substitute to actual travel, making it a very powerful tool for meeting the needs of tourists.

The changes that are supposed to occur in the next few years are always underestimated and come even sooner. Tourism and hospitality organizations should be urged to be more future-oriented and prepared fully for the planning of technology adaptations. The paper aims at establishing relations between concepts of VR and tourism and hospitality industry and presenting opportunities for the tourism sector taking in consideration the values expressed in the concept of VR marketing in efforts of meeting the needs of tourists in the future. The paper explores the potential of valuable tool such as VR with regard to tourism planning and management, technology-based marketing of tourism destinations and effects of VR on consumer requirements.

The paper is based on the literature review. The following digital bases were used in the process of research: Emerald Database, IOPscience, SCOPUS, EBSCO, ABI/INFORM Complete – ProQuest. The items in the search string were connected with OR statements, to make sure that all relevant papers were retrieved - “virtual reality,” “virtual reality marketing,” “virtual reality experience,” “augmented reality experience,” and “ICT in tourism”. Only 49 articles were yielded because of their relevance after applying the exclusion/inclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria include: published articles between 2010 and 2019; articles written in English, scientific and peer-reviewed articles; studies published in electronic digital libraries from newspapers or journals; and educational conferences. Exclusion criteria are as follows: duplicated papers and studies returned by different search engines, papers and works that focus on low-level comparison, editorials and non-reviewed articles. Based on these studies the conclusions are drawn throughout the paper.

Technology-based marketing of tourism destinations

VR is often defined as the technology using the computer-generated 3D environment often referred to as “virtual environment.” The real-time simulation of one or more of the five senses of the user is often a result of navigation through this virtual environment and interaction with it ( Gutierrez et al. , 2008 ). Physical immersion and psychological presence are provided in VR experience as well.

The marketing and promotion segments of the tourism sector have most often been used with the assistance of visual imagery ( Aziz and Zainol, 2011 ). The intangible properties of tourism, as a service, constantly reminds the marketers that there is a need to continuously innovate the forms of visual imagery with the objective to promote a positive destination image ( Griffin et al. , 2017 ). As a useful tool used by marketers in establishing the communication of emotions and experiences influencing the consumers and tourists, VR is often used because of its ability to induce the emphasized sensory and emotional experience.

The opportunities of VR in regard to destination marketing organizations are found in the way in which marketing messages are targeted to specific markets, whilst capturing the attention of potential visitors and giving assistance in relevant factors identification that essentially create motivations for those that engage in any form of VR and awareness development in reference to future travel decision-making processes ( Huang et al. , 2013 ). Research indicates that virtual tourists can have their travelling needs easily fulfilled under the following conditions: taking into consideration the hedonistic and emotional experiences, virtual tourism destinations can give visitors the chance to enhance their perceptions and virtual world is displayed as a source of useful information.

To conclude, VR in marketing of tourism destinations can be associated with attachment ( Wu et al. , 2016 ), stimulation ( Neuburger et al. , 2018 ), evaluation (Gao et al. , 2012), decision-making ( Guo and Barnes, 2011 ) and experience ( Jung et al. , 2017 ).

Virtual reality changes tourism planning, management and consumer requirements

VR is considered a very valuable tool in tourism policy creation as well as in the planning processes ( Cheong, 1995 ). The tourism planner’s consideration of possible developments in the sector is often aided by VR’s ability to create realistic and navigable virtual environments.

The tourism planning and management can be benefited by VR technology, as it possesses the unique testing capabilities ( Sussmann and Vanhegan, 2000 ). The understanding of visitors’ patterns of space, time and place is a very important element in developing management plans, which include shifting the burden from areas with heavy use to those with limited use. 3D visualizations are excellent tools in doing so ( Lew and McKercher, 2005 ). Furthermore, as VR technology continues to evolve, the entertainment industry has found a way to make these evolutions very useful in regards to marketing the entertaining tourist attractions ( Gutierrez et al. , 2008 ).

A set of concepts which are interrelated identify the current trends in tourism and its references to marketing, consumer behavior and tourist needs and the ways in which these affect the end users’ attachment, stimulation and decision-making process ( Epple, 2018 ). Research that explores the consumer behavior in VR tourism through the example of using the stimulus – organism – response model identifies that the brands and tourism organizations are able to affect the users’ opinions and decisions directly and effectively through this interactivity, experience and immersion ( Kim et al. , 2018 ).

The roles of hedonic experience and emotional arousal are found to be large in regards to determining the potential tourists’ behavioral intentions to visit a given destination and also in motivating them to become the potential tourists ( Jung et al. , 2017 ). On a similar note, the navigation of 3D environment is found to induce positive emotions, flow and emotional involvement, which results in positive effects on behavioral intentions, further extending the engagement and immersive experience that enhances the tourist’ needs.

As a subsequent consequence of advancement in virtual technologies, the impression of investors and consumers continues to grow and VR is being envisioned and implemented largely to meet the future needs of tourists. The potential of VR technologies in meeting the future tourists’ needs is large and the research identifies the major trends in tourism sector in regards to this in the further text ( Nayyar et al. , 2018 ).

Identified trends in tourism industry are found in effective planning and suitable management. As the almost-realistic, easy and detailed navigations created through the VR are readily available for tourists to help in their trip- and activity-planning processes, its potential is further widened. Furthermore, the trend is identified through creation of various types of simulators which allow for the virtual experience, where potential tourists are able to experience a destination in advance, such as in the case of some destination marketing organizations ( Tussyadiah et al. , 2018 ).

The VR technologies are already used in provision of tourists with experience previews of sites, destinations and attractions, such as hotels, cruise ships and similar, as a part of the marketing strategy ( Samuely, 2016 ). Virtual conative image that most often results in potential purchase intention is yielded through Web-mediated virtual information ( Hyun and O’Keefe, 2012 ).

The applications of VR are largely found in the initial phases of customer buying cycle in the area of tourism, because it enables the extensive information about important factors that play a significant part in the search stage of the process of decision-making ( Kim et al. , 2018 ). Furthermore, the perfect digital environment enables for the creation of virtual attractions at an effective cost, which are identified in simulators and marketable tourist attractions. Examples of these include the “Sensorama Simulator” that, through the 3D images, aromas, sounds, wind, set vibrations and similar, offers entertaining, simulated motorcycle rides through New York City ( Gutierrez et al. , 2008 ). Also, an example of such application of VR in entertainment industry is found in theme parks, such as the Dreamworld theme park, with simulated car rides ( Dreamworld, 2009 ) and also Cyber Speedway in the city of Las Vegas ( Sahara Hotel and Casino, 2009 ).

A large trend in the sector is identified in provisions of virtual tours as well, including the handling of virtual objects, interactive and immersive experience and a realistic picture of the site. This is most commonly used in heritage areas, hotels and museums, including the zoo exhibits ( Bowman et al. , 1999 ), VR exhibits in cultural centers globally ( Roussou, 2004 ), viewing of heritage sites ( Thomasson, 2006 ), production of interactive tours ( Tholos, 2009 ), selection of tourist attractions within an area ( Linaza et al. , 2008 ) and so on.

Many hotels have demonstrated that the VR trend is very useful in the destination marketing area as well and as such the room booking process has been entirely transformed ( Neuburger et al. , 2018 ). Technology provides for prospective guests to virtually visit rooms and consider their offers, like in the case of Marriott Hotels, including the previews of the local attractions, giving potential tourists insights in destinations.

Another example of VR trend is identified by Telexistence, a company that has been working with a real-life avatar, where the user is enabled to see what the avatar sees and to also receive haptic feedback (Telexistence Inc., 2020). Such example is very important in identification of possibilities in meeting the tourists’ needs in the future, such as a travel decision that will immediately satisfy their need after a particular interest and desire is awaken, whilst also enabling for VR travel to be possible, allowing the tourists which might possibly be intimidated by certain destinations and as such, would only visit them virtually, as in the case of possible existence of potential geographical barriers, fears, dangerous locations and similar.

The identified trends indicate that VR technology will most likely become an invaluable tool in the next few years ( Barnes, 2016 ), which consequently will dictate the marketers to custom make the VR experiences for the varying users and offer the best possible VR services to meet the consumers’ future needs most optimally.

Certain conclusions can be drawn implying that the VR is changing tourism planning and consumer requirements can be associated with 3D visualizations ( Brent Ritchie et al. , 2011 ), simulators ( Tom Dieck et al. , 2016 ), virtual tours ( Tung and Law, 2017 ), previews ( Epple, 2018 ) and effective planning ( Kask, 2019 ).

Conclusions

VR is being developed as a part of smart tourism to provide information about destinations and attractions while showing its potential to become a new tourism service. Nonetheless, the trend has proven to be very useful, however slow, because of the difficulties of tourists to keep up with new technologies. Thanks to VR, tourists are able to experience a destination in advance and to preview local attractions. Interactive, realistic, easy and detailed VR navigations help tourists in the trip-planning processes and activity planning.

VR technologies will surely continue to advance, and as such, the opportunities in the tourism sector will grow exponentially. Regardless of the direction in which these advancements and developments take place, immediate applications and trends are identified and used within the tourism industry already.

Whilst many limitations do exist, the future will show the technologies to be much better understood. VR can and probably will fundamentally change the way in which tourists’ experiences and requirements are managed entirely.

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Further reading

Gao , L. , Bai , X. and Park , A. ( 2017 ), “ Understanding sustained participation in virtual travel communities from the perspectives of is success model and flow theory ”, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research , Vol. 41 No. 4 , pp. 475 - 509 .

Corresponding author

About the authors.

Almir Pestek is based at the School of Economics and Business, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia And Herzegovina.

Maida Sarvan is based at NLB Bank d.d. Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia And Herzegovina.

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• EARTH DAY ISSUE

Is virtual travel here to stay, even after the pandemic subsides?

The coronavirus is changing how we travel. But will virtual reality—a welcome escape from the pandemic—ever be a substitute for the real thing?

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With about 90 percent of the world under a travel restriction , many would-be adventurers are turning to virtual reality (VR) to bring them to Machu Picchu or the Galápagos Islands . The potential for this technology to ease tourism’s carbon footprint is clear, underscored by some of the unexpected ecological benefits the coronavirus lockdown has surfaced—including cleaner air and water .

Even as it has eased pollution, the pandemic has been devastating for the tourism industry . But will interest in traveling virtually last beyond the pandemic? And will VR technology sustain growing interest?

More than a gimmick

For years, airlines, travel agencies, and tourism boards have used VR technology to market destinations to potential customers. Now, “the impact of COVID-19 may allow [virtual reality] to shake off its image of being a gimmick,” says Ralph Hollister, a tourism analyst at Global Data and author of a report on the VR travel industry .

Virtual travel experiences are seeing a surge in popularity. Valeriy Kondruk, CEO of VR travel company Ascape , has seen app downloads grow 60 percent from December (traditionally the busiest month) and double since January. The company has fielded increasing interest from educators and those working in nursing homes, Kondruk says, even as the airlines and travel agencies that usually license Ascape’s VR content have paused their accounts.

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Related: Had to cancel your vacation? Here’s what to do next.

Still, there’s a big gap between using virtual reality to “try before you buy” and treating virtual reality like the destination itself. To start with, the technology isn’t ready yet. 360-degree virtual reality videos are usually experienced through a headset (like Oculus Rift) or an app (like Google Cardboard). The headsets are expensive, heavy, can cause nausea, and aren’t comfortable to wear for more than 30 minutes. The apps have none of these problems, but simply aren’t as impressive, says Hollister.

Limited sensations are another hurdle. The videos focus on sounds and sights but can’t do much with smell, touch, or taste , and VR experiences tend to only be a few minutes long—hardly the equivalent of a two-week vacation in Spain . Of course, some researchers are working on ever-more-immersive VR features, including haptic suits, says Samuel Greengard, author of Virtual Reality . But while creating a full-body suit with enhanced sensory experiences might make a video of the Amazon or Antarctica more realistic, it still doesn’t fulfill the deeper needs that compel us to travel.

Roaming instinct

Tourists aren’t locals, and they aren’t business travelers. Tourists tend to be less directed in their explorations and more focused on new experiences and discoveries. “This simply can’t be recreated in virtual reality,” says Erick Ramirez , a philosopher at Santa Clara University who studies VR.

He compares the future of virtual travel to a classic thought experiment: Imagine that you could hook yourself up to an “experience machine” and simply feel happy forever. Philosopher Robert Nozick, who developed the experiment, “thinks nobody would want to be hooked up to such a thing,” Ramirez says. “I do think that there are some kinds of tourist experiences where the value in them is in the doing , not just in the seeing and hearing, and it’ll be tough for VR to replicate.”

We not only want to do things, we want to be the ones deciding what to do. On a fundamental level, virtual travel is constructed and fed to us; we see a world only to the extent that someone was able to film and engineer it. It is, as Ramirez puts it, “the most authoritarian of guided tours.”

Virtual reality extends only as far as it’s engineered. In a virtual experience, you can’t choose to wander down a side street and discover a charming café—unless those options have already been programmed.

Someone going to India for real can decide where to go and what to see. They can be surprised by themselves and by what they learn. Someone going to India via video might never see aspects that a VR production company obscures in order to create a more pleasant experience. “A tour that Elon Musk—just to pick on somebody—might design would look very different from what a working-class Indian living in India might design,” Ramirez says. “It’s important to keep that in mind as we go into these touristy VR experiences.”

Related: Meet the Indian women taking on a male-dominated travel industry.

For my part, I experienced VR travel in 2015, using Oculus to demo a short tour of the north coast of Vancouver , British Columbia. The demo was beautiful and looked similar to the real place, which I visited four years later. In other ways, though, there was little comparison. Part of the difference was sensual: the air was cold on my skin and I could touch the water. But much of the difference was the specificity of my own actual visit. In person, the experience was happening only to me, I had full control over what I was able to hear and see—and if I wanted, I could see and choose something else.

A green lining

Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc, a Paleolithic cave painting site in southern France, is too vulnerable to be visited in person. A nearby replica allows tourists to see copies of the paintings in a way that presages the potential of virtual reality travel experiences.

Virtual reality may never replace traditional travel, but it still offers intriguing possibilities. If the technology becomes sophisticated enough, the more environmentally conscious among us—especially those aiming to reduce our carbon footprint (or people sensitive to flight-shaming )—might prefer this form of escape. VR travel does bring parts of the world to people who are physically unable to visit certain landmarks. Most of all, it could help bring people to places that are otherwise inaccessible .

Southern France is the site of some of the world’s earliest cave paintings, which are closed to the public because the Palaeolithic works are so delicate. Yet only four miles from the original a complete replica is on view. Ramirez suggests that virtual reality could be applied in a similar way—and even more accessible way—to sites around the world. Hollister, from Global Data, agrees that VR can play a unique role in recreating historic attractions. And Kondruk, the CEO of Ascape, says that the company has been working with Vietravel, a major Vietnamese travel agency, on recreating areas of the country where the government has limited tourist travel.

Related: See mesmerizing photos of Vietnam from above.

Ultimately, the impact of virtual reality on travel will be determined by the evolution and application of new technologies. So far, advances have been incremental—and not at a scale that is likely to disrupt the travel industry or support a drop in travel-related carbon emissions after the pandemic has ended. But just as travel platforms, from print to social media, offer some of the discoveries of actual exploration, virtual reality might bring faraway places closer—and in so doing encourage travelers to embrace sustainable practices wherever they choose to go (or not go) in the future.

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10 of the Best Virtual Reality Travel Experiences

  With the time and expense required to travel being prohibitive to many, there are alternative ways of indulging your wanderlust – including via the burgeoning world of Virtual Reality.

(Photo: Cubicle Ninjas)

There are a huge number of VR companies all vying to create ever more unique experiences for consumers – and one of the biggest growth categories has been travel. And what better time to get a taste of exploration and adventure from the comfort of your living room, equipped only with a VR headset, than now, when travel is a luxury that many just can’t stretch to? We’ve picked out 10 of the best virtual reality travel experiences currently on the market.

So which VR headset should you go for? Our favourite is the Meta Quest 3, which launched onto the market in mid-2023 and is the successor to the Meta Quest 2. For immersive games and travel experiences, we believe the Meta Quest 3 is destined to become the leading VR headset over the coming years. It’s pretty affordable, too, and unlike other headsets, doesn’t require cords or a computer. You can purchase the Meta Quest 3 at Amazon.com.

Guided Meditation VR

Developed by Cubicle Ninjas, Guided Meditation VR is designed to bring peace, joy, and calm back into your daily life by teaching you ancient meditation practices in a cutting-edge way. It features over 40 lush environments to escape the everyday, 30-plus hours of guided meditations on anxiety, depression, maternity, resilience, sleep and zen, and hundreds of hours of calming musical audio tracks to help enhance your meditation experience. Users can also customise their sessions to their own specific preferences and needs, including the option to switch into Motion mode and gently float through beautiful vistas like you would on a lazy river, leaving the worries of your life behind before returning calmer and stronger.

PRICE £10.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

Be anywhere in the world with anyone, instantly, in this captivating game developed by Wooorld Inc. Visit hundreds of cities, architectural landmarks, natural wonders, and vacation spots in incredible 3D detail, and get tips about the best places to visit, the hidden gems, where to get the best food and all the tourist traps to avoid. You can also create your own 3D avatars with face and body tracking and test your worldly knowledge by guessing where you are after being teleported to 5 random locations, with only the landscape, flora, architecture, and road signs for clues. The game can played as collaboratively as you wish, with options to explore the world with friends and meet new people, or hop into a Solo World without any distractions.

PRICE Free HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: Wooorld Inc.)

Blueplanet VR Explore

(Photo: Blueplanet VR Explore)

Highlighting sacred and fragile locations of natural beauty and cultural heritage, Blueplanet VR Explore  is a collection of remarkable places across the world. With freedom to move around and explore, the virtual reality experiences are captured in volumetric 3D with great detail and accuracy. The scenes look and feel like these places do in real life, and enable you to freely move around to enjoy and explore these remarkable, fragile, and priceless environments. Concern for the environment often comes from direct experience, and being as close as we can get to experiencing a sense of actually being there, Blueplanet can help encourage people to appreciate and protect these treasures.

PRICE £18.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

BRINK Traveler

Travel to some of the world’s most amazing natural wonders in fully immersive 3D and feel like you’re really there in this awe-inspiring game by Brink XR. Step into a scene akin to a postcard as you visit a total of 28 (with more on their way) of the most breathtaking places on Earth. In-game highlights include room-scale walkable areas in each destination, a virtual guide and assistant to learn about where you’re visiting, and the chance to shoot photos to share with friends. You can either play the game solo or with friends and family in multiplayer mode.

PRICE £11.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: BRINK XR)

National Geographic Explore VR

Created in partnership with National Geographic, a world-leading society in the fields of geography, cartography and exploration, this magical VR experience invites you to discover two of the most iconic locations on Planet Earth. Don your explorer hat and head to Antarctica for an exhilarating expedition. Navigate around icebergs in a kayak, climb a vast ice shelf and survive a snowstorm as you hunt for a lost emperor penguin colony. Visit the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru and get immersed in amazing digital reconstructions of the legendary site. Witness mummy worships, raise a cup of sacred chicha and encounter cute and furry alpacas as you match Hiram Bingham’s photographs from when he rediscovered the citadel. Be sure to take a camera as your best snaps may even make it into the prestigious National Geographic magazine.

PRICE £7.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: Force Field Entertainment B.V)

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

Fans of the hugely popular TV blockbuster The Walking Dead can now join the world of zombies in this new VR adventure. Travel through the ruins of New Orleans as you fight, scavenge, and survive, each day unravelling another mystery lurking within the city’s historic quarters. Encounter desperate factions and lone survivors who could be friend or foe. Whether you help others or take what you want by force, every choice you make has consequences. What kind of survivor will you be for the people of NOLA? Scavenge for anything that you can; weapons, food, tools, and clues. Be wary of the living and the dead, with spatial audio drawing attention to any loud noise. Craft makeshift gear out of scrapped material; blades, guns, medicine, and more. Test your morals and make difficult choices for yourself and others. It’s all here, bringing the small screen to life in a big way.

PRICE £29.99 HEADSETS Meta Quest 3

(Photo: Skydance Interactive)

Narrated by award-winning actress Anna Friel, this trail-blazing VR series opens the door to some of the planet’s wildest environments while redefining the limits of 3D-180 cameras. Meet the humans protecting our most precious wildlife, explore the great savannahs of Kenya, discover the ancient jungles of Borneo and dive into the rich coral reefs of Raja Ampat. Encounter elephants, orangutans, manta rays and some incredible humans, all in stunning cinematic footage filmed from the air and deep into the ocean. The series was produced in partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF),

(Photo: PHORIA)

The world is your oyster with this interactive, immersive VR experience that’s designed to be played by the whole family. There’s global travel and adventure in which your friends and family can join city tours, hot air balloon rides, back-country road trips, and plenty more. Or you can simply kick back and relax, practice meditation and get back to nature – all in the company of a guide or going solo, if you prefer. Other features include photo sharing, soundtracks, a range of fun games and media customisation.

(Photo: AARP Innovation Labs)

Rome Reborn: The Pantheon

Created by Flyover Zone, an American company specialising in virtual travel applications that present the world’s most important cultural heritage sites and monuments, Rome Reborn is one of five applications that present different areas of ancient Rome. This particular one transports users over the entire ancient city, focussing on the Pantheon, perhaps the best-preserved building from antiquity. In the company of two virtual guides, you’ll get to explore the exterior forecourt and interior sanctuary of the reconstructed complex as you listen and learn about the Pantheon’s design and decoration, as well as the nature of the religious cult once housed within it.

PRICE £3.99 HEADSETS Currently only available on Oculus Rift

(Photo: Flyover Zone Productions)

Monte Fitzroy is Argentina’s most famous mountain landmark and is even used as the logo for outdoor retailer, Patagonia. It is a place that immediately evokes a sense of adventure. At the foot of the mountain is a beautiful and remote glacial lake known as Laguna Sucia. Most people who visit Monte Fitzroy view it from a location that is much easier to access. Laguna Sucia requires a much tougher hard-to-access trail that culminates in one of the most beautiful and remote glacial lakes in existence. You are rewarded with a sense of almost meditative stillness as you approach this untouched natural amphitheatre. This VR experience utilises Pterovision, a 3D technology that integrates computational photography, 360 Video, and gaming and allows you to take off like a bird, fly around the lake, visit the waterfalls along the edge, and fly over glacial formations beneath the mountain peaks. Numerous narrations will tell you about the challenges we faced when filming in this location, as well as educate you about the geology, culture, and history.

PRICE $2.99 HEADSETS Currently only available on Oculus Rift 

(Photo: Specterras Productions)

Gala360 – Travel & Relax

Taking you on awe-inspiring virtual adventures across the globe, Gala360 is the result of the magic touch of an array of exceptionally talented photographers who have captured their globe-trotting trips in all their glory before being rendered into VR form. In professional 6K resolution, more than 300 tours around the world are featured, with some also including narration which allows you to listen to the stories behind the trips. Most of the tours are free, but you can pay a small fee to unlock more.

PRICE Free HEADSETS Currently only available on Oculus Go (soon available on Quest 2)

(Photo: Gala 360)

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Virtual reality tourism is accessible, inclusive and takes the risk out of a COVID-disrupted getaway

RN Breakfast

Topic: Travel and Tourism (Lifestyle and Leisure)

The unpredictability of international travel has meant that some people are willing to try new travel technology.  ( Unsplash: Steven Lewis )

As COVID-19 continues to disrupt many Australians' travel plans, some of those looking for a risk-free escape are turning to virtual reality tourism.

And while it may sound like a downgrade from the real thing, tour guides and designers of these experiences say it's becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Some virtual reality headsets can cost hundreds of dollars. ( Unsplash: Stella Jacob )

But what is virtual reality tourism?  Dr Ryan Yung, a travel and tourism researcher, defines it as the ability to "be physically in one location but your mind is in a different location."

It can now be accessed by anyone who has a PC, laptop or mobile phone through YouTube or via virtual tours online.

And the experience can be enhanced by using a fold-out Google Cardboard viewer or, for those willing to spend more money, technologically advanced virtual reality headsets.

Unique experiences

So is virtual tourism any substitute for the real thing? 

It's hard to compare the two but virtual tourism does have some unique benefits, Dr Yung tells ABC RN Breakfast.

Dr Ryan Yung says virtual travel could open up the world to those who haven't been able to access some destinations.  ( Supplied )

"Some of the more popular attractions in virtual tourism [eventually] will be … places which would be physically impossible to visit," he says.

"If we wanted to visit Rome, for example, in the medieval times, it's possible to do so via virtual tourism."

Some virtual experiences are also trying to integrate sensory elements, although Dr Yung says there's still much more work to be done in this area.

"With smells, they use pods, which emit synthetic smells ... similar to what you'd find in a shopping mall, when you walk past a cookie stand or something with artificial smells ." 

"With taste at the moment, there is no real substitute, but I believe some researchers in Singapore have come up with a technology where they can trick your mind through smell.

"This is where you're drinking mineral water but, through the trick of colour and smell, you can basically fool the mind into thinking [the person is] tasting something."

New opportunities

Virtual tourism could open up destinations for those who couldn't access them otherwise. 

"A lot of the technology that's behind it [came in] years before COVID hit, and it was to overcome a lot of issues with barriers with accessibility and inclusivity," Dr Yung says.

"So people who were not mobile were able to still get some experience of the outside world."

It offers other opportunities too.

For example, for those who are risk adverse, virtual tourism could be a way to take part in extreme sports safely, he says.

Digital companies are designing virtual travel experiences that could engage all the senses.  ( Supplied )

"[People] I've spoken to said something like … 'I would love to do something like bungee jumping but my natural fear would never let me do something like that'."

"But [with] the comfort of VR, knowing that you physically will not be doing the bungee jump but you're able to experience something like that, that could be a substitute for the real experience.

"I've heard people say they want to see the Great Barrier Reef, but they are so afraid of water … so that could be [an opportunity] in the near term."

Virtual reality can also be used to travel freely without any risk of social or cultural stigmas, he adds.

"There are certain behaviours [that] certain cultures expect of us when we travel overseas, or when we're out in public. And when we are hidden deep behind this virtual lens, then [virtual tourists] are able to explore different mannerisms or cultures that you normally wouldn't be able to," he says.

So for those looking to scratch their travel itch, virtual tourism is opening up the world once again, says Dr Yung.

"This is one small positive that has come up with COVID in alerting research and development [and encouraging the] acceptance of the technology by everyone else."

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HOW VIRTUAL TOURISM IS BECOMING A VIRTUAL REALITY

Virtual reality has had something of a fall and rise over the last decade. reports and articles published at the end of the 2010s speculated that early demo headsets, muted consumer interest, and a perceived lack of applications meant that the implementation of virtual reality (vr) and augmented reality (ar) across key industries such as gaming, health and commerce has been stop-start (less than 1% of retailers claimed they used ar or vr in their customer buying experience, according to research by mobile maker)..

However, VR and AR projects continue to have an evolving impact in said industries, as technology and research continues to advance and improve. It’s reported that the global VR/AR market will see a 77% compound annual growth rate ​​from 2019 to 2023, showing both consumers and businesses the continuing potential of virtual reality.

Landmark headlines like the launch of Facebook’s metaverse has made virtual reality more relevant than ever, and with Google search volumes implying that VR is growing its market share, there has never been a better time for businesses to embrace virtual reality and how it can revolutionize their industry.

Virtual reality in travel and tourism

One industry that has been energised by virtual reality is travel and tourism. The impact of lockdown and COVID-19 has been described as a catalyst for virtual tourism as a reality. “The impact of Covid-19 may have allowed VR to somewhat shake off its image of being a gimmick in tourism,” tourist analyst Ralph Hollister told BBC News, while Steve Perillo, boss of Travel World VR, described the impact of the pandemic as a “shot of adrenaline” for tech that to date had “not yet really arrived”.

Enduring effects of the pandemic vary across the globe, yet the adoption of VR in tourism appears to be on the rise, with several businesses and projects centering recent ventures around the technology.

Launched in June 2020, the Xplore Petra app provides users with the opportunity to “visit” the iconic Jordanian archaeological site, showcasing an innovative approach to localised virtual reality tourism, along with Lights over Lapland. The Finnish-based travel company has implemented VR so users can experience the Northern Lights from the comfort of their home.

Meanwhile, Social Bee Adventures is an app that uses AR to create a customisable experience for at-home holidaymakers. You can take a trip to Rome’s iconic coliseum, even simulating the gladiatorial events that took place there through history, with more options to gamify the experience for further engagement.

Implementing virtual reality in cultural centres

Innovations in VR travel and tourism aren’t just found on the app store, with established cultural centres investing and introducing virtual reality into their programmes. As highlighted by National Geographic, the Museum of Natural History in Paris brings extinct species back to life in an augmented reality exhibit, introducing visitors to Earth’s ancient animals.

Meanwhile, the National Museum of Singapore has unveiled the “Story of the Forest” in recent years. The innovative exhibition allows visitors to experience a virtual forest, modelled on natural drawings from the museum’s archive.

Stateside, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History has launched apps that use augmented reality to engage both its in-person and digital visitors. “Skin and Bones” lets users explore the Smithsonian’s animal archive, while “Apollo’s Moon Shot” uses AR to take audiences to the moon. This gives businesses a blueprint of how to use augmented and virtual reality as an integrated part of tourism and travel within localized companies and cultural centres.

Virtual reality’s impact in global partnerships

Advancements in AR and VR have also led to the technology being used in ambitious partnerships between global organisations, indicating the trust being placed in virtual reality that perhaps wasn’t there before.

Shanghai-based company DPVR, which specialises in VR device design and manufacturing, recently partnered with Travel Africa Network, a TV station based in South Africa. DPVR will act as a VR tech provider, supplying customised VR hardware and software to the influential African satellite network. Elsewhere, the Tourism Bureau of Taiwan recently initiated the “360 VR Experience Taiwan in One Day” programme. The project lets users experience a virtual reality tour of Taiwan using a VR headset while riding an exercise bike, featured at California Fitness & Yoga centres.

This boom of new programmes, projects, and partnerships shows that the era of VR-skepticism could well be over in this key industry. Spurned by the isolating effects of global lockdown, virtual reality may evolve past being a substitute for holidays, and instead become an important, integrated element of the travel and tourism industry for years to come.

“VR is not going to replace travel and tourism. It is just going to enhance [it],” Anu Pillai, head of Digital Center of Excellence at Wipro, a technology company, told National Geographic. With that said, only time will tell how much this evolving technology will shape the reality of travel and tourism in the near future.

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What is virtual reality in travel?

Virtual reality refers to interactive images or videos which enable the viewer to explore the entire 360 degrees of a scene. Unlike a regular image of video, which is shot from a fixed view point, VR production captures every part of a location.

In the travel industry, virtual reality can be used to capture tourism destinations in a unique and immersive way.

This is achieved using specialist cameras, rigs, and software. The finished content can then be viewed on either a VR headset or a regular computer or mobile device.

Many people assume that VR content can only be viewed on a specialist VR headset but this is not the case. Although VR is more immersive when viewed in this way, it can also be viewed on any device, including mobiles.

Take a look at the tourism VR content below, produced by us at Immersion VR. You can click or swipe across the video in order to view an entire 360 degrees.

VR in tourism marketing

The most common way in which VR is utilised in the tourism industry is for marketing. Being able to capture tourism destinations in such a memorable and immersive way is a powerful marketing tool.

One of the greatest strengths of VR is allowing the user to experience the feeling of “being there”. Whilst regular images and videos can work well for showing what a destination has to offer, they don’t often elicit an emotional response.

VR in tourism has the ability to place the user at the heart of the scene and makes it easier for them to imagine themselves at the location.

360 VR tourism

When many people think of VR they think of it as CGI (computer generated imagery), which is how it is used in the gaming industry. However, there is a different form of virtual reality known as 360 VR, or 360VR video.

360 VR focuses on the real world rather than computer generated imagery. This makes it perfect for the tourism industry where it is important to show users a real location rather than a mockup or a simulation.

360VR content in tourism is captured in a similar way to regular image and video content. A 360 VR company, like us at Immersion VR, arrives at the location with specialist equipment in order to shoot the scene. The footage is then taken back to the studio where it is produced into VR content using specialist software.

This form of VR is the most widely used form of VR in tourism and it something that we specialise in here at Immersion VR. 360 VR is also commonly used in education, the real estate industry, and for online marketing in general.

VR technology in tourism

VR can be used in many different ways in the tourism industry. The technology is evolving at a rapid rate and the uses of VR within tourism is expanding along with the technology.

The main VR technologies that are used in the travel industry are VR video and VR photography.

VR tourism videos

A VR tourism video works much like a normal video. They can be viewed on social media or websites, but unlike a regular video, the user is able to explore the entire scene whilst the video is playing.

VR tourism videos are captured using specialist cameras known as omnidirectional cameras. These cameras film every angle of the destination at once. After filming, the footage is taken back to the studio where it is stitched together in order to produce a VR tourism video.

There are 2 types of VR tourism videos:

• – Monoscopic VR tourism video
• – Stereoscopic VR tourism video

Monoscopic VR videos for tourism can be viewed on regular devices including mobiles and computers. The viewer can click or drag across the screen in order to rotate the field of view, similar to turning your head to explore a scene.

Take a look at the VR tourism video below for an example of monoscopic footage. The video can be viewed on any device, inclusing mobile and desktop. Scroll or swipe across the video to explore the entire surroundings.

Stereoscopic VR videos for tourism are produced for VR headsets and they cannot be viewed on a regular device. Although they take more time to produce and are typically more expensive, they provide a more immersive travel experience. These videos feature head tracking so the user can move their head to explore the surroundings in a realistic way.

For more information about monoscopic and stereoscopic VR content, take a look at our in-depth article here .

VR tourism photography

VR tourism photography involves the production of 360 images of travel destinations. These images are generally designed to be viewed on regular devices such as mobiles and desktops.

Virtual tourism photography works much like a VR tourism video but with still images. The view is free to scroll or swipe across the image in order to view the entire scene.

Take a look at a sample of some of the 360 tourism images taken below.

The images are taken with state-of-the-art DSLR cameras on specialist rigs which allow for the capture of 360 degrees. Because DSLR cameras are used, it allows for higher resolution images when compared to VR tourism videos.

The 360 images can then be uploaded to social media and websites for user to view just as easily as regular images. Although these images are typically not as immersive as VR videos, they are quicker to produce and generally more cost effective.

Using 360 photography, it is also possible to produce hotel tours which enable the user to explore a hotel and its surroundings in an immersive and interactive way.

Applications of virtual reality in tourism

Applications of VR in tourism include:

• – Virtual reality travel experiences
• – VR tourism content for social media/websites
• – Virtual hotel tours

Virtual reality travel experiences

Virtual reality travel experiences typically refer to VR tourism videos made for VR headsets. These virtual travel experiences aim to create a feeling that is as much like being in the real destination as is possible.

At the cutting edge of 360 VR, virtual reality travel experiences provide something truly unique and memorable to the user. The number of travel agencies and travel companies embracing this technology is continually growing and they promise a bright future within the industry.

VR headsets in the travel industry

VR headsets typically provide the most realistic virtual reality travel experience for the user. A VR headset uses specialist software which tracks the movement of the users head. This allows the user to explore the travel destination as they would in real life.

Currently, the number of people that own a VR headset is rising at a fast rate. This growth in headsets can largely be attributed to the gaming market, where the technology is being pushed hard.

Also, all the major online platforms including Google, Facebook, and Amazon are all investing heavily in VR headsets and VR content, promising a bright future for this space.

VR created for headsets is more expensive to produce as it requires the production of Stereoscopic content and spatial audio. However, for those travel companies looking to be at the forefront of the technology, the cost can be worth it to allow them to stand out from the crowd and provide an unrivalled experience to their clients.

VR for travel agencies

One of the most common uses of VR headsets in tourism is by the travel agencies themselves. They can offer prospective clients in-store virtual travel experiences that completely transform what it means to visit a travel agency.

Instead of showing visitors brochures and computer screens, travel agents can provide their clients with a virtual experience. This approach can also be used to great effect at trade shows and events, quickly gaining interest from the general public.

Utilising VR allows travel brands to stand out from the crowd and it provides the user with an experience they won’t forget. Many travel companies have embraced VR technology and have used it to improve sales, as well as to gain brand exposure.

Virtual tours of hotels

Virtual hotel tours allow users to explore a hotel and its grounds in a much more immersive way than ever before. Just how virtual tours are transforming the real estate industry, they are also having a huge impact on the hotel industry.

Hotel interiors and exteriors can be captured in extreme detail using high resolution cameras and specialist equipment. The images are then merged together ( stitched ) to form a complete 360 degree interactive tour in which the user can choose which room to explore.

VR hotel tours are usually monoscopic, which means they can be viewed on any device including mobile and desktop. The tours can then be uploaded to websites and social media for prospective clients to view at any time.

They can also be stereoscopic if the situation and budget allows. This can result in a more realistic and immersive experience.

Unlike regular images of hotels, these tours allow users to imagine themselves in the space. This kind of immersion helps to create unique brand engagement and a lasting impression with the user.

To find out more about virtual tours please take a look at our in-depth article here .

VR travel tours

As well as hotels, VR travel tours can also be created for a wide range of travel destinations and landmarks. VR tours of popular tourism destinations can be produced to give the user a taste of what it’s like to be there.

Benefits of virtual reality in tourism

The benefits of virtual reality in tourism include:

• – Allowing the user to imagine themselves at a travel destination
• – Being able to showcase 360 degrees of a destination in high resolution
• – Enabling the user to explore a scene at their own will
• – Creating memorable and unique experiences for the user
• – Creating unique brand engagement
• – Allowing travel companies to stand out from the crowd
• – Providing travel experiences to those that cannot travel
• – Reducing impact of tourism on vulnerable destinations

VR tourism statistics

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). 13% of those surveyed were actually willing to pay for the VR.

Furthermore, 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.

Overall, the research by Tourism Australia found that VR had the ability to bring a destination to life and make consumers consider travelling to places they wouldn’t have otherwise considered. In particular, consumers were most interested in the VR content that related to nature, wildlife, aquatic, and coastal offerings. – http://www.tourism.australia.com/content/dam/assets/document/1/6/y/7/t/2003897.pdf

The future of VR travel

At Immersion VR, we can’t see tourism VR going anywhere. On the contrary, we have seen an increase in the use of VR for travel. We cannot predict how this space will develop or what new VR travel technologies will be developed. However, we can spot emerging trends within the industry.

VR travel trends

Common VR travel trends include the following:

• – VR travel experiences by travel companies
• – Virtual hotel tours by travel companies and hotels
• – Technologies to make VR travel more realistic
• – VR travel experiences for the elderly
• – VR flight experiences
• – Virtual experiences of landmark destinations
• – Virtual booking interface

We are sure that this list will be growing in the near future so watch this space!

Virtual experiences of landmark destinations

Popular landmark destinations often suffer from the environmental problems associated with too many tourist visitors. By making VR experiences of these landmarks, the number of users can be controlled, reducing the environmental impact.

Take a look below at a VR travel experience of the Grand Canyon. Don’t forget to drag or scroll across the video to explore the scene.

With the number of VR headsets on the increase, these type of experiences are sure to become a common feature in many households across the world.

VR flight experiences

Passengers embark upon a replica of an aeroplane cabin while they are given the pre-flight safety demonstration and then served gourmet food. The goal is to provide them with a realistic experience of flying to a destination.

VR flight experiences are a relatively new addition to the VR travel space. A Tokyo based company called First Airlines has created the world’s first virtual reality airline.

Upon “arrival” the passengers are then given a virtual tour of the destination with VR headsets. Whilst still in its early stages, this kind of experience has the potential to provide people with travel experiences that they would otherwise be unable to afford.

Virtual booking interface

A virtual booking interface is another very recent development within tourism VR. Users can book their holiday whilst wearing a VR headset. All of the booking process takes place within virtual reality.

Everything from choosing the hotel to paying for the holiday happens whilst the user is experiencing the VR. Whilst this has limited applications, we can see travel agencies and companies taking this approach to increase the number of conversions.

It seems to be the logical next step up from one-off travel experiences to taking care of the entire booking process. Whilst still in its infancy, we can see virtual booking interfaces becoming more common within the tourism industry.

Virtual reality travel for seniors

One of the areas in which virtual reality can replace travel is for those that cannot travel, in particular seniors. When people think of VR, they don’t tend to think of the elderly. But being able to provide them with travel experiences that would otherwise not be possible can be extremely rewarding.

In a blog post written by The Big Issue, they explain how a company called Viarama have been working on a VR tool to help people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. They worked on providing senior citizens who are receiving end-of-life care with a one-of-a-kind experience.

Billy Agnew, chief executive of Viarama, said:

“In a hospice situation, we are going in there and letting people ‘travel’ the world. We are letting people travel to where they got married, or where they did their national service, and to places that they never thought they would be able to see.” – https://www.bigissue.com/latest/technology/how-virtual-reality-is-giving-the-elderly-remarkable-end-of-life-adventures/

Viarama achieves this by using HTC Vive headsets, Google Earth VR software, and powerful computers. But whilst the experience is virtual, the emotions it elicits are definitely real.

Billy Agnew went on to say:

“It’s quite often hugely moving. The first time we worked in a hospice we had two doctors who were in to evaluate what we were doing, and both of the doctors broke down because it was so emotional.” – https://www.bigissue.com/latest/technology/how-virtual-reality-is-giving-the-elderly-remarkable-end-of-life-adventures/

Will virtual reality replace travel?

VR is great for creating moments of immersion but it cannot yet replace the complete immersion of being in a real space 24/7.

In fact, in a recent study carried out by European touring company Italy4Real, 81% of adults said that VR can’t replace travel. 92% said that visiting a destination in VR did not equate to visiting it in real life. Furthermore, 77% cited sampling the local food as being important to them. – https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/302947/virtual-reality-not-seen-as-substitute-for-travel.html

Other downsides of VR include smells and the overall atmosphere created by people and animals. Whilst VR technology is progressing at a fast rate, it’s pretty safe to say that virtual reality won’t be replacing travel anytime soon.

VR in tourism is currently best used for marketing travel destinations and hotels. With the growth of VR, we think that virtual travel experiences will become a huge part of the tourism industry in the near future.

VR travel experts

At Immersion VR we have a wealth of experience in VR for travel with clients across the UK and overseas. We have shot on location in countries such as Oman, Scotland, Spain, Indonesia, and Mexico.

We can cater for any kind of tourism VR that you need, from virtual reality travel experiences to VR hotel tours.

We take great pride in the quality of our work and we are unlike any VR travel company. With skills in so many areas of VR, we can advise and inform our clients every step of the way.

Our highly trained crew and attention to detail is what puts us amongst the best VR travel experts out there.

For more information on VR for travel and the services we offer please get in touch today.

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15 Benefits of Virtual Reality In Tourism (2024)

Virtual reality (VR) technology is rapidly transforming the tourism industry by offering immersive and engaging experiences that allow tourists to explore destinations and attractions in new and innovative ways.

From virtual tours and simulations to training and skill development, VR is providing a wealth of benefits for tourism businesses and destinations alike. 

What is VR In Tourism?

Virtual Reality (VR) transforms tourism by immersing travellers in digital environments. Using VR headsets, users can virtually explore destinations, check out hotels, and experience activities before the actual trip. This tech-enhanced preview adds excitement to travel planning, offering a more immersive and informed way to envision and choose upcoming vacations.

15 Key Benefits of VR In the Tourism Industry You Must Know

1. enhanced destination marketing.

Virtual reality (VR) technology allows tourism marketers to create immersive experiences that showcase destinations and attractions, giving potential visitors a taste of what they can expect.

With VR, marketers can create interactive videos, 3D models, and virtual tours that transport viewers to the destination and provide a sense of its unique features and attractions.

This enhanced destination marketing can help to increase awareness and interest in a destination, driving more visitors and tourism revenue.

2. Increased Engagement

VR can provide a more engaging and interactive experience for tourists, enhancing their interest and enthusiasm for a particular destination.

With VR, tourists can explore destinations in a more immersive and interactive way, experiencing sights, sounds, and even smells that are not possible with traditional media.

This increased engagement can help to create a stronger emotional connection with the destination, making tourists more likely to visit and recommend it to others.

3. Accessible Tourism

VR can make tourism more accessible to people with disabilities or limited mobility, allowing them to experience destinations and attractions they may not have been able to before.

With VR, people with physical or sensory impairments can explore destinations in a virtual environment, making it possible to experience the sights and sounds of a place without the physical barriers that may prevent them from visiting in person.

4. Time and Cost Savings

Virtual reality can save time and money for both tourists and tourism businesses. With VR, tourists can explore destinations and attractions without the need for expensive travel and accommodation, making it possible to experience multiple destinations in a short amount of time.

For tourism businesses, VR can reduce the costs of creating physical marketing materials and can help attract visitors who may not have otherwise considered the destination.

5. Improved Planning and Decision-making

VR can provide tourists with a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of a destination, helping them to make more informed decisions about where to go and what to do.

With VR, tourists can explore destinations and attractions in detail, seeing how they fit into the larger context of the destination and its culture.

This can help tourists to plan their trips more effectively, ensuring that they make the most of their time and money.

6. Enhanced Customer Experience

VR can help tourism businesses enhance the customer experience, providing visitors with more personalized and engaging interactions.

With VR, tourism businesses can create immersive and interactive experiences that allow visitors to explore destinations and attractions more engagingly and memorably.

This can help to create a stronger emotional connection with the destination and the business, leading to increased loyalty and repeat business.

7. Reduced Environmental Impact

Virtual reality can help to reduce the environmental impact of tourism by reducing the need for physical travel and the associated carbon emissions.

With VR, tourists can explore destinations and attractions without the need for air travel, reducing their carbon footprint and contributing to a more sustainable tourism industry.

8. Improved Safety and Security

VR can provide a safer and more secure way to explore destinations and attractions, particularly in areas with high levels of crime or political instability.

With VR, tourists can explore destinations in a virtual environment, avoiding the physical risks associated with travel to these areas.

This can also help to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries, particularly in activities such as adventure tourism.

Learn More: VR Safety Training

9. Enhanced Education and Cultural Understanding

VR can provide tourists with an enhanced understanding of the culture and history of a destination, helping them to appreciate its unique features and attractions.

With VR, tourists can explore historical and cultural sites in a more immersive and interactive way, allowing them to learn about the destination more engagingly and memorably.

This can help to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of different cultures and can contribute to more responsible and sustainable tourism.

See Our Complete Module: VR For Education

10. Increased Access to Remote Destinations

Virtual reality can help to increase access to remote or hard-to-reach destinations that may not have been accessible before.

With VR, tourists can explore destinations that are difficult to reach due to their distance, rugged terrain, or lack of infrastructure.

This can help to open up new destinations and attractions to tourism, increasing tourism revenue and contributing to economic development in these areas.

11. Improved Training and Skill Development

VR can provide a valuable tool for training and skill development in the tourism industry.

With VR, tourism businesses can create immersive and interactive VR training simulations that allow staff to learn and practice new skills realistically and engagingly.

This can help to improve the quality of service provided by tourism businesses, leading to increased customer satisfaction and repeat business.

12. Enhanced Sustainability

Virtual reality can help to promote sustainability in the tourism industry by reducing the impact of tourism on the environment and local communities.

With VR, tourists can explore destinations and attractions without the need for physical travel, reducing the carbon emissions and environmental damage associated with tourism.

Additionally, VR can help to promote more responsible and sustainable tourism practices by highlighting the environmental and social impacts of tourism and encouraging tourists to make more sustainable choices.

13. Increased Revenue and Profitability

Virtual reality can help tourism businesses increase revenue and profitability by attracting more visitors and enhancing the customer experience.

With VR, tourism businesses can create immersive and engaging experiences that set them apart from competitors and encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more money.

This can help to increase tourism revenue and profitability, leading to greater economic benefits for the destination and its stakeholders.

14. Improved Crisis Management

Virtual reality can provide a valuable tool for crisis management in the tourism industry, particularly in the event of natural disasters or other emergencies.

With VR, tourism businesses and emergency services can create simulations of different crisis scenarios, allowing them to practice and refine their response strategies in a safe and controlled environment.

This can help to improve the effectiveness of crisis response and reduce the impact of emergencies on tourists and the local community.

15. Innovative and Future-Proofed Marketing

Virtual reality represents an innovative and future-proofed approach to destination marketing that can help tourism businesses stay ahead of the curve.

With VR, tourism businesses can create immersive and interactive experiences that capture the attention of potential visitors and showcase the unique features and attractions of a destination.

This can help to create a strong brand identity for the destination and position it as a leader in the tourism industry.

How is virtual reality applied in the tourism industry?

Virtual reality is applied in tourism for various purposes, such as virtual destination tours, hotel reviews, and interactive travel experiences. It allows users to explore and interact with digital environments, offering a realistic glimpse into what a travel destination has to offer.

What is the difference between VR tourism and AR/VR in tourism?

VR tourism focuses specifically on virtual reality experiences in travel, while AR/VR in tourism encompasses both augmented and virtual reality applications. VR tourism provides immersive previews, whereas AR may overlay digital information onto the real world, enhancing the physical travel experience.

Why consider AR in tourism, and what benefits does it offer?

Augmented reality (AR) in tourism enhances the real-world environment with digital information, such as overlays on historical sites. It offers benefits like interactive travel guides, enriched sightseeing experiences, and a unique blend of digital and physical elements to make travel more engaging and educational.

How to use VR in tourism?

To use VR in tourism, one can leverage VR headsets or devices to create immersive digital experiences. Tourists can virtually explore destinations, hotels, and attractions before their trip. Tourism businesses can incorporate VR for virtual tours, enhancing marketing, and offering a preview of their services.

Can VR replace tourism?

While VR provides immersive experiences, it cannot replace the tangible aspects of travel, such as cultural immersion and sensory experiences. VR serves as a valuable tool for trip planning, marketing, and virtual exploration, but it complements rather than replaces traditional tourism, as physical presence remains essential for a complete travel experience.

Final Thoughts Benefits of Virtual Reality In Tourism:

In conclusion, virtual reality is providing a wealth of benefits for the tourism industry, from enhancing the customer experience and increasing revenue to promoting sustainability and improving crisis management.

By leveraging VR technology, tourism businesses and destinations can create immersive and engaging experiences that set them apart from competitors and position them as leaders in the industry.

As VR technology continues to evolve and become more accessible, we can expect to see even more innovative and exciting applications of VR in tourism, offering new opportunities for growth and development in the industry.

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The Rise of Virtual Reality in Tourism: Benefits and Examples

Introduction to Virtual Reality in Tourism

Virtual reality in tourism provides viewers with an immersive tourism experience. There are many different types of virtual tourism services available. They use a combination of virtual reality, still images, video, audio, narration, and other multimedia formats.

It gives users an experience of a destination that they wouldn't get from looking at pictures or visiting a website.

Virtual tourism content can be accessed using a virtual reality headset for the most immersive experience. It can also be viewed on a regular computer or even a mobile device.

Virtual Reality in Tourism

Viewers can take part in activities, travel to different locations, and visit different destinations. They can do all this from the comfort of their own homes. Virtual tourism has many distinct advantages. The most obvious advantage is that viewers can see and experience a destination without having to travel there.

This means they are not restricted by available flights, travel logistics, safety concerns, or whether destinations are open. They aren't even concerned with time zones or weather conditions.

Another advantage for viewers is the cost

Millions of people who otherwise would not be able to afford to travel to these destinations can now do so. Viewers are embracing the rise of virtual tourism destinations to see and experience things they never imagined were possible.

The ability to read the minds of potential customers and highlight a location, amenities, and offerings is a clear benefit for hotels and destinations. Viewers who have been to a hotel or visited a location through virtual tourism are more likely to book a future stay. They also look forward to experiencing the activity in the “real world.”

Virtual tourism technology also provides excellent marketing opportunities. Instead of flat images on a brochure or website, potential guests can see a 360-degree view of a property and its amenities. Viewers who experience a property in this way are more likely to want to return in the future. They can also share the virtual offerings with their friends and family.

How is it used: Virtual Reality in Tourism?

There are many ways for hotels and destinations to enjoy this technology and the growing popularity of virtual tourism.

Virtual tourism has been in use for years to highlight the unique aspects of a location. These aspects can be history and culture to exciting activities, local attractions, and fun trivia.

360-degree VR video is used by hotels and local governments to capture everything about a destination in an immersive way. With the press of a button, viewers can travel to a remote mountaintop, a beautiful beach, a network of hiking trails, or a bustling city.

VR photography combines still images with specialized software

It creates an immersive image that allows the user to look in any direction. This technology is ideal for displaying hotel interiors, artwork, museum exhibits, and anything else that can be fully appreciated without the use of sound or motion.

Users can get in on the action with immersive VR experiences. They can interact with the environment and learn more through their actions. A curated experience focusing on one aspect of the location, such as the food scene, music, history, or art, is common. Virtual reality yoga classes, nature walks, stargazing, and bird watching are all popular ways to promote a location.

Before landing, passengers can take a 3D tour

Virtual reality can aid in the planning of tourist attractions, when there are delays in the travel schedule, travelers can use vr tech, take a virtual reality tour of the plane, travel planners can use virtual reality to create engaging presentations, virtual reality is a fantastic way to advertise on social media, virtual reality can assist travelers in locating locations on a map, the faroe islands, bristol from home, dubai 360 is a virtual tour of dubai, the great barrier reef, benefits of virtual reality in tourism.

There's nothing quite like knowing where you're going before you arrive at your destination. One of the benefits of virtual reality in tourism is that visitors can take a 3D tour of their destination before arriving. Virtual reality is distinct from traditional photography.

It allows users to immerse themselves in the experience. Tourists can thus sense a city's culture before ever setting foot in the city. It makes them feel less like outsiders when they arrive.

Vacations always seem to be too short because visitors never get to see everything they want while on vacation. A lack of good planning is one of the reasons why key sights go unnoticed by tourists. Virtual reality allows visitors to learn the names and locations of all the town's major attractions ahead of time.

Tourists can also look inside famous landmarks to see if they want to take a virtual tour of them in real-time. Because virtual reality allows visitors to only entertain the locations that intrigue them the most in real-time, they get the most out of their sightseeing experience.

There's nothing worse than getting stranded at the airport for an unknown amount of time. During these times, boredom has a way of creeping in and clouding the vision of the excitement. When unexpected delays occur, the best way to re-establish excitement for the trip ahead is to take a virtual reality tour of the vacation destination.

Some passengers feel more at ease after seeing the plane and knowing where all the emergency exits are located. Virtual reality allows passengers to take a 3D tour of the plane before boarding.

The future of virtual reality in tourism does not completely end the need for actual tours. When it comes to presentations, travel planners should think about the advantages of virtual reality in tourism. Consider the coordinator who can do more than hand out a brochure listing possible locations.

How many more customers could a planner get if he could take them on a virtual tour of the streets of Venice before charging them for a trip they might or might not enjoy?

Virtual reality in tourism removes the element of surprise from travel. Thus ensuring that customers have a good time in their chosen destination.

A vacation planning company that uses social media does more than just post pictures of popular destinations. Virtual reality can help businesses stand out from the competition. It allows coordinators to post 3D tours of cities to entice customers to contact them.

There's nothing more frustrating than getting lost on vacation and wasting time. In tourism, virtual reality can assist travelers in locating simple items. These can be a nearby coffee shop, reducing the time it takes to find something that would otherwise take 30 minutes to find to only 10 minutes.

Some Examples of Virtual Reality in Tourism

The Faroe Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Iceland. Once COVID-19 began, the Faroe Islands launched a virtual tourism campaign. This provides people with an alternative to traveling to the location. This was a blessing for everyone who had been isolated all over the world. It allows visitors from all over the world to virtually tour the islands through the eyes of a local. It also allows virtual tourists to track the locals' movements in real-time.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Visit Bristol created an immersive experience like the Faroe Islands. Bristol From Home is a collection of travelers' favorite ideas, inspirations, and resources. These ideas allow you to continue to enjoy Bristol from the comfort of your own home during social distancing measures.

The website offers a variety of virtual experiences. It provides tours of a luxury Victorian ship, hot-air balloon rides, gin tastings, and more, all in one convenient location.

Tour Dubai's awe-inspiring architecture with Dubai 360. It is an immersive virtual tourism experience that allows users to travel the city from a bird's-eye view. It helps you learn everything there is to know about the various locations.

Virtual tourism is available on the Great Barrier Reef. Legendary broadcaster and historian David Attenborough hosts the interactive journey. The journey takes viewers on a tour of the world's largest coral reef system. This is more than just a substitute for Great Barrier Reef tours. It's an experience in and of itself, demonstrating the versatility of virtual tourism.

Virtual tours can serve as a starting point for alternative tourism during the Corona pandemic and even after it is over. Furthermore, there are those who lack the necessary resources, financial capacity, free time, or access.

People with disabilities and limited mobility will be able to experience the sensation of recreation through a virtual tour.

Virtual tours, besides being cost-effective, can be used to promote tourist attractions to central and local governments. It does, in fact, need technological advancements such as 360-degree software, virtual reality (VR), and panoramic images.

With this advancement in technology, virtual tours can now be visualized in 3D, making them more realistic and futuristic. A virtual tour can act as an entrance to entice people to visit these tourist attractions in person.

You may also like to read: VR And AR In Food Business: Their Impact and Benefits

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Benefits of Virtual Reality in the Tourism and Travel industry

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Virtual Reality is transforming the travel and tourism industry in an unstoppable way! VR can create amazing experiences limited only by your imagination. It is an excellent tool for marketing hotel rooms, flights, and travel products. As a hotel or travel company, you can provide unique customer experiences with VR elements on your website or as app downloads.  

Support customer buying decisions and give insights before booking a hotel

The primary benefit of Virtual Reality in the tourism and travel industry is to initially provide a kind of ‘try before you buy’ option. The immersive nature of VR enables everyone to experience a virtual version of a hotel room, attraction, or unique selling point. VR can cause strong emotions more convincingly than just viewing images or reading customer reviews can achieve. Because customers usually require lots of information before they book a hotel room, you can significantly shorten the process of researching and seeking information by using VR. VR experiences offer an effective way to show customers how their stay could look like, and give them confidence that they are dealing with a honest vendor with nothing to hide, before arriving at a purchase decision.

Create a VR experience from your  local attractions to increase publicity

The big-hitting tourist destinations dominate the tourism market, leaving marketers of smaller or less famous attractions a hard time in competing.

VR helps to attract a large audience of visitors to see a destination’s potential and to show how worthy it is to visit. An attention-grabbing, immersive VR experience has exponentially greater impact on increasing visitor intention than traditional media, and at relatively small cost.

Alternatively, you might not want hordes of visitors descending on a place that is literally crumbling under the mass of tourists. Or some environmentally sensitive destinations will have unique ecosystems in danger from human intrusion. Or a destination might just be too expensive for most people to reach. In these cases, VR can provide a satisfying substitute for the real experience. 

Become an innovation leader  in the tourism industry 

Make VR valuable in your area of tourism and travel and be amongst the first to emotionally empower your customers with the help of VR. Typically, tourist customers seek to purchase experiences rather than products, and Virtual Reality offers a great way to provide a completely new customer journey that takes in all the senses. thereby creating maximum customer value. You can diversify your services, meet the demands of the market – and be an innovative leader of your industry. Be aware also that Millennials and upcoming Generation Z customers already spend a lot of time in digital environments and are therefore the perfect target group for digital technologies. 

What our partners and clients say

VRdirect enables businesses to easily create their own Virtual Reality projects and to make them available to end-users, employees or partners. Everything without having to develop their own app and without the need of any expert skills. Read how our partners and clients are already using it profitably:

„Virtual Reality for Tourism – it is very obvious that the medium offers great possibilities. Buying decisions are often emotional ones and VR again is perfect to support this. At the same time, we always want to offer our clients marketing ideas that are reasonable within a more complex strategy and a step ahead of the competitors. With VRdirect as a proven platform, we can quickly implement our creative ideas in this area and provide our clients with very professional, stable and cost efficient Virtual Reality projects (VR apps and Web Player solutions).”

Stefan Thomsen   Managing Partner at Travel Marketeers

“Virtual Reality / Interactive 360° is a key medium when it comes to tourism and city marketing. Successfully working with hotels, cultural institutions and tourism authorities in Germany and also Spain, edataconsulting is alwaysexploring possibilities in how to add “virtual value” to a campaign. From our experience VR does significantly support the sales process and as an emotional medium can really drive purchase decisions. Our mission is to enable all of our clients to exploit the great potential of Virtual Reality – by offering efficient, scalable and still very stable solutions. As experts in 360° production and marketing we can fully rely on VRdirect here. By using the platform to build and distribute our projects we are saving clients the enormous costs of programming.”

Carlos Ayala Jiménez Head of Sales at edataconsulting

Are you keen to learn more about working with Virtual Reality in the tourism and travel industry?

Download our White Paper for an in-depth view on the various benefits of VR for the tourism and travel industry , as well as a step-by-step guide for how to create your own interactive experience. Learn how to use VR to increase hotel bookings and get to know more about future trends in travel marketing.

Virtual Reality is exploding all over the tourism industry, and as a stakeholder and player you cannot escape its impact!

The VRdirect platform is the easiest solution to create and publish Virtual Reality projects. There are no expert skills needed. Moreover, Virtual Reality projects created with VRdirect can be published instantly via any VR enabled device, smartphone or web-browser and you can update them easily and in real-time.

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VR Tourism; Top Virtual Reality Examples in the Tourism Industry

VR tourism has been a trend among the tech-savvy for some time now. But what was once a niche interest has become a new standard among various companies. Travel agencies, hotel chains, and destinations have incorporated virtual reality into their services. As you’ll soon see, the result is a breathtaking worldview.

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What is virtual reality, how is the tourism industry defined, why is vr tourism gaining popularity, virtual reality gear for vr tourism, virtual booking interfaces, vr travel experiences, vr hotel tours, first airlines, visit wales, from vr tourism to tourism in the metaverse, vr tourism as a metaverse trend.

Defining and examining virtual reality before looking at VR tourism is essential. Virtual reality might seem like a fairly self-evident subject at first glance. You put on a headset and then find yourself in a digital world. But metaverse companies have created a rich ecosystem that gives you a lot of options for virtual experiences. When you think about VR, you probably imagine its fully immersive form. You experience this when using a VR headset and appropriate accessories like gloves or treadmills.

There are also non-immersive forms of VR that are experienced through traditional interfaces like computer monitors. And semi-immersive forms give you an immersive visual experience but limit your autonomy within the digital space. You can delve into a larger examination of the nature of virtual reality and the metaverse in the article “Virtual Reality; Discover VR, Its Components, Technology, and Players” .

Now that you’ve seen the VR part of VR tourism, it’s time to look at tourism as a whole. The tourism industry can be defined as the primary and tertiary economic entities surrounding and facilitating recreational travel. That description might make you think about travel agents or hotels. But you should broaden your view of it and consider how money flows into travel destinations. The tourism industry is often a subset of many other business concerns.

For example, conferences often have ties to the tourism industry. And the same holds for paid travel options in tourist destinations, restaurants frequented by travelers, etc. But not all travel falls under the label of tourism. The length of your stay essentially defines it. If you’re sticking around for more than a year, it’s not considered tourism anymore. And the same generally holds true for international students who are studying abroad.

The combination of tourism and virtual reality has taken the world by storm. And there’s good reason for that fact. The larger metaverse meaning has always focused on experiential factors. People certainly buy equipment to access the metaverse. But the real product is the experience of being in a magical new environment. And the same is true of the travel industry. When customers book flights or hotels, it’s a means to an end.

Just as with the metaverse, travelers are really buying an experience. But until recently, people couldn’t really get a taste of those experiences beforehand. Pictures and videos helped people get some ideas about what their vacation might be like. But VR provides a far more immersive experience. For the first time, people can look around and get an idea of what it’d be like to stand on distant shores or watch another land’s sunsets.

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While VR tourism is mainly focused on an experience, that doesn’t mean you can neglect your gear. Just as traditional tourism requires you to pack for the journey, so will VR tourism. This essentially means matching virtual reality gear to your particular needs. A VR headset is a given. But you should also consider whether your headset needs augmented reality or mixed reality support. VR interface controllers are also an important consideration. You can find the most important aspects of VR gear in the article “VR Headsets; Your Complete Guide to the Top Virtual Reality Gear” .

3 Examples of VR Tourism

Now that you have a good idea of the theory, it’s time to look at the practice. Technically, VR tourism can encompass almost anything. Part of what makes virtual reality so exciting is the fact that it’s only limited by imagination. But with that in mind, VR tourism techniques and technologies can largely fit into three different categories.

Virtual booking interfaces are what you experience when working on the logistics of your vacation. You can think of it as a “hub world” of sorts within the larger VR tourism experience. The virtual booking interface lets you choose hotels, consider different destinations, and even make payments. These interfaces are still in a relatively early stage of development. But if metaverse events are any indication, virtual booking interfaces will continue to grow in overall functionality. Metaverse hubs let you move from world to world. And booking interfaces will one day let you explore individual hotel facilities or compare rooms.

Video: The world’s first Virtual Reality travel search and booking experience

Most people think of VR travel experiences when they hear about VR tourism. It’s an experience that begins when people boot up VR gear from their favorite metaverse brands . From that point, they can sample some of the local flavors from around the world. It’s a chance to get a VR-based version of real-world locations. For example, you could instantly jump into a recreation of some famous landmarks to get an idea of their true size and majesty. Many companies also let you take a look at everything from hotels to their facilities before booking a trip.

Video: Ancient city of Petra, Jordan. Aerial 360 video in 8K

Hotels are often included in the larger VR travel experiences. But some hotels take VR tourism to the next level by opening up their services’ breadth. Hotels are able to take incredible high-quality photographs of their grounds since they have total control over them. This allows them to recreate areas in perfect detail essentially. The resulting model is often integrated into monoscopic views that can be used outside of virtual reality setups. For example, you can load a hotel’s monoscopic model on your phone while still having the option to use virtual reality headsets.

Video: Shangri-La Hotels Virtual Reality Tour

3 brands already investing in vr tourism.

Now that you’ve seen the tools used within VR tourism, it’s time to look at some of the best options. While many companies use VR tourism, the following are some of the most innovative and popular.

Marriott has taken on the challenge of VR tourism from two different angles. People on-site can borrow a Samsung Gear VR headset to explore the company’s Milk VR platform. Meanwhile, people can also take a look at what Marriott offers from the outside as well. This is accomplished in part through “VR Postcards” . The postcards system allows people to link their experiences to form a visual storytelling experience. Marriott’s VR isn’t just about putting yourself into an exotic environment. The platform also helps you share those experiences with loved ones back home and for posterity.

Video: VR Postcards | Behind the Scenes

First Airlines is often described as the first virtual airline. It takes VR tourism to the next level by mixing real-world and digital simulations to create a fully immersive experience. People board a perfect recreation of an A310’s cabin. The recreation even uses authentic seats from decommissioned planes. Once they board, a passenger can enjoy authentic meals based on the culinary tradition of their destination. And when that moment of arrival comes, the passenger dons a VR headset to enjoy the sights. Flight attendants are even on hand to help with meals and offer various beverage options.

Video: Japanese company First Airlines launched world’s first virtual airline

Visit Wales aims to do exactly what its name describes – help people visit Wales. Visit Wales uses VR tourism to bring the experience of visiting Wales to people worldwide. The system leverages 360° photography to capture the sights of Wales in pristine clarity. And a variety of parties have added their own resources and expertise. This allows users to sample experiences as varied as museums, countryside, castles, and courtyards. On top of the visual element Visit Wales also opens up the full scope of the region’s history through learning experiences and art collections.

Video: Zip World Velocity 360º VR Adventure – Visit Wales

VR tourism is a fantastic way to see the world. But virtual reality is itself a metaverse-related technology. Virtual reality is tied to the metaverse, so your digital travel isn’t limited to earth. You can explore an entire universe of digital sights and sounds within the metaverse. Every metaverse instance is a new world or even galaxy unto itself. Metaverse explorations provide rich experiences, fascinating people, and even opportunities to earn or win real money. You can learn more about the metaverse in the article “Metaverse Guide; Understanding The Basics Will Open Up a New World” .

VR tourism might seem like it came out of nowhere. One minute it’s just an idea, the next, there’s an entire industry built up around it. But that’s fairly common with extended reality and the metaverse in general. Metaverse companies tend to grow alongside the technologies they’re using. And make no mistake, these technologies are growing at an amazing pace. That’s why trends like NFT support in applications or metaverse games have rapidly grown. Tech development often grows exponentially. You can get a broader view of metaverse-related trends in the article “Metaverse Trends; Upcoming Milestones for the Digital Frontier” .

You might have thought of VR tourism as a futuristic concept. But as you’ve seen, you can now explore and enjoy virtual reality tourism. The call to a new adventure has begun, and you can be part of it.

Did You Like This Article About VR Tourism?

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Widen horizons with vr travel.

For travellers, now and in the future, a virtual reality travel experience is the journey that begins the journey. With our expertise, technical ingenuity and creative daring, our team can help you create interactive worlds that inspire, educate and entertain your customers, before, after and during their travels.

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Experience Virtual Reality Visits: The Future of Tourism

Aug 08, 2024

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Have you ever wanted to visit the Great Wall of China, wander through the streets of Paris, or explore the depths of the ocean, all from the comfort of your own home? With virtual reality (VR) visits, now you can! This latest trend in tourism allows you to experience immersive destinations and activities without the need for physical travel.

VR visits are changing the way we explore the world, offering a new level of convenience, accessibility, and excitement. By simply putting on a VR headset, you can be transported to any location or experience, from historical landmarks to thrilling adventures, in stunning detail and realism.

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Beyond its accessibility, VR visits also offer a level of immersion that traditional travel experiences can't always provide. With VR technology, you can interact with your surroundings, engage in virtual tours, and even participate in virtual activities, creating a sense of presence and engagement that goes beyond simply watching a screen.

Furthermore, VR visits are shaping the future of tourism by offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional travel. By reducing the need for long-haul flights and minimizing the impact on popular tourist destinations, VR visits can help mitigate the negative effects of over-tourism and contribute to the conservation of natural and cultural sites.

Whether you're a seasoned traveler looking to expand your horizons or someone who has always dreamed of visiting far-off places, VR visits provide an exciting and innovative way to experience the world. With the rapid advancements in VR technology, the possibilities for immersive travel experiences are continually expanding, offering new opportunities for exploration and discovery.

In conclusion, VR visits are revolutionizing the way we approach tourism, offering a diverse range of benefits, including accessibility, immersion, and sustainability. As the technology continues to evolve, VR visits will undoubtedly become an integral part of the travel industry, providing a gateway to new destinations and experiences for people around the world.

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