Image by FunkyFocus from Pixabay

Why We Are Living in a Virtual World 

 Virtual reality has fast moved from the realm of science fiction to science fact. Between 2015 and 2020, the average price for a VR headset dropped by about £94. The increasingly affordable pricing of this tech has moved it out of the province of hardcore gamers.

VR has become mainstream now, and so companies are taking advantage. One area of particular interest for us is VR in the travel industry. Could VR create a whole new version of the travel industry? Could people enhance their private tours using VR? Could VR replace traditional travel?

In this post, we’ll look at the impact VR is having on the travel industry. 

Why VR?

VR offers users a unique viewpoint. Instead of watching pictures on a screen, you feel like you’re there. Depending on the application that you’re using, you can interact with others in the environment, move around, and see things from many different angles.

The tech was initially developed for gamers. The immersive experience it offered to players helped to cement its reputation as a useful tech. It wasn’t long before companies started to develop different applications for VR’s use.

Today, we’re seeing VR being used for a range of different things. In marketing, it’s a useful way to showcase your offering. We’re going a step beyond that now, though. We’re now building in interfaces in VR to allow clients to ask questions and make bookings.

How is the Travel Industry Using VR?

As a Valuable Marketing Tool

The travel industry was one of the first industries to embrace VR. VR is particularly helpful here because it can give consumers a taste of things to come. We’ve all heard horror stories of accommodation that looks nothing like the pictures.

With VR, companies can offer clients virtual tours of their facilities. Unscrupulous vendors might still try to doctor videos. It does, however, become more difficult to hide flaws when you’re producing a virtual tour rather than just still shots.

The upside with creating this full tour is that clients will usually find answers to questions they want to pose along the way.

So far, VR is still pretty new here, but let’s see what existing applications we can find for it.

Virtual Tours

Virtual tours are popping up all over the place. For the moment, hotels use VR mainly as a way to show off their rooms. What would you prefer to see? A couple of still shots or a walkthrough of the room ending with the magnificent view from the window?

Tour companies might give snippets of VR footage to showcase some of the main attractions.

Creating a Virtual Booking

Another practical application is to allow clients to complete the booking process in the virtual reality space. Imagine the convenience of being able to explore your room and then being able to book it without leaving the VR interface.

This could be expanded even more in the future. Perhaps we’ll start linking through to tour guides, main attractions, and so on. You’d be able to book every aspect of travel from the VR screen. It makes it much easier for us to create our own customized experiences.

Experiences

Travel is all about the experience. It’s not about being able to tick off all the sites, but rather how you experience them. The travel industry is capitalizing on the trend towards experiential travel by offering virtual experiences.

They might, for example, offer you a short tour of Paris, for example. The idea is to whet your appetite. It’s one thing, after all, to be told that the view from the Eiffel Tower is outstanding. It’s quite another when you can see that view for yourself.

Take a look at the image below, showing an overview of Paris. What would be more effective? Saying that Paris is a bustling metropolis or showing this picture? Which sparks your interest more?

Image by DUOTONE_ from Pixabay

Another interesting idea is to incorporate augmented reality into the travel industry. Imagine sitting on a tour bus driving past the Colosseum in Rome and seeing gladiators walking out of it. What if you could stop and talk to them?

It sounds sci-fi, we realize, but there are some real possibilities to consider here. Imagine being able to interact with a person from “Pompeii” and ask them the questions you’re interested in. It would be far more interesting than listening to one of those tour tapes droning on.

What Will the Future Hold for VR in the Travel Industry?

The idea of more armchair travel comes to mind. After all, traveling the world can be expensive and, at times, inconvenient. If virtual reality can give you a similar experience for a fraction of the trouble, it could well become an important part of the travel industry.

Imagine being able to take a virtual tour of the Louvre, for example. You do not see the paintings in real life, but you’re still getting a good look. You can opt to explore the Louvre at your leisure.

Considering that 35,5% of Irish residents can’t afford to travel, these tours could become a valuable alternative. 

Why Not Just Visit the Louvre?

The expense aside, it’s also worth keeping in mind that this form of “travel” could cut a lot of the inconvenience factor. The Mona Lisa at the Louvre is one of the most important attractions. To get a glimpse of her, you’ll have to stand in long queues and wait for your turn.

With a virtual tour, there’s no waiting or other tourists to contend with. It’s not as if you can touch the painting anyway. Virtual reality could provide a viable alternative for people who’d like to travel but can’t.

Companies are already embracing the tech to make their client’s lives easier. Monart, for example, already offers 3D virtual art exhibitions. 

Is Real Travel’s Time Numbered?

You’ve got to wonder if real travel will fall victim to virtual travel. It’s an interesting concept, but we’re not there yet. While virtual reality can mimic the sights and sounds, it can’t capture less tangible elements like the vibe. You’re very much an observer here, not a participant.

By contrast, real travel puts you in the thick of things. You get to experience the culture, taste the food, and experience it with all of your senses.

Is real travel dead? Not by a long shot yet. Instead, we see VR enhancing your travel experience.

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Bio: Chris is a computer geek, writer, and content creator. He is interested in every aspect of the IT industry, marketing and traveling. Freelancer in his nature, he is willing to get experience and knowledge from around the world and implement them in his life. Currently working as an Editor in CityUnscripted.

Image by DUOTONE_ from Pixabay

Another interesting idea is to incorporate augmented reality into the travel industry. Imagine sitting on a tour bus driving past the Colosseum in Rome and seeing gladiators walking out of it. What if you could stop and talk to them?

It sounds sci-fi, we realize, but there are some real possibilities to consider here. Imagine being able to interact with a person from “Pompeii” and ask them the questions you’re interested in. It would be far more interesting than listening to one of those tour tapes droning on.

What Will the Future Hold for VR in the Travel Industry?

The idea of more armchair travel comes to mind. After all, traveling the world can be expensive and, at times, inconvenient. If virtual reality can give you a similar experience for a fraction of the trouble, it could well become an important part of the travel industry.

Imagine being able to take a virtual tour of the Louvre, for example. You do not see the paintings in real life, but you’re still getting a good look. You can opt to explore the Louvre at your leisure.

Considering that 35,5% of Irish residents can’t afford to travel, these tours could become a valuable alternative.

Why Not Just Visit the Louvre?

The expense aside, it’s also worth keeping in mind that this form of “travel” could cut a lot of the inconvenience factor. The Mona Lisa at the Louvre is one of the most important attractions. To get a glimpse of her, you’ll have to stand in long queues and wait for your turn.

With a virtual tour, there’s no waiting or other tourists to contend with. It’s not as if you can touch the painting anyway. Virtual reality could provide a viable alternative for people who’d like to travel but can’t.

Companies are already embracing the tech to make their client’s lives easier. Monart, for example, already offers 3D virtual art exhibitions.

Is Real Travel’s Time Numbered?

You’ve got to wonder if real travel will fall victim to virtual travel. It’s an interesting concept, but we’re not there yet. While virtual reality can mimic the sights and sounds, it can’t capture less tangible elements like the vibe. You’re very much an observer here, not a participant.

By contrast, real travel puts you in the thick of things. You get to experience the culture, taste the food, and experience it with all of your senses.

Is real travel dead? Not by a long shot yet. Instead, we see VR enhancing your travel experience.

By Chris Usatenko, who is a computer geek, writer, and content creator. He is interested in every aspect of the IT industry, marketing and traveling. Freelancer in his nature, he is willing to get experience and knowledge from around the world and implement them in his life. Currently working as an Editor in CityUnscripted.

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