Virtual reality tourism ‘crowned’ the epidemic era

Virtual reality tourism has become a lifesaver for the world tourism industry in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Just connecting via apps and a virtual reality device, users can experience travel at affordable prices. (Source: AFP) Ms. Jem Jenkins Jones lives in Wales (England) in the context of a complicated Covid-19 pandemic still unfolding in the land of fog. To fulfill her promise to her 10-year-old daughter wanting to see the northern auroras from the game reserves of Iceland and South Africa, Jem turned to virtual reality travel services. “My daughter was amazed,” Jem said, saying that virtual reality travel experiences have become a lifesaver for many pandemic families when travel is limited. Just connecting via apps and a virtual reality device, users can experience travel at affordable prices. “Sales have skyrocketed. We are getting more acclaim each month,” said Cezara Windrem, creator of the Alcove VR platform at the AARP Innovation Lab (UK). Under the impact of the epidemic, the world travel industry has been almost “frozen” and the virtual reality device experience services have emerged as an alternative to the real-world travel industry. With more and more users interested in using virtual reality services, app developers from organizations such as National Geographic or World Wildlife Fund have created a range of new travel experiences such as: sightseeing. visit the pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal, the steppes in Kenya or the Antarctic from a kayak. Users can choose to use Oculus (Facebook), PlayStation (Sony), Google Cardboard … to experience. Some devices cost as little as $ 300 and many are free to experience. Mr. Rafael Cortes, an enthusiastic service experience, said: “I still travel the world every week in my own home. I went to London, visited the glass bridge in China, saw Angel Falls in Venezuela, the ancient city of Petra in Jordan and even experienced a helicopter tour in New York. Not only at the viewing experience, the applications also bring users extremely authentic feelings. A Facebook VR user group management representative said there are “some great travel experiences” in virtual reality that feel like real life. “Once I was sitting at a VR poker table at 1am with a guy in Australia eating KFC. I can even hear his KFC call, ”he quoted. However, according to Mr. Avi Greengart, an analyst of consulting firm Techsponential, despite offering different experiences and some advantages, virtual reality tourism still cannot be compared with real experience. “With virtual reality travel, you won’t be able to enjoy unique local food. You will also miss out on a lot of real life experiences or simply random encounters with locals. “, he said. A report by research company GlobalData shows that virtual reality travel will assist pre-pandemic tourists to learn about a destination before arriving. GlobalData analyst Ralph Hollister also affirmed that the Covid-19 pandemic could create a momentum for tourism as soon as the epidemic ends. “Virtual reality will become an important part of how tourists can view and choose a travel destination. The widespread adoption of virtual reality in the travel industry could be the next step in this technology.” he said. (from eNCA)