Director of virtual reality (VR) company YouVisit – Gordon Meyer – says that the combination of virtual reality with travel is ideal for technology to make an impression.
A reason for travel complimenting virtual reality and its users is because it provides a visual channel to showcase destinations all over the world. Experiences are demonstrated in a much more vivid way, allowing the individual to really ‘feel’ what it is like being there. Not only that but by using virtual reality to market travel onlookers are able to enjoy the experimental nature of it, rather than it being two-dimensional, flat media.
The Director of YouVisit said: “The pairing of travel and VR just makes so much sense.
“It’s a perfect use case for VR.”
The industry is taking a note of this attitude and more and more companies are starting to test VR programs. YouVisit has worked with several destinations to create VR content as well as others working with travel brands to provide virtual tours of destinations.
This real-life experience of virtual reality allows viewers to become familiar with a place and to understand a country’s culture before actually booking it. Undoubtedly, it is a fantastic development in the tech world.
Some have named this advancement as a true “evolution of marketing platforms”. From books to photos to video, VR is the modern-day fruition and is steadily growing more popular.
Virtual reality engages people in many different ways, whether they’re sat in a travel agency or not, there are many opportunities to inspire people to travel and to explore the world.
GDS Innovation Lab, Sabre Labs – a Social Innovation Design R&D subsidiary of the Los Angels based, award-winning international architecture firm – used VR as one of their main topics in their Emerging Technology in Travel report this year.
They found three main uses for VR relating to travel:
1. An inspiring shopping tool for clients,
2. A product training tool for agents,
3. An opportunity to advertise alongside VR content that is either directly or indirectly related to travel.
At the moment, travel content available in the virtual reality realm has not reached its peak. It would be fair to say that there is content on many destinations but not all, which highlights room for others to invent their own and contribute to this growing movement.
VR is becoming more widespread in consumer space – for example, a Google VR short film has won an Academy Award for a virtual reality production. Headsets are reducing in price too, with some using a mobile phone to power VR experiences.
As time moves on, many companies are collaborating on VR initiatives, like Largay Travel and Virtuoso. The entire creativeness factor of it is really encouraging the next biggest sales in travel and is an amazing tool for marketers.
This technological paradigm shift is certainly a big one, and we are sure to be part of it.
Written by Gemma Smith
