Virtual reality tourism ready for takeoff as
travellers remain grounded
Experts say pandemic could provide watershed moment
for technology, potentially leading to more sustainable tourism
Caroline
Davies
Caroline
Davies
Sat 6 Feb
2021 08.00 GMT
With
globe-trotting banned in the pandemic, increasing numbers of people are turning
to virtual reality to relieve pent-up demand for travel.
Escapism
from the sofa through a growing range of VR travel experiences is whetting
appetites for post-pandemic holidays and could be a watershed moment for the
technology in tourism, say analysts.
“As long as
the pandemic increases and we are spending more time indoors, we should see
adoption keep on growing,” said Ralph Hollister, a tourism analyst at Global
Data and the author of a recent report on VR in tourism.
Oculus
launched its Quest 2 headset in October and the most popular experiences
include National Geographic VR, which takes users to places such as Antarctica
– where they can navigate icebergs in a kayak, climb an ice shelf and survive a
raging snowstorm as they search for a lost emperor penguin colony.
Another
app, Wander, can teleport VR travellers from the pyramids of Egypt to the
gardens of the Taj Mahal, while Alcove offers immersive experiences from hot
air balloon rides to city tours.
When We
Stayed Home takes travellers to the heart of Paris, Venice, Jerusalem and Tokyo
as they largely are today. Through the eyes of a local, you can witness the
calm, the beauty and the emptiness of a places on pause during April 2020.
“In this
time of social distancing, people are looking for different ways to stay
entertained, connected and active, and VR offers that,” said an Oculus
spokesperson. “Whether you want to transport yourself to different places in
the world, play with friends, get fit or just hang out together and feel like
you’re in the same room, people are realising they can with VR.”
One
prominent adopter of pandemic VR is Germany’s national tourist board, which has
unveiled a number of immersive projects. The Maldives Marketing and Public
Relations Corporation is using VR to showcase experiences such as beach yoga
and snorkelling.
Hollister
said VR was still seen as a gimmick. “It remains to be seen if increased usage
will last beyond when meaningful travel resumes.” But he believes it could.
“I think
the increase will be sustained, especially with the Gen Z and millennials in
coming years, as they move into higher-paid jobs, and marketers take them more
seriously as a consumer group. They will not feel alienated by the technology,”
he said.
Currently,
VR is used in the pre-trip “dreamer” stage in tourism, with people looking at
where they might want to go. Among the tourist operator Kuoni’s offerings,
potential customers can take a 360-degree tour of the upmarket Sandy Lane
luxury resort in Barbados.
Hollister
predicts that in the future people could use VR to book trips directly, as well
as choosing seats on planes and hotel rooms with a click of the controller.
“A lot of
travellers and consumers want a seamless experience, to go from looking to
booking with minimal clicks, instant gratification and saving as much time as
possible,” he said.
It has its
limitations. ‘Tourism is also about touch, taste, smell, all those other
sensory experiences, which is something VR cannot do,” he said. The price of
high-quality headsets restricts access too.
But as the
world seeks more sustainable tourism, Hollister said VR also offered a
solution. As historic sites are damaged through mass tourism, recreating them
in VR could help conserve them.
So this could
be a watershed moment for VR and travel. “Everyone will be analysing that and
working out its real worth to the industry,” he said.
‘More
immersive than I could have imagined’
Angel Ross
hoped to be travelling this year – and he has. He’s been cage diving with white
sharks, kayaked in Antarctica and played poker in China – all virtually.
Ross, who
works for a London-based marketing firm, invested in an Oculus Quest 2 in
January to satisfy his wanderlust after finding himself “stuck at home with the
winter getting a bit depressing”.
He said: “I
love travelling. I am 22 and these are the years when I have been wanting to do
a lot of things, and obviously can’t do anything right now. I love the ocean
and I love snorkelling. On the Oculus you can dive with all these different
animals, and it’s super immersive and realistic.
“There’s a
great white shark, you can get in a cage and it comes up to you. It was pretty
terrifying but amazing. Then there’s more friendly animals like dolphins you
can play with. I’ve done all of them, pretty much.”
To make it
more inclusive, he can cast what he is seeing on to his computer or TV to share
with friends. “You feel quite disorientated when you come out, because you are
really tricking your brain to think you are there,” he said.
On the
National Geographic VR app, he went on an Antarctic adventure. “I saw whales, I
was in a kayak and you can climb an ice shelf. You really feel like you are
walking and moving and going somewhere. All your senses – obviously not smell and
touch – feel they are being completely absorbed.
“I am a big
poker player, with friends and not for money. And the poker on there is
incredible. You can go to all these different locations. And one is this
Chinese rooftop garden pool. Really cool.”
He has also
been rock climbing in the Alps, “which is super realistic – you chalk your
hands and you can look around and see the drop. Pretty insane.”
On YouTube
VR he went in a drone up to 40,000ft to see the curvature of the Earth. “It’s
even more immersive than I could have imagined. One hundred per cent,” he said
.
“Because
it’s so immersive and intense, you can’t sit on it for hours on end. You need
breaks. So you can have an intense, fun experience and do so many different
things, invigorate your senses. And then you just stop, have a break. And you
don’t need that constant fix.”
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