Every technological advancement comes with excitement and fear. Virtual reality is tourism is no different. There is much excitement about the possibilities of VR in tourism. Still, there are those who worry that virtual reality will replace the traveler’s desire to visit cities on vacation. The future of VR in tourism does not show signs of replacing actual travel. There are, however, many benefits to using such technology in vacation planning.
- Travelers can get a 3D tour before touching down
There is nothing like knowing where you are going before you land at a sight. One of the advantages of virtual reality in tourism is that tourists can get a 3D tour of their location before arriving at the destination. Virtual reality differs from mere pictures as the technology allows users to immerse themselves in the experience. Tourists, then, can feel the culture of a city before ever setting foot in town, which means that they will feel less like outsiders when they arrive.
- Virtual reality can help with planning sights to see
Vacations always seem too short because visitors never get to see everything that they desire during their trip. Part of the reason why key sights go unnoticed by tourists is due to a lack of poor planning. Virtual reality in tourism allows visitors to learn the names and locations of all the significant sights in a town ahead of time. Tourists can also look inside significant locations to determine if they would indeed want a real-time walkthrough of such sights. Visitors, then, get the most out of their sight-seeing experience because of virtual reality because they only entertain the locations that intrigue them the most in real time.
- Travelers can use VR technology when there are delays in the travel schedule
There is little worse than having a plane grounded at the airport for an unspecified number of hours. Boredom has a way of creeping in during these times and clouding the vision of the excitement on the other side of the world. Taking a virtual reality tour of the vacation spot when unexpected delays occur is the best way to re-establish excitement for the trip ahead.
- Virtual reality is great for touring the plane ahead of time
Some travelers feel more comfortable when they have viewed the aircraft and know where all the emergency exits are located. Virtual reality gives tourists the option of a 3D tour of the plane in advance of taking off.
- Travel coordinators can create engaging presentations using VR
The future of VR in tourism does not totally absolve actual tours. Travel coordinators should, instead, consider the benefits of virtual reality in tourism when it comes to presentations. Imagine the coordinator who can do more than show potential customers a brochure of potential locations. How many more clients could a planner get if he could take them to the streets of Nice via a virtual tour before having customers pay for a trip that they may or may not enjoy? Virtual reality in tourism removes the mystery from traveling so that customers know that they will have a good time in the destination of their choosing.
- Travelers can learn more about a specific location before touring the sight
It is one thing to see the ancient ruins of a city and hear about the civilization that occupied the region in the past. It is quite another thing to be immersed in the past culture and understand their way of life and the events that led up to the fall of that civilization. The application of virtual reality in tourism gives visitors the opportunity to interact with locations so that they can walk away with more knowledge about the sight than the tour guide could ever provide with a traditional history lesson.
- VR is a great way to advertise on social media
The vacation planning company that takes full advantage of social media is one that does more than post pictures of popular locations. Virtual reality can give businesses an edge over the competition by letting coordinators post 3D tours of cities so that customers are more intrigued to contact the company about travel plans.
- Virtual reality can help the traveler find locations on the map faster
There is little worse than getting lost on vacation and, thereby, losing time. Virtual reality in tourism can help travelers locate simple things like the nearby coffee shop so that what would have taken 30 minutes to find only takes 10 minutes to locate.
- VR is a good way for travelers to plan how much they need to pack
Hotels are sometimes a gamble in traveling. Tourists are often led to believe that they have more space in a room and, thus, bring too many things along. It is not until arrival that the traveler finds that their hotel room is too small. A virtual tour of the hotel room can help travelers better plan their trip by showing visitors how many closets are in the space as well as the size of the bedrooms.
- Virtual reality is useful when travelers must choose between destinations
Some families cannot afford to take vacations that include several cities. A virtual reality tour can help travelers choose the best destination as such technology allows individuals to compare sights and sounds.
The future of VR in tourism is still an open book. There are, however, many implications that virtual reality will enhance the traveler’s experience and, thus, lead to more interest in tourism soon.
