Not only did Canada’s Wonderland roll out a staggering 34 of these virtual rides, but it focused on personalising the ambience for the public. It began offering a range of virtual rollercoasters and rides from first-person view, available for free on its website, which was met with enthusiasm (and presumably some relief) by parents with restless children even beyond Canada. ![]() Canada’s Wonderland was quick to get aboard the virtual tourism train when closures began to take place in Toronto. How Canada’s Wonderland is exploring virtual tourismĪ good example is Canada’s Wonderland, one of the best theme parks in Canada. This includes experimenting with virtual tourism, and the latest news in the world of virtual travel indicates that there are varied and budget-friendly ways to offer it. With competition in the tourism industry all the more acute due to the pandemic, venues are experimenting with form and style. Gone are the days when the only ways to advertise your business were confined to newspaper pages and television ad-breaks. NASA’s been using virtual reality and augmented reality for decades with its space simulators, sparking a fascination with the stars in the young (and young-at-heart). All of this technology has helped to prepare the tourism industry for its greatest challenge yet: connecting with visitors without having them in the same room. Amusement parks and 3D cinemas have used 3D goggles and effects, like vibrating seats or splashes of water, to transport visitors into other worlds. Museums have developed fit-for-purpose virtual experiences that can whisk visitors into new spaces through immersive exhibits. How museums and attractions are exploring virtual tourism Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplashįor years now, elements of virtual tourism have been used as part of in-person visits to attractions to allow visitors to experience more than what is right in front of them. But virtual tourism also offers a host of less ambitious, but impressive opportunities, in the here and now. Of course, this is a bold vision – one that requires an environment that right now is far beyond the reach of the average museum and the average virtual tourist. It’s pure transportation from one place to another: imagine standing in an empty Louvre, just inches from the Mona Lisa and being able to see the texture of every brushstroke in exquisite detail – while still in your bedroom. The difference between virtual tourism in the form of a guided video tour, for example, and an immersive virtual reality experience is the interactivity. And for your visitors to enjoy your product in their homes, they’ll probably need VR goggles. Imagine the highest-quality video game or film graphics you’ve ever seen, and then imagine that in 4D! If you’re going to offer this kind of virtual tourism to your visitors, you’ll need to spend a lot of effort on design and technology. The more complex path to virtual tourism involves data science – mathematical modelling and location mapping to create a virtual travel experience that could have been ripped straight from a sci-fi novel. The only real barriers to “entry” to your virtual tourism offering? Stable internet access, your venue’s online reach, and how well you’re able to capture your venue on a screen. Seeing as your potential customers are already predisposed to ideas like live-streaming and geotagging on social media, this is the easiest way to offer virtual tourism. Think virtual city tours and online exhibitions. ![]() The simple way? Recorded site visits by tour companies or guides. There’s a simple way and a complex way to get into the nuance of virtual tourism. The Coronavirus pandemic has hit the tourism industry hard, but virtual tourism has provided an avenue for museums and attractions to sustain the connection with the public by meeting them exactly where they are: online. Virtual tourism involves using technology to continue to offer access – albeit remotely – to entertainment, art, culture and travel. And while the trend of offering experiences virtually may have been born of necessity, it’s now thriving thanks to its success. In the meantime, members of the tourism industry need to work with what they’ve got: virtual tourism. ![]() Cities will reawaken, flights will begin to hurtle around the world once more, and the tourism industry will pick again. Right now, it might be hard to imagine a world after the pandemic, but what we do know is: this, too, shall pass.
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