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A visitor dons virtual reality glasses for the virtual city tour of Hessen, Frankfurt on June 18, 2020. In Frankfurt, visitors can virtually travel back in time. Photo: AFP
Jem Jenkins Jones was trapped at her home in Wales for much of 2020 amid pandemic closures, but she managed to fulfill her promise to her 10-year-old daughter to see the Northern Lights from the game reserves of Iceland and South Africa. , in virtual reality.
“I was in awe,” she said, calling the virtual reality travel experiences “a lifesaver for us.”
Tight locks and travel limitations during the pandemic have sparked new interest in immersive virtual travel experiences, which have become more accessible and affordable with new virtual reality hardware and applications.
Even those confined to their homes can take a virtual excursion to Machu Picchu, the rainforests of Borneo, or a road trip across the US in a convertible.
Data on the use of VR travel is limited, but developers have seen growing interest since the pandemic hit.
“It’s skyrocketed,” said Cezara Windrem, creator of the Alcove VR platform at AARP Innovation Labs.
“We have more adoption every month.”
Alcove allows users to visit exotic locations such as Australia’s coral reef or the island of Malta, while adding a “shared” experience that allows people to interact and even “guide” a family member without the skills. techniques for navigating with a virtual reality viewer.
“We have heard from many people who discovered Alcove and decided to buy a headset for their older relatives,” Windrem said.
This allows carpooling even during a confinement and other types of experiences such as “playing chess with someone from the other side of the planet.”
Travel substitute, complement
With the tourism industry largely destroyed by the coronavirus outbreak, virtual reality has emerged as a substitute for real-world travel and an adjunct to help people plan their next trip.
Application developers have created a variety of travel experiences: touring the pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal, the savannas of Kenya or Antarctica from a kayak. These come from commercial operators or organizations like National Geographic or World Wildlife Fund.
Users can opt for hardware from Facebook’s Oculus, Sony’s PlayStation, or the inexpensive Google Cardboard, among others. Some kits are as low as $ 300, and many apps are free.
“I have traveled every week since the pandemic, from the comfort of my home,” said Rafael Cortes, a San Antonio computer professional who uses Alcove and YouTube VR.
“I’ve been to London, the glass bridge in China, Angel Falls in Venezuela, the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, a helicopter tour of New York.”
Amy Erdt lives in Portland, Oregon, but with VR, “I like to walk around my sister’s town of Wallingford, England every now and then because I can’t be there.”
Erdt, who runs a VR user group on Facebook, said there are “some great travel experiences” in VR, which can be remarkably realistic.
“I once sat at a virtual reality poker table at 1am with a guy in Australia who was eating KFC. [chicken],” she said.
“I could hear his KFC crackle. It was a trip.”
Games and more
The most popular applications of virtual reality are in the worlds of games and fantasy, but travel is seen as a new growth vector.
“During the pandemic, when everyone is socially isolated, it may seem strange to isolate more to transport to another place, but it allows us to experience things that we cannot experience today,” said Avi Greengart, an analyst at consulting firm Techsponential.
Greengart said virtual reality travel has some advantages, but they can’t be compared to reality.
“With VR tours you don’t get the unique food of the area, you are missing a lot of the sensory experiences and serendipitous meetings with locals,” he said.
On the other hand, “you can explore a museum and have it all to yourself”, which may be impossible in the physical world.
A report from research firm GlobalData shows that virtual and augmented reality had already gained momentum from travel operators and tourism boards before the pandemic to allow people to try out a destination before going there.
GlobalData analyst Ralph Hollister said the pandemic may be giving the sector a boost that will last even after the pandemic.
“Spending considerably more time indoors with a large amount of free time, combined with the need to travel, has meant that aspiring travelers have turned to virtual reality to fill a void left by travel restrictions,” said Hollister. .
Hollister said he sees virtual reality becoming an important part of travelers’ viewing and selecting a travel destination.
“The widespread adoption of virtual reality for this kind of purpose could be the next step for this technology and help it permanently move away from its ‘gimmick’ label,” he said.
