The metaverse is set to transform the tourism industry

Metaverse tourism involves exploring virtual replicas of real-world destinations, historical landmarks, cultural sites, and popular attractions through immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). This form of tourism allows users to visit places from anywhere in the world and provides accessible, engaging, and realistic travel experiences. 

Platforms like Google Earth VR and Wander utilize high-resolution imagery and 3D modeling to create realistic simulations of iconic locations and natural wonders, allowing users to experience these places without needing to travel physically. 

The metaverse is set to transform the tourism industry significantly, with McKinsey suggesting that it could be a $20 billion market with a $13 billion opportunity specifically for ‘tourism inspiration.’ This potential exists because of the 3D internet’s ability to create immersive experiences for travelers, enhance destination reputation, provide personalized virtual tours, and improve overall booking methods in the travel and tourism sector.

Enhancing destination marketing

The metaverse or 3D internet offers a platform for advertising destinations through experiential marketing, leveraging VR and AR technologies to enhance destination marketing strategies. Through immersive VR tours and 360-degree videos, tourism boards and travel agencies can present prospective travelers with engaging previews of destinations, inspiring wanderlust.

These virtual experiences allow users to explore a location’s food scene, historical sites, and urban landscapes or art, fostering excitement and aiding in travel planning by providing a realistic taste of what to expect. Tourists can also compare a city’s hotel accommodations and services virtually to make an informed booking decision, leading to more conversions. For instance, when the Radisson Hotel introduced virtual tours for their branches, they witnessed a 135% increase in revenue from online channels, as potential travelers could experience destinations virtually before committing to travel plans. 

An example of how tourism boards and travel agencies are using VR tours and 360-degree videos to showcase destinations and encourage visitation is the "Visit Dubai" initiative by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. They created a comprehensive VR experience that includes 360-degree video tours, allowing potential tourists to virtually explore various attractions within Dubai. These VR experiences include guided tours of iconic landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall, and the historically rich Al Fahidi neighborhood.

Similarly, British Columbia in Canada utilized VR to promote scenic landscapes and adventure tourism opportunities in its province. Their VR experience is an interactive, immersive video that allows viewers to ‘choose their adventure,’ indicating whether they want to go on a journey to witness the stunning waterfalls of British Columbia or take a boat to go seal spotting. This strategic use of VR highlights the natural beauty and diversity of British Columbia and also targets adventure seekers and nature lovers, encouraging them to experience the destination in person.

Virtual cultural experiences

The metaverse provides a revolutionary platform for virtual cultural experiences, enabling users to explore museums, art galleries, and cultural heritage sites from their homes. Advanced 3D modeling supported by AR and VR helps recreate physical environments and experiences of visiting cultural institutions. For instance, virtual museum tours allow users to navigate through galleries, zoom in on artworks, and access multimedia guides that offer rich contextual information about each piece.

For instance, a great example of culture and history in the 3D internet is the Tampere 1918 virtual experience, which replicates a physical exhibition built on the Unreal Engine gaming platform. This VR experience gives users a perspective on the Finnish Civil War through 360-degree immersive environments, interactive elements, and videos. The VR experience benefits audiences by offering a unique educational tool that enhances historical understanding and empathy. 

Here are some benefits of virtual cultural experiences in the metaverse:

• Cultural preservation: Digitizing cultural artifacts and heritage sites is crucial for conservation, as well as safeguarding cultural heritage against the risks of physical deterioration, natural disasters, and human conflict. These digital representations can be meticulously detailed, providing valuable resources for researchers and historians while preserving these cultural treasures for future generations. The University of Glasgow’s ‘Museums in the Metaverse’ is a £5.6 million project aiming to create 3D internet museums so models of ancient relics that would otherwise be hidden behind glass displays can be experienced close up. 

  
  

• Global accessibility: Making digital archives and virtual recreations of cultural locations available globally breaks down geographical and economic barriers to access, allowing people worldwide to explore and appreciate cultural diversity. The availability of such resources supports lifelong learning and fosters a deeper global connection to our collective human history. This accessibility is essential in a world where travel can be limited by financial, physical, or political constraints, making the metaverse an invaluable tool to bridge the divide.

  
  

• Participation in cultural events: The metaverse can also be an exciting way to recreate cultural festivals and events globally that allow unlimited participation. For instance, the Saudi Ministry of Culture created its first National Cultural Metaverse Platform that offers attendees digital experiences like cultural shows and performances to celebrate the Kingdom’s Founding Day.

Virtual reality attractions

The rise of immersive travel experiences and VR attractions marks a thrilling evolution in the tourism and entertainment industry. Organizations are exploring opportunities to create immersive and innovative 3D internet experiences like adventure tours, safaris, and theme parks to captivate audiences. 

Metaverse and VR technologies help create astonishingly realistic environments using advanced graphics and real-time rendering. Several game engines and technologies excel in crafting hyper-realistic virtual environments for VR applications. For instance, Unreal Engine and Unity are excellent tools for creating 3D virtual environments with advanced lighting, detailed models, and dynamic environmental effects. Virtual experiences built with these tools can simulate intricate details of physical locations—from the rustle of leaves in a virtual African safari to the adrenaline-filled experience of speeding on a rugged mountain on a bike. Such experiences can offer high fidelity in visual, auditory, and haptic feedback, making every virtual attraction as engaging as its real-world counterpart. Haptic suits and tactile gloves enhance the sensory experience, allowing users to 'feel' their surroundings, further blurring the lines between virtual and reality.

The emotional impact of these VR experiences is profound. They are designed to dazzle the senses and evoke deep emotional responses. The immersive nature of VR can also be therapeutic, providing escapist adventures for those unable to travel physically due to health or financial reasons.

A great example of a multi-sensory virtual attraction in the metaverse is "The Void," which allows guests to enter entirely new worlds by wearing immersive equipment like a vest, head-mounted display, and headphones. It merges physical and digital spaces with VR gear to create fully immersive experiences. The experiences include interactive adventures where participants can go ghost-hunting in eerie mansions or engage in intergalactic battles alongside Star Wars characters. These hyper-realistic adventures are designed to engage all senses, incorporating elements like the blowing of mist or the heat from a torch, enhancing the feeling of being present.