I am highly interested in this subject as I’ve been leading immersion trips to different places for over a decade. The advent of technology has indeed changed the way one books flights, conducts research on hotels, finds cafes and vegan eateries, etc. However, as of late, the Virtual Reality (VR) technology has made significant advancements and this has been impacting a lot of industries, especially tourism. VR allows one to be in simulated real-world situations and environments as well as interactive experiences including “seeing” and participating in concerts, festivals, experiencing music, and even historical reconstruction of landmarks and events. VR literally brings the world to one’s fingertips and one can explore nature, roam prehistoric with the dinosaurs, visit historic battle scenes, or walk through ancient ruins without packing a bag and worrying about being crushed or killed.
VR means one doesn’t need to leave the comfort of their home to experience spiritual and holy places, historical sites, and attractions. VR advancements are changing the definition not just of travel, and traveler but also of what constitutes an immersive experience. Just like Artificial intelligence programs, VR can also help travelers plan their trips, allow them to see the city, and hotel rooms, and assess neighborhoods so that they can make informed decisions about booking. Make/plan my trip type functions make it easy to be in control of trip planning aspects and this pretty much renders travel agencies obsolete unless travel agencies are able to leverage technology and VR to entice potential travelers and either provide such services themselves or whet one’s travel appetite by showcasing specific destinations and experiences.
The concept of a Metaverse is best understood as the internet existing as one, immersive world which is facilitated by VR. This 3-D digital space utilizes VR for users to digitally experience an enhanced version of various phenomena. Similar to the above discussion, users or travelers are able to explore virtual replicas of existing landmarks and also gather in virtual spaces for events and academic conferences. Users are also able to collect virtual souvenirs as digital collectibles after visiting a metaverse location. Creating a social platform and community interactions with like-minded individuals is part of this still-evolving idea of the Metaverse.
Technology will continue to transform the travel industry. Those who are able to keep up with the VR advances will stay relevant and do extremely well. Some argue that technology is making access to tourism more democratic as those who are physically not able or lack the resources to spend thousands of dollars to travel around the globe will be able to do so with VR applications. Others argue that in spite of the numerous benefits of VR, real travel experiences where the five senses are engaged cannot be substituted by simulations. Irrespective of the ongoing debates about advancement in technologies, VR can help traditional tourism set-up and infrastructure and in turn, tourism schools/programs and training will have to incorporate tech-based teaching and learning in order for the industry to remain viable in the fast-changing landscape.
All this has me thinking about how I will conduct future trips. Since the trips consist of yoga and/or writing components, it still seems like there might be in-person interest in the trips. Although tremendous tech advancements and apps exist for improving a person’s yoga practice and we know about a variety of writing AI platforms that are already in competition with each other. Just like the fast-changing tourism industry, people like me too will need to embrace technology to carry on with their immersive travel passions.
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