With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry has suffered the most with entire economies collapsing that relied on tourists. The world is now on a path to a gradual recovery. Now that the tourism industry is opening up again there is a great opportunity to attract tourists and explore virtual tourism in Pakistan. Graana.com, Pakistan’s Smartest Property Portal is here to tell you everything you need to know about virtual tourism.
When googling virtual tourism, a lot of definitions come up because of the varied nature of the topic. However, as the name suggests, it is a tour of the place without being physically present there. A virtual tour can be elaborate using a virtual reality headset, or it can be as simple as a high fidelity Point of View style video (POV). POV videos are shot on high resolution 4K cameras with the perspective of the user for an immersive experience.
A virtual tour is basically someone enjoying the sights of someplace that is remote from the comfort of his own home. It can either be for satiating your curiosity or to gain information about a destination that you plan on visiting.
Virtual Tours are also filmed using specialized camera rigs that can offer a 360 view of tourist destinations that offer a 360-degree outlook and a unique perspective on the entire structure or scenery. Virtual 360 tours contrary to traditional belief do not require special hardware. These videos can be viewed on youtube and scrolled through for the 360 effects.
The main benefits of virtual tourism include the fact that you can travel anywhere in the world from the comfort of your home. Users can experience the beauty of a destination without the hassle of booking flights, time zones, travel logistics, and weather conditions.
The other benefit of virtual travel is the cost-saving advantage. Anyone from any corner of the world can just choose to travel anywhere in the world without worrying about ticket prices. Virtual tourism creates demands for the real thing and it implores more people to save up and visit a destination that they like virtually.
Virtual tourism is like a free high-quality demo for the tourism industry. It allows for marketing and for people who can’t afford to travel to experience a very curated event and much more. For people that are visiting a certain destination, virtual tourism offers an opportunity for hotels to showcase their amenities. Hotels are a major nuisance when it comes to travelling abroad. This is because you have to pay a hefty price for a good hotel while budget offerings are more often than not a not so pleasant experience.
There is a company that is currently working on bringing on virtual tours of many historical relevant architectures across Pakistan. The company ‘Virtual Pakistan’ has a lot of destinations on its website that can be explored at will in breathtaking high fidelity imagery. It offers 360-degree views of all major historical sites. This can help with travel advisory and to help tourists plan their trips accordingly. This platform also offers an opportunity to market the opulent natural beauty of Pakistan to the world and cementing itself as a tourist paradise.
Graana.com also offers virtual tours of properties during the pandemic to safely visit properties without physical contact. This ensures the safety of both parties and helps business conduct as usual. The possibilities for this technology are limitless.
Virtual tourism offers an opportunity for stakeholders in the tourist industry to better market the amenities that they offer to tourists. As the cost of 360-degree cameras comes down in cost it’s now easier than ever to film a virtual tour.
Pakistan has beautiful cities like its capital Islamabad which when explored on a rainy day is truly a wondrous sight. A walk down Jinnah Avenue in rainy weather can be filmed in high definition and put on youtube.
These videos have huge potential and are trending on Youtube with millions of views on average. Video content is the most popular medium for consuming content and offers an incredible opportunity to grab the attention of millions of users worldwide.
Virtual Tourism is a very versatile and varied medium that offers a lot of flexibility in terms of storytelling. In more developed countries like Britain the British broadcaster, extraordinaire David Attenborough curated a unique virtual experience around the great coral reef. This included sounds of the reef, High-quality interactable footage and information on the various life forms that inhabit it.
Dubai360 is also another example of how you can use virtual reality tours to promote tourism. Dubai relies heavily on tourism and maintaining a strong online presence is necessary to market its various services. It offers a top-down view of the majestic skyline and its pristine and modern architecture.
Every emerging technology has its positive aspects and drawbacks and some common ones are highlighted as follows:-
The advantages include reduced cost and instant accessibility around the globe. Virtual tours mixed with augmented reality can create a very unique experience like witnessing gladiators in the colosseum. It offers a way to market experiences like never before. The possibilities with this medium are limitless.
Like all that glitters isn’t gold, virtual tourism can not replace real life. It only mimics it and that presents certain limitations of the technology like the sense of scale, and smell. There is usually no economic benefit directly when it comes to virtual tours. Virtual tours can become an expensive liability if they do not offer sufficient ROI.
Virtual tourism offers a great opportunity for Pakistan to capitalise on and market its natural resources. This will help to boost the country’s economic growth. This medium offers great potential. If creatively utilised it will result in exponential growth in the tourism sector. For more information visit our blog.
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