VR and AR to Enhance Travel Experience
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are major technologies that are enhancing the way many experience the world. A new opportunity exists for AR and VR in the travel and tourism industry that travelers are embracing.
VR and AR technologies have enhanced and provided more access for healthcare, entertainment and travel. Companies are using VR and AR to let travelers see how cities looked in ancient times. New ventures are also working to allow anyone to purchase items from local merchants in countries from their own homes.
Meta and hardware companies like HTC and Samsung will continue to invest into AR and VR technologies. Despite the recent capital loss from investment into the metaverse by Meta, there is massive potential and interest into the applications of the metaverse as a whole. According to Statista, the travel and tourism industry is valued at $1.3 trillion. The world population just passed 8 billion, and with more people entering the middle class worldwide, VR and AR technologies will see more adoption. As more people travel and the metaverse matures, it will become commonplace to see tourists embracing AR and VR technologies. Vacations will be enhanced with educational symposiums, guided and curated street tours and enhanced shopping experiences.
Tour guides have operated in popular tourist locations in cities as long as cities have existed. AR and VR technologies will help local merchants operate in e-commerce platforms supported by VR and tourists enjoy current AR and VR offerings in tourist cities. Being able to walk famous city streets and see how people lived there in ages past is an exciting offering.
Smart glasses from manufacturers including Ray-Ban, Apple and Samsung are being rolled out, which make AR applications efficient and viable. These smart glasses are just entering the market and when they are more accepted they will make AR and VR applications in travel explode. The smartphone could eventually be replaced by smart glasses that use AR and VR as their bread and butter. VR helmets will eventually be replaced with smart glasses that will allow for the expansion of access into the metaverse beyond what is available now, which will help travelers tour cities and locations using VR and AR in a more comfortable and accessible manner.
Travelers of the future will embrace these new technological offerings. It’s no secret that Meta Platforms recently suffered a loss as a result of their investment into the metaverse, but demand for AR and VR technologies has not waned. Consumers enjoy the immersive environments of Pokemon Go and VR games. Healthcare companies have embraced Telehealth with VR integration and early guided tours using VR and AR are interesting to travelers. To write off the metaverse and the eventual acceptance of AR and VR into most every industry is an oversight.
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