Metaverse tourism is a method of experiencing activities, culture, locations, and destinations in a virtual space, using technology without physically visiting them. It’s an immersive experience that involves at least one online environment that allows users to engage with virtual reality, images, video, audio, avatars and games.
Users can access metaverse tourism experiences using a virtual reality headset, a computer, or even a mobile device. The main advantage of metaverse tourism is that users can explore a destination without any limitations related to flights, travel logistics, safety concerns, or opening hours.
Metaverse Tourism V’s Virtual Tourism
While both virtual and metaverse tourism involve exploring digital environments, the main difference is that virtual tourism is often based on real-world locations and experiences, whereas metaverse tourism involves both the exploration of virtual environments based on destinations but also exploring entirely new environments and experiences that don’t have to be associated with the real world as we know it.
Metaverse tourism does not need to be based on the real world and often incorporates some elements of gamification. The metaverse can also act as a newly built venue for exploring ideas, experiences and spaces. In contrast to virtual tours, the metaverse encourages interactivity and engagement within the virtual environment. The metaverse environment is often a shared space that plays host to activities, festivals, events and experiences.
Where as virtual tourism often includes elements of augmented reality technologies and virtual tours that are created to be digital twins of actual real life tours. Museums, galleries and the hotel industry are very familiar with virtual tours already today with many offering them as pre-travel insights into facilities or bonus elements of an existing tour. Virtual tourism technology has also provided tourism organisations with new marketing opportunities, allowing potential guests to see a 360-degree view of a place and its amenities.
The Benefits of Metaverse Tourism
Metaverse tourism offers numerous benefits to existing tourists.
No Physical Constraints
It enables users to experience activities, locations, and destinations without the need for physical travel. This means that they are not limited by factors such as available flights, travel logistics, safety concerns, or whether destinations are open. Time zones, weather conditions and geopolitical threats are also eliminated as factors for putting tourists off when they are in the research phase of booking a holiday to a destination.
Affordability
Another benefit is the cost-effectiveness of this form of tourism. Those who may never have had the opportunity to visit the Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum can now opt for a virtual tour or visit a gallery of artists via On Cyber. What may have been out of reach due to cost factors is now possible.
Easier logistics for employers
When it comes to MICE tourism, the world of meetings and conferences can be time consuming, costly and require a lot of manpower when organising events. Since the pandemic, many companies have opted either for virtual meetings or a hybrid approach to conferences.
Going green
If we are striving for a more sustainable future where the natural environment is put before the leisure needs of tourists then Metaverse tourism is a viable alternative to some of our entertainment needs. Instead of three or four trips per year we can factor in the metaverse as one of those trips, cutting down on carbon immissions and reducing the physical impact that tourists have on vulnerable destinations.
