Virtual reality is becoming more and more popular and it makes sense that that would extend to the tourism industry. A new report in The New York Times details how companies are using this new technology to showcase destinations to potential travelers.
"With social media and distribution channels so fragmented, we have to appeal to the senses of consumers," said Steven Johnson Stevenson, the Tourism Authority of Thailand's marketing manager for the Eastern United States tells The New York Times. "We want them to be able to touch, feel, see and hopefully one day smell, Thailand."
Las Vegas has 30 virtual reality videos. The most popular is one showcasing a drive down the Strip.
"They get to experience a destination," Cathy Tull, senior vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, tells The New York Times. "It allows them to make a decision to come."
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Tourism Australia is also using virtual reality to attract visitors.
"We have a very competitive landscape in destination marketing, with national tourist offices spending a lot of money," Lisa Ronson, the group's chief marketing officer, tells The New York Times. "We need to be able to tell the story of Australia in new and engaging ways."
Getting a 360-degree view of a destination before you travel there may be the new way to travel and destinations are capitalizing on this new technology. For more on how destinations are using VR, read on here.
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