by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:03 AM ET, Tue October 6, 2020
Amazon announced it has launched a new way for customers to book virtual travel experiences, dubbed Amazon Explore.
According to The Washington Post, Amazon Explore now offers a range of experiences from around the world available for booking, such as expert-led animal adventures, landmark tours, local shopping and more.
The experiences are by invitation only and vary in price depending on the virtual activities, with a virtual tour of Kyoto's Higashiyama neighborhood with a guide costing users $90 and a cooking class with an Italian chef starting at $45.
Amazon Explore will utilize local tour operators who are trained and supported by the company, and users will be able to interact with their guides via video chats and direct them to points of interest from the comfort of their own home.
To take advantage of Amazon Explore's experiences, users in the United States must sign into their accounts and request an invitation from the tour operator responsible for the adventure they choose.
Once the activity is booked, Amazon users are sent a link to a two-way audio, one-way video chat that allows the host to hear the guest, but not see them. The company hopes the video connection and two-way audio helps travelers have a better experience instead of just "watching passively on a screen."
The majority of the virtual tours are between 30 to 90 minutes in length, and users will even be able to purchase items for shipment at local stores.
For many tourism-dependent businesses devastated by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the Amazon Explore option could be a much-needed lifeline as international destinations are still impacted by travel restrictions.
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