Virtual Reality booming as a new way to start your trips

                                                                                            Xiaoqing YU, Cui ZHANG

VR means the experience of being totally immersed in a purely virtual world which could be achieved with the help of headset with built-in contents. It sounds a bit high-tech and expensive but Virtual Reality(VR) and Augmented Reality(AR) may not be so remote to you as you think. To get a vivid VR experience today, you may just need to spend 15 US Dollars to buy a Google CardBoard or simply follow the instructions and use make one using easily access materials yourself. Combine with your smartphones apps, you could watch a VR video or play some simple game with it.

Companies in travel industry are trying to make commercial use to promote their business. Azamara Airline use Azamara 3DI to provide on-board headset for passengers to explore Mediterranean destinations from every angle. Travel agencies brought up “Try before you fly” in select agents in the UK, Germany and Belgium. You can virtually fly over Manhattan before deciding to book a holiday there. South Africa DMO implants VR headsets with built-in contents of authentic travel experience in South Africa in bars in UK.

Marriott launched the first In-Room Virtual Reality Travel Experience called “VRoom Service” in September 2015. Matthew Carroll, vice president, Marriott Hotels giving us the motivation to implement new ICT application for the Marriott hotel in London and New York:“VRoom combines storytelling with technology, two things that are important to next generation travelers." They provide customers with the Gear VR set including Samsung Gear VR headset, a Samsung Galaxy S6 (which acts as the display) and a matching pair of Level On headphones. You could hit the small icons for different destinations such as the Andes mountains in Chile, the crowded streets of Beijing, or ice cream shop in Rwanda.

Although the application of VR are not sufficient and the hardware needs more evolution, the future of VR/AR seems promising. It is estimated that in 2018 EU and US could have 30,000,000 dedicated VR devices and Augmented/Virtual Reality has a market of USD 150 billion till 2020. Samsung, HTC, Sony, Microsoft, Google, Epson, LG are all fighting to launch their VR headset before their competitors. The future for travel is unfolding before eyes through new lens and headset.

The Farm 51 Group S.A., Report on the current state of the VR market, 02, 2016, retrieved from: http://thefarm51.com/ripress/VR_market_report_2015_The_Farm51.pdf