Even though the pandemic suddenly brought all international travel to a stop, the desire to wander the world did not disappear. Suddenly, everyone had to stay at home, and that made people want to explore new corners of the world even more!
As a result of the events of the past year, virtual tours have skyrocketed in popularity, becoming a welcome way to get out and about while staying indoors. So while some are slowly reviving their travel dreams, a large part of the population has fallen in love with visiting places virtually and without health risks.
Some travel agencies have adapted to the new situation during the pandemic. They have begun to transform their trips, which until then had only been available in person and with a guide, into digital experiences accessible to anyone with an internet connection. "We are in a turbulent time for virtual tourism," says Bernard Frischer, founder of Flyover Zone, an experienced player in the field of virtual travel. Flyover Zone became known for its "televised tours" of cultural monuments. But with the arrival of the pandemic, according to Frischer, people "got used to using technology that brings the world into their offices or living rooms."
Companies such as Eventbrite, which makes it easy to organize various events and connects organizers with a wide community, introduced new ways to move events from the real world to the online environment during the pandemic, helping to attract new customers. "When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, our users were faced with a huge challenge — live events were suspended and the whole world was told to stay at home," says Tamara Mendelsohn, Head of Marketing at Eventbrite. "And yet, from March to April last year, we saw an increase of eight times on Eventbrite in relation to virtual travel and online tours, which then continued to rise throughout the year."
By moving online, organizers of all kinds of events gained revenue that they would otherwise have lost due to the pandemic. What's more, it allowed them to connect with new customers from around the world. "Of all visitors to virtual events held in the US in 2020 on Eventbrite, a quarter were actually from overseas," Mendelsohn notes.
And even though the pandemic won't last forever, Frischer from Flyover Zone sees virtual tours as something that will tempt people to travel in the real world.
"We compare a virtual tour to a sample chapter of a book that you can download and read for free. The purpose of such a chapter is not to discourage you from reading the rest of the book, but rather to entice you to read it."
This view seems to be shared by the rest of the industry. "Even though traditional travel is making a comeback, we are seeing an increase in bookings on Amazon Explore and expect this new service to become increasingly popular," says a spokesperson for Amazon Explore.
The article used the article bellow as a source.
Forbes - Bucket List Travel: The World’s Best Virtual Tours