(TAN): Most countries around the world have hit the pause on nonessential travel amid the pandemic, nearly putting a stop to global tourism.
As a result, industries including travel and aviation have suffered tremendous losses – the tourism industry could lose over 100 million jobs, costing the world economy up to USD 2.7 trillion of GDP, a research from the World Travel & Tourism Council showed.
It is particularly worrying as the travel sector contributes 10.3% of global GDP and accounts for a quarter of the world’s new jobs. It has also outperformed the pace of the global economy for nine consecutive years.
Tourism boards from all over the world have taken stock of the situation, and come up with innovative initiatives to attract potential tourists during the lockdown. With people physically distancing themselves from others, demand for indoor activities have gone up; the tourism bodies are using this opportunity to offer virtual tours of their most popular attractions.
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British Isles now within reach
Virtual travel can now lead visitors through the streets of London, stopping at the world-famous sites strewn across the historic city, courtesy 360.visitlondon.com. The website does not only provide a bird’s eye view of Britain’s capital from the top of the London Eye, but also gives a 360-degree tour of 55 of London’s landmarks. The viewer can choose to explore the city at daytime or by night.
Online travel can be so much faster – the virtual visitor can dash to the Stonehenge in the English countryside from the urban jungle of London in a matter of moments to take in the panoramic view of the ancient structure along with an understanding of the ring of standing stones during an interactive tour.
Remote control human tour guide in the Faroe Islands
Visit Faroe Islands, the tourism board of the North Atlantic archipelago, developed a remote tourism tool to enable prospective visitors to explore volcanic islands up close without leaving their homes.
As per the campaign, each web user will be paired with a local Faroese armed with a live video camera on a virtual exploratory tour where the armchair tourist will be able to control the resident during the guided tour using a mobile phone, tablet or desktop.
“Just like a real-life computer game, you – the main player – will control the moves of the Faroese, who will not only explore locations on foot, but also take to the skies by helicopter, giving virtual visitors a bird’s eye perspective on our beautiful island nation’s steep grassy slopes, our 80,000 sheep and our unspoilt, wild and natural countryside,” Visit Faroe Islands said.
The digital innovation is reportedly aimed at sustaining interest in the Faroe Islands, so that the potential tourist’s appetite is whetted and they plan to visit the volcanic islands in real life.
“When the travel bans began to escalate, we wondered how we could recreate a Faroe Islands’ experience for those who had to cancel or postpone their trip to the Faroe Islands, and for everyone else stuck at home. The result is this new platform to enable those in isolation to take a walk across our wild landscapes, to regain a sense of freedom and to explore beyond their own four walls,” Gudrid Hojgaard, Director of Visit Faroe Islands, was quoted by Conference & Meetings World as saying.
“We believe that our remote islands are the perfect place to inspire people in lockdown – and, naturally, we hope to welcome them in person once everyone is free to travel again,” Hojgaard added.
Explore American parks on the web
When tourists cannot step out to meet nature, the United States’ National Park Service is making sure nature can come indoors. Whether its Yosemite National Park in California, Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida, Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming or Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, enthusiasts can explore the length and breadth of the magnificent park systems without lifting a finger.
While visitors can click through Yosemite National Park’s webcams to see some of its wonders including the Yosemite Falls, the Half Dome, and the El Capitan, they can “e-climb” Grand Teton’s 13,770-foot summit with zero effort.
For a visit to the East Coast, Niagara Falls State Park has arranged a virtual tour which can take visitors right up to the edge of the iconic American, Horseshoe or Bridal Veil Falls.
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Eat, pray, explore – Jerusalem goes online
The Jerusalem Development Authority has rolled out an interactive online platform – Jerusalem is Traveling2U, to enable travellers to explore the city and participate in its cultural pursuits from the comforts of their home.
The city of Jerusalem, capital of Israel, is considered a holy city as it is sacred to several religions including Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Virtual tourists can choose from a host of experiences such as eTours, eAttractions, ePrayer, eCulinary and eMuseums at a scheduled time to have a closer look at the city’s cultural aspects – they can pray, shop, hike, attend prayers and workshops or stroll around museums.
While some of these experiences and activities are free, others charge a fee – someone interested in the religious facets of the city, can buy a slot in “Ancient Jerusalem – Sites of the Three Religions” for USD 9.99, whereas a food enthusiast can sign up for the workshop “Casa Touson – Traditional Syrian Cuisine for Holidays & Shabbat” for USD 20. History buffs can take a free 360 virtual tour of the Kishle and King Herod’s Palace or visit the valley of David and Goliath, without having to budge from their couch.
“We set a goal of keeping the city of Jerusalem in our follower’s mindset and we believe, through these activities and tours we will be able to allow tourists from all over the world feel connected to the upcoming holiday season. We are proud to launch this interactive system featuring our four virtual experiences- E-tours, E-attractions, E-prayer and E-culinary experiences for all to enjoy,” Director of Tourism at the Jerusalem Development Authority, Ilanit Melchior, said.
In fact, the Jerusalem Development Authority said it plans to maintain the website even after the crisis is over so the world can still enjoy the richness of the city from different corners of the planet.
100 shades of blue in 30 minutes of happiness
The southern Caribbean island of Aruba has thrown its doors open to the virtual tourists with its new digital welcome sign #TogetherWhileApart. Its social channels are featuring a soothing video aimed at potential visitors that says – “Until you can make it to Aruba, here’s a little Aruba for you”.
The video, a bouquet of the quintessential sights and sounds of Aruba, promises “30 Minutes of Happiness” from the Happy Island as the viewer leisurely glides over the hundred shades of blue.
Best of Greece, just a click away
Greece has launched an interactive website to keep its tourism brand thriving – while it urges tourists to “stay safe, stay home” in these “uncertain times”, it does not believe people have to “stop connecting, being inspired and learning”; the Greek tourism board rather stresses they probably need it “more now than ever before”.
“So this is where we share our love for Greece – connecting you with Greeks doing amazing things on our YouTube channel and letting you experience the best of Greece right now,” Greek tourism’s interactive website Greecefromhome.com said.
Visitors can take virtual tours of Acropolis, walk through the Hora of Mykonos, explore the old town of Rhodes or Corfu, or go a culinary adventure in Thessaloniki.
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