Tourists visit the Qianmen Street, a well-known commercial street in Beijing. (Photo : Xinhua)
The tourism industry in China may benefit from virtual reality (VR) technology and could add commercial value to the technology, which is currently being used in the games industry, the technology blog of Chinese Web portal Sina said.
According to Sina, the country's tourism sector is facing many challenges despite its rapid growth in recent years.
The blog said that overstated advertising of tourist destinations all over the country has disappointed visitors, upsetting the country's tourism industry.
Tourism authorities have also cited the overpriced tickets for entry to several scenic areas in the country as another factor that affects the sector.
According to the report, tickets reach as high as 500 yuan ($78), or 2 percent of average per capita annual disposable income. In addition, poor traffic management at several tourist destinations, including the problem of unlicensed tour guides, is one issue that disappoints tourists.
Sina said that the use of virtual reality (VR) can provide a possible solution to the problems of the tourism sector. Destination British Columbia in Canada, the first company in the sector to use VR, has created "The Wild Within VR Experience," which enabled people to preview the sights and sounds using Oculus Rift gear.
Sina added that the Marriott hotel chain also used Oculus Rift in its "Travel Brilliantly" campaign to "transport" or take people virtually to locations such as London and Hawaii.
In addition, the travel agency Thomas Cook, which has now 10 outlets, offers VR services to customers, a strategy that has helped boost sales of a package trip to New York by as much as 190 percent, the Sina blog said.
Aside from offering customers virtual trips, VR technology can also help travelers lessen the language barrier or other untoward experiences associated with wearable devices.
