2020 was a terrible year for a lot of people. However, it was also a powerful catalyst for change. In an environment where people were unable to connect with each other face-to-face, companies needed to turn to more creative ways to keep us connected.
One of the areas to suffer most from things like lockdown and quarantine, was the travel, tourism, and events industry. When people can’t safely be together in crowds, or travel overseas to distant lands, how can any country encourage exploration?
Fortunately, forward-thinking regions like Abu Dhabi might have the solution. While performing a virtual event on Facebook, artist Dorian Roger found a new realm for the travel, tourism, and events space.
Stepping into the World of Digital Events
Dorian Rogers has been responsible for running Rooftop Rhythms – an organisation hosting open mic poetry nights in Abu Dhabi, since 2012. When the pandemic of 2020 forced various cities and countries to begin shutting down, Dorian decided it was time to try something new – a virtual experience for the digital audience.
Rogers sourced the tech required for holding an online performance with help from the NYUAD Arts Center, and he began hosting virtual poetry nights on social media, with lineups featuring musicians and spoken word artists from across the globe. Rogers believed that the open door to virtual events made for an excellent experience similar to a live show.
Although Dorian started simple with his digital performances, he believes that virtual reality and 360 degree videos will make the experiences even more immersive in the years to come. Virtual reality is already showing its potential for the tourism and entertainment sector with the rise of new “virtual holiday” programs that allow people to explore new lands from the comfort of their own homes.
With VR, customers could also step into a performance space without going anywhere.
The Tourism Opportunities of the Future
Abu Dhabi is one of the many locations looking for opportunities to expand tourism opportunities through new technology. The space opened its Louvre in 2017 and launched the Warner Bros theme park in 2018. In 2019, the city had more than 11.35 million tourists. Though the COVID-19 pandemic actively brought travel to a standstill, Abu Dhabi didn’t give up.
The Department of Culture and Tourism launched the “Stay Curious” event to replicate real-world attractions in a digital format. The solution aimed to provide insights into what visitors could experience from Abu Dhabi, by allowing them to explore various cultural scenes, including art exhibitions and concerts. The digital solution had more than 300,000 visitors in its first week.
Abu Dhabi isn’t the only city thinking about virtual opportunities for tourism and events either. You can explore the ruins of Machu Picchu with a virtual headset or check out rides from Walt Disney World.
Currently, there’s no guarantee that the virtual reality venture will fill the void of real world travel for those who like to explore. However, this is an opportunity to keep the love of adventure alive among people who simply don’t have the opportunity to travel at this point.
With travel restrictions as a common and problematic point of focus for many tourism groups, cities will need to consider solutions like virtual reality to keep the adventure going for their potential customers. As technology and hardware continues to evolve, these travel and event opportunities are sure to become more immersive going forward.
