Virtual reality tourism

People can "travel" without any risk, and if they want to have fun, they can always visit online casinos and play without worrying about the pandemic. They don't even have to wear a mask or expose themselves to any danger.

The example of this kind of tourism is the Japanese businessman Katsuo Inue who chose Europe and specifically Italy for his summer vacation this year and enjoyed the luxury of the business class, the sightseen of Florence and Rome, all without ever leaving Tokyo. He and his wife trusted the entertainment company First Airlines, which is located in Tokyo, and they decided to take a virtual trip, according to Reuters.

First Airlines is one of the companies that took quickly the initiative to start virtual reality travel. The demand was rising every day because of the Japanese holidaymakers who were stranded in the country due to coronavirus restrictions. Even if it weren't for the measures, people don't feel as safe as they used to.

"I often travel abroad for business, but I have never been to Italy," Inoue told Reuters. "I was pretty impressed because I had a feeling I really saw things there." That is what makes Virtual Travel so unique. Without leaving your city, you have the feeling that you already did, and the companies do everything to enhance the experience.

Virtual travellers sit in the 'business class' in a prefabricated cabin of an aircraft where they are served food and drinks, while around them, there are flat screens with the impression that they are looking out of the plane window, gazing at the clouds. With this setup, even though they know that they actually don't go anywhere, they have the impression that they do. Then the crew hands them VR glasses, and the travellers can visit a lot of popular destinations like Paris, New York, Rome - and other Italian cities - and Hawaii.

Coronavirus has paralyzed travel from Japan. The country's largest airline, ANA Holdings, announced that the number of those flying to foreign destinations with its aircraft fell by 96% in June. Either people do not feel safe enough to travel either they can't travel, so the massive drop in sales affected the airlines in the whole world.

At First Airlines, where "passengers" watch the safety demonstration for the use of life-saving equipment and oxygen mask, bookings reach about 50% since the pandemic began, according to the company. The need for traveling and exploring goes way back to the roots of humanity and some people need this kind of experience. This is the reason why the demand rose these past months, and companies like First Airlines were smart enough to take advantage of it while a lot of businesses suffer from economic crisis due to the pandemic.

"We have some customers who regularly travel to Hawaii every year and can taste a part of it here," said Hiroaki Abel, president of the company. As time passes and technology improves, we will see more companies like First Airlines and more fabulous ideas to make the virtual journey experience greater.