If the health crisis was an electroshock to the entire tourism industry about the importance of digital in business, its adoption by the general public will only accelerate in times of recovery. What can we expect in 2022?
Cultural tourism… online?
Last year’s Léger survey of visitors to Montreal’s Quartier des spectacles showed that only 54% were prepared to return to a festival concert once the confines had been lifted (71% of those under 34).
The return to event venues will therefore not be automatic. Lorea Goudour, analyst at the Transat Chair in Tourism at ESG UQAM, points out that “while the fatigue associated with cultural consumption on screen is very real, hybrid experiences will target a different audience that corresponds to a new reality”.
For example, with confinement, Montreal’s Phi Center, a cultural hub for virtual reality (VR), offered a VR headset rental service for viewing its programming in the comfort of one’s living room, and this became a real success. The CENTQUATRE-PARIS even chose to follow their example. This summer, the Phi Center offered a completely immersive environment at the Arsenal with its L’Infini exhibition, allowing visitors to wander around a large space while in a virtual environment.
It’s now possible to say that the invitation to travel can go digital.
Digital… in the classroom?
ABBA Voyage is a concert scheduled for 2022 by the Swedish pop group ABBA. Holographic avatars will represent the band as they appeared in 1979. The “virtual” concerts take place in a physical space. Real fans will be there. Digital technology thus enables a return to the face-to-face. On Twitter, the keyword #askABBA is used to rally the community of fans planning to go to the concert.
Video game and special effects technology is coming out of the studios and can be used to draw crowds to these “VR concerts”, and we’re still in the early stages.
The metaverse… of companies?
For several months now, in innovation circles, we’ve been hearing a lot about the concept of the “metaverse”, which is presented as a “double” of our world, a digital world “permanent and parallel to the real world” where many work activities and transactions will take place. Microsoft has even talked about creating an “enterprise metaverse” that could transform the way we work online. Their definition of a metaverse sounds like a kind of futuristic social hub, a space where avatars can meet, an ecosystem for connected applications.
Beyond the term itself (which refers to a science-fiction world à la William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer, or the cult film Matrix), it’s the renewal of the promise of “all-digital”.
The idea behind the term “metaverse” is that the “virtual” portion of our lives (telecommuting, online entertainment, virtual and augmented reality) is increasingly leading us to lean towards forms of digital immersion that complement the in-the-field experience.
As human contact is important in the tourism world, not everything will go virtual, far from it. But what is coming is a “digital augmentation of our travel experiences”.
Two examples from here
Hoppin’ World, an MT Lab startup, takes the public on a voyage of discovery of Quebec regions through 360° videos in “social virtual reality”. This “social VR” allows several people to “teleport” to experience the emotion without the isolating effect of the helmet. Cultural tourist attractions can thus be promoted in advance of the visit, with a guided experience that retains the charm of being in a group, while featuring never-before-seen views (for example, being on stage next to the musician, flying aboard a helicopter, etc.). This is an opportunity for travel agencies, for example, to promote a destination’s tourist experiences. To find out more: bit.ly/3usP2Hd.
Prologue.AI is another MT Lab start-up that designs real-time immersive experiences based on location. Using augmented reality, machine vision and sound spatialization, “XR”(Extended reality) content tells stories set in specific public or private spaces, to extend the experience offered by mainstream attractions and events. A new form of open-air gallery that allows visitors to discover different parts of a city in a playful, artistic and entertaining way. To find out more: bit.ly/3iksbsD.
The best of both worlds
The digitization of the economy therefore continues, and it’s a safe bet that “digital experiences” will be part of the recovery in 2022. The 5G network is also continuing to expand, and will eventually bring granularity of experience to the destination.
Originally published on Tourisme Express on October 4, 2021
