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2024-03-19 03:37:17
MyProGuide’s 4K 360 VR Videos and the Emergence of Online Traveling – MyProGuide
Online Tour

MyProGuide’s 4K 360 VR Videos and the Emergence of Online Traveling

The impact of the COVID pandemic crisis on the tourism industry can be seen and felt worldwide. In the past, other pandemic crises such as the SARS outbreak of 2002 had exposed domestic tourism sectors to large adverse shocks. Once domestic shocks perished (zero infection cases), inbound arrivals revived immediately. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, is different; and recovery of the tourism industry worldwide will take more time than the average expected recovery period of 10 months. Private and public policy support must be coordinated to assure capacity building and operational sustainability of the travel tourism sector during 2020–2021. 

Photo by Victor He on Unsplash

People in Asia nowadays are used to wearing masks. Even on a normal day, especially during the flu season, it is the right way to travel to prevent the flu from spreading. However, COVID-19 proves that pandemic outbreaks have a much larger destructive impact on the travel and tourism industry than previous studies indicate. Tourism managers must carefully assess the effects of epidemics on business and develop new risk management methods to deal with the crisis. Furthermore, within 2020–2021, private and public policy support must be coordinated to sustain pre-COVID-19 operational levels of the tourism and travel sector.

From hand sanitizers in hotel lobbies to cabin crew in masks, localized lockdowns to contact tracing apps, COVID-19 has transformed the world of travel. Amid closed borders and cancelled flights, travel came to a virtual standstill, with the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization declaring that 100% of global destinations had implemented travel restrictions at the peak of the pandemic.

Today, as much of Asia begins to emerge from lockdowns, an industry that accounts for about 10% of world GDP is looking towards the new normal. And travelers, many of whom have been largely confined to their homes for months, are starting to dream again of beaches, mountains and monuments. Yet reopening travel presents its own challenges.

Now, My ProGuide brings the world to you. This is the new normal, the new travel. Our virtual tours (aka Online Tours) are not the same as those of our competitors. It is not like normal TV shows or documentaries, walking and talking about obvious things. Our Online Tour Guides provide LIVE virtual tours, so that you can talk to them and interact with the other tour participants in real-time! So get ready to feel jet lagged, get ready to be in a different time zone, get ready to be excited about traveling again! And what is the difference between the usual YouTube videos and our LIVE Online Tours? MyProGuide uses the professional virtual travel 4K 360 VR video format.

To avail of MyProGuide’s live virtual tour service, the Online Tour Guide, you can either book a private session with our online tour guides or hop-on in one of our join-in live virtual tours every Saturday!

How do I book a private virtual tour with a MyProGuide Online Tour Guide?

Easy peasy!

  1. Choose one tour from our Online Tour catalog
  2. Set a date and time
  3. Book your trip
  4. And wait for the exciting day!

We also provide customized bookings for people who know exactly what they want to see during their virtual tour (aka Online Tour) experience with our online tour guides using the virtual travel 4K 360 VR video format.

  1. Choose the country you want to travel to and fill in the customized tour application form
  2. Request for an online tour guide
  3. Our online tour guide will email you a itinerary of the online tour
  4. You can request and discuss any desired changes with our online tour guide
  5. Book the date and time
  6. Get ready to be amazed by our live virtual travel 4k 360 VR video format

What if I am more of a spontaneous person who thinks of traveling whenever I want to?

Well, don’t you worry, our virtual tours are super flexible. For our spontaneous travelers all over the world, we have a join-in live online tour every Saturday for only 9.9 USD each person. Jump right in and join us on a spontaneous trip across the globe! Our online tour guides are very welcoming and friendly, and are eager to meet new friends every week. Feel free to raise your hand and ask questions during these sessions with us!

Non-stop traveling for me please

We heard ya! For our wanderlust human beings around the world, we know it’s been a difficult time for you staying at home. We would like to introduce you to our virtual travel 4k 360 VR video playlist on YouTube! No more waiting in lines, no more stressing, no more not-enough sleep. Watch whenever and where-ever! We are here for you 24/7. Follow our online tour guides all over the world. 

The continuous spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is causing people to feel anxiety and stress. There are various stress management and relaxation techniques to relieve psychological pressure. The attention restoration theory has stated that exploring nature can reduce stress. Thus, the tourism experience can be a stress reliever. As part of the tourism experience, a beautiful natural landscape and a peaceful ecological environment can effectively relieve tension and emotional exhaustion, reducing the level of stress and anxiety, and furthermore, restoring human function. However, due to the continuous spread of COVID-19, the directive to ‘stay home, stay safe’ restricts people’s outdoor movements. People cannot access natural attractions easily. However, researchers have found that virtual reality (VR) can provide a similar effect to the tourism experience and exposure to nature because it provides stimulation for a variety of human senses such as images and/or sounds to deceive the brain which is actually responding to virtual experience.

A 360° virtual tour is a virtual representation of an actual attraction, destination, or visitor experience using the three-dimensional world of an innovative technology that is designed as a prelude to visiting a destination or as a way of extending the previous experiences of consumers. Recent studies have examined how 360° virtual tours can motivate tourists’ intention to visit and help them with travel decision making. On the other hand, some studies have identified the factors that influence satisfaction with the 360° virtual experience.

Photo by Fabio Tura on Unsplash

VR is a highly novel technology and is widely defined as a communication medium that provides users with a computer-simulated 3D (360°) virtual context which enables users to become immersed, to navigate, and to interact in a fully digital environment. As a result of VR becoming increasingly popular, VR technology in tourism has attracted great interest from both researchers and practitioners for decades. Applications of VR include 3D VR and 360° video. Three-dimensional VR is crafted in the digital environment by artists like 3D game developers, and 360° video is filmed in real places. So, which is better among the two? In order to study tourism marketing, researchers more widely and more commonly studies the effect of the 360° video rather than the 3D VR environment since 360° video demonstrates the real travel experience.

Enjoyment is a psychological state that leads to performing an activity with positive states of feeling. Involvement is a psychological state resulting from the attention to an activity. Enjoyment and involvement are both positive affective-motivational states which can be enhanced by VR that can increase the prevalence of these states. Consumers perceive telepresence, sense of presence, involvement, and enjoyment of virtual experiences when they are interacting with 3D product simulation. Therefore, when people are watching a 360° virtual tour, these four factors may also influence their satisfaction with the 360° virtual tour experience.

In this environment, a number of countries have stepped up VR marketing efforts to prepare for the gradual recovery of their travel and tourism industries. Among the most prominent is Germany, which has unveiled a number of immersive projects to highlight the country’s potential as a travel destination.

So what are you waiting for?

Book with us now!

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