The tourism industry has ground to a halt as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that has severely limited international travel.  The pandemic has been the making of many technologies, and new research from Augusta University explores whether it might do likewise for virtual travel.

The researchers describe a method that utilizes advanced maths alongside livestreamed video and photos to provide an immersive virtual experience.  The approach revolves around measuring and digitizing the curvature of objects, and the distances between them, via drone footage, photos, and video.  They believe this would make virtual travel more realistic, and potentially revitalize the tourism industry.

“This is about having a new kind of technology that uses advanced mathematical techniques to turn digitized data, captured live at a tourist site, into more realistic photos and videos with more of a feel for the location than you would get watching a movie or documentary,” the researchers say. “When you go see the Statue of Liberty for instance, you stand on the bank of the Hudson River and look at it. When you watch a video of it, you can only see the object from one angle. When you measure and preserve multiple angles and digitize that in video form, you could visualize it from multiple angles. You would feel like you’re there while you’re sitting at home.”

Virtual tourism

The team believes that the technology would help to mitigate some of the devastation caused to the travel industry by the pandemic, while also opening up new possibilities.

For instance, the cost-effectiveness of the technology would make virtual tourism cheaper, while also offering safe travel in these health-conscious times.  It would also reduce travel times and make even the remotest tourist destination accessible to all.  What’s more, with the technology feasible with a standard home computer, it becomes technologically accessible too.

“Virtual tourism (also) creates new employment opportunities for virtual tour guides, interpreters, drone pilots, videographers and photographers, as well as those building the new equipment for virtual tourism,” the authors say.  “People would pay for these experiences like they pay airlines, hotels and tourist spots during regular travel. The payments could go to each individual involved in creating the experience or to a company that creates the entire trip, for example.”

The next step for the project is to both seek investment to further develop the technology and secure partners from across the hospitality, tourism, and technology industry to bring the technology to market.