42 VR FOCUS E-tourism
CHANGING CLIMATE, CHANGING TRAVEL
OUT OF THIS WORLD VR technology offers the chance to see parts of the planet we could never otherwise reach: without damaging it
The next frontier is large-scale VR tourism, and it is the global consciousness around climate change that is likely to put virtual travel on the map. Tourism accounts for around 8% of global greenhouse gas emission, according to a 2018 study, with air travel the main culprit. VR offers armchair travel at a fraction of the cost to both wallets and the planet. With many cities (Venice, Barcelona, Edinburgh) buckling under the strain of AirbnB guests, VR could be another way to satisfy the travel bug. Historical sites can also take advantage of digital technology to offer immersive experiences whilst preserving their physical heritage. Among groups doing this is the Open Heritage Project run by California-based 3D laser scanning specialist CyArk with the help of Google. It is building digital representations of historical sites that are at risk of destruction due to human conflict or natural disasters, turning some into VR tours. It has documented sites such as the Sydney Opera House and Skara Brae, a 3000 BC neolithic settlement in Scotland. ULTIMATELY, THE BIG VISION IS TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO TRAVEL EVENWHEN THEY CAN’T
Immersive experiences don’t have to be for those less able or willing to travel to their dream destinations. Activities, landscapes and wildlife which very few people might ever have the opportunity to experience can be simulated in VR. Everest VR is an interactive Mount Everest experience developed by Sólfar Studios with Nordic visual effects house RVX. It’s achieved with a mix of CGI and over 300,000 high-res images and enables users to climb a range of routes down to a 1:1 scale or use a ‘God mode’ to appreciate the vast topology of the whole mountain. Experiences don’t have to be terrestrial either. Titans of Space from DrashVR LLC offers 6DoF controls and zero-G space walks in a theme park-style ride through the solar system. With space tourism about to take-off onboard SpaceX and Virgin craft and with NASA looking to fuel interest in planned missions to Mars, Canadian studio Felix & Paul is producing an ambitious series of VR documentaries for NASA from onboard the International Space Station. The $4 million series is due for release next year. The growth of VR as a whole is predicated on increased picture fidelity, comfort, reliability and no cables. Assuming the technology will improve, where will VR tourism end up? Logically, if there’s a market for simulated experiences of Angkor Wat or what the Romans did for us in Bath, then why not travel back in time for even more immersive experiences? This puts me in mind of a favourite book series of
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