Travel has, for many years, been something of a double-edged sword for the world’s most vulnerable and delicate spots. From the perfectly balanced ecosystems of national parks dotted across the globe, to the oceans, mountains, and ancient cities that make their way onto millions of bucket lists each and every year, it is tourists who offer that all-important preservative – money – with which those in a position of care can ensure the conservancy of these areas.
It is, however, also the tourists of the world who inadvertently damage, undermine and wear out these destinations. Thus, we need more money to conserve – which means more tourists are needed – and the entire cycle continues.
Still, modern life is nothing if it is not adaptable. Developments in tech feed directly down into everyday life, and open up the parameters for a more sustainable existence that serves the needs of the people, and the world itself. By investing more into our ability to use and enjoy virtual travel experiences – and, in some cases, to allow it to replace in-person tourism – we can enter into a new decade marked by a wider range of opportunities for sightseers, and a sustainable means for protecting and preserving the world’s most vulnerable destinations.
Read more about the ways in which virtual travel has been developed in recent years, below.
A Pervasive Experience
It is a mistake to think of virtual travel as one highly specific phenomenon, and to divide the world’s population into two camps: those who have tried it, and those who have not. In reality, much like travel in a more traditional sense of the word, the term virtual travel represents a long and highly nuanced list of experiences, events and actions which enable us to explore another part of the world from our phone or computer screens.
Here are two highly disparate examples which, by virtue of their ability to transport us to another part of the world, remain united under the umbrella of virtual travel. For one, we have the highly popular sites dedicated to online poker – sites that have been specifically developed to emulate the experience of playing in the world’s most infamous gambling landmarks, like Las Vegas and Macau, all without requiring that players travel beyond their homes. These sites attract millions of players each year, all of whom are evoking a sense that, just a few decades ago, remained inseparable from the physical premises.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have events and experiences that are far more deliberate. The internet is now home to virtual travel tours of areas as geographically remote as the Great Barrier Reef, Yosemite National Park, and Giant’s Causeway.
From virtual theatre performances and fashion shows to simulators and live streams, the list of opportunities for virtual tourists goes on and on.
What is Leading the Change?
Our ability to develop our capabilities in the realm of virtual travel represents a unique point in human history. Even just a few decades ago, we were incredibly limited in terms of what we could do to explore the world beyond our homes. We could watch documentaries, listen to music and read books that originated from areas of the world different to our own – but, even then, a definitive divide existed between the person in their home, and the person on their travels.
It would be easy to chalk up these new opportunities to advances in technology. And, while our ability to host sharper, clearer and more fluid live streams has improved, for instance – and virtual reality continues to unlock new potential for those who cannot be physically present – much of what constitutes virtual travel embraces technologies that have existed for years.
It is, rather, a growing interest in the digital – a harnessing of our own creativity – which is spurring on the movement toward virtual experiences. In the case of digital fashion shows, for instance, the technology has been there for years – it is, rather a growing concern for our carbon footprint, for developing new and more sustainable practices, that is accelerating the move from the physical to the digital.
We can anticipate plenty of new technologies to emerge in the coming years that support and enhance virtual travel, but it is our commitment to harnessing the spirit of travel – and our ability to redefine tourism – that will continue to drive it forward.
