Holidaying in the Metaverse

Researchers delve into the Metaverse’s impact on the hospitality sector, forecasting a fusion of physical and virtual experiences in tourism.
 
In the future, it may be more expensive, time-consuming, and risky to travel halfway around the world for a holiday getaway. What if we could experience a convincing virtual version of the real thing? The Metaverse – a parallel digital realm blending real and fantasy worlds – has been tipped as the next disruptive technology, on track to completely alter reality as we know it, and tourism and hospitality businesses should be preparing for the switch. Dr Michael Lin and Dr Daniel Leung of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and their co-author’s new paper describe the Metaverse’s potential to transform the hospitality customer experience and management.
 
The Metaverse is seen by some as our virtual future, the alternate reality where humans can work, communicate, and play. Today’s virtual and augmented reality innovations will, in time, be considered as merely the tools by which to access and experience the Metaverse. There, users will be able to interact with avatars, virtual environments, objects, and other users in a way that transcends “simple” virtual reality experiences. Users will be free to discover countless new environments and astounding near-realistic sensorial experiences that could one day become indistinguishable from the real thing. “Metaverse will have considerable impacts on hospitality and tourism”, state the authors, “bringing major opportunities and challenges for all stakeholders in the ecosystem”.


Source: Travel Daily News Asia