Virtual Reality (VR) is an emerging technology platform that Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) must embrace as it continues to evolve the next few years. The biggest opportunity that VR will present to DMOs is inspiring meeting planners and helping consumers make decisions about where to travel. With the virtual reality market predicted to increase to nearly a billion units sold by 2020, now is the most opportune time to get on board with the VR and 360-degree video technology.
Tourism marketers everywhere have an opportunity to lead their destinations with cutting edge technology. The tourism industry is all about selling experiences; a feeling, a landscape, a vision of what spring break or family vacations should be. This has been done through compelling imagery and content, but now VR can bring the destination to the consumer before they even book their trip.
5 Ways DMOs Can Utilize Virtual Reality To Bring Travelers To Their Destination And Enhance The Visitor Experience
1. Inspire Meeting Planners
Empower your sales team with this technology to enhance the possibility of a meeting planner booking their next conference / meeting in your destination. When your sales team attends a tradeshow, have the VR technology set-up at the booth. When your sales associate is talking to a potential meeting planner, besides just going their the normal sales collateral that is in the booth, have the meeting planner put on the VR goggles and experience a meeting in your destination as well as your areas sites and sounds. The video would show meetings happening in your hotels and conference centers, your areas ammenities, accommendations, dining options and nightlife. Everything for the meeting planner to see how their meeting would be in your destination.
2. Enhance Attractions
In 2016, Six Flags Over Georgia enhanced the ride experience for their guests by equipping one of their coasters, Dare Devil Dive, with virtual reality goggles that immerses the riders in 360-degree views that were synchronized to the action of the coaster. This is a great example of an attraction taking something that guests have experienced in the past and turn it into a new experience to increase visitors. Not every destination has a Six Flags theme park in it’s back yard, but this concept can be implemented with other attractions within your area. Simply partner with an existing attraction in your area, add the gamification of virtual reality to the ride or your partners experience to enhance it to bring a new crowd of visitors to said partner.
What is 360 video? 360 video, also known as immersive videos, are videos where a view in every direction is recorded at the same time using an omnidirectional camera. During playback the viewer has control of the viewing direction like a panorama.
3. Showcase the Destinations People and Places
Every winter I am amazed at the collaboration between DMOs. In the past I have witnessed, DMOs in the south take over a DMO in the north’s website for a day in January. Southern Destinations have also done city take overs in Chicago and across the northern US. But what about the northern DMOs who gets their tourist traffic in summer but also receives light winter tourism traffic? They could do the same kind of promotion with their target markets. Go into the market for the weekend and setup stations at malls, attractions, subways, etc and showcase your destinations places and people, and the vibe to entice consumers to vacation in your destination. By doing this during your down season, you are bringing your destination to your target market and embedding them into your area with the 360-degree video. They will then talk about the experience with their friends and family, visit your website afterwards and even plan their summer vacation to your destination.
4. Showcase the Destination at Conferences/ Events
Above we talked about how using Viritual Realty at tradeshows can attract meetings to your destination. You secured the meeting and all the attendees have arrived in your destination for their meeting / conference. Your marketing and sales associates work does not end there. Set-up a table / booth at the meeting headquarters where attendees can use the VR goggles and experience your attractions, dining options, outdoor adventures and more. It is known that business travelers will return to a destination again with their family after they visited once. This is your opportunity to secure future leisure business.
5. Virtual Reality Units Stationed at Hotels
Now, during the week, there are business professionals who are staying in your hotels who are there on business. These business travelers are always looking for a place to dine and nightlife entertainment. Marriott has placed VR goggles in some hotels rooms to show guests other parts of the world. As a CVB, you could work with your hotel to have a VR goggle stationed in lobby. On these units, you would have videos for guests to experience your destination from family vacations to dining and nightlife options that they can experience that night. Since these travelers might only be in town for the night, you want to provide them with a VR experience so that they come back to your destination when they have vacation time.
It has been shown that travelers are more likely to return to your destination after they’ve experienced it once. By utilizing virtual reality you can build interest in future trips that are business / non-business related by showing them the vibe of your area.
There are already a few DMOs that I know of that are using this new technology, Visit Albuquerque, Tourism Ohio, Idaho Tourism and St. Petersburg / Clearwater (continue here to view their JetLev Experience 360 video). These are just my 5 suggested ideas from what I have been witnessing. How are you utilizing virtual reality to promote your destination?
