Travel Brands Experiment With Virtual Reality as Consumer Adoption Lags
Photo Credit: A YouVisit photographer prepares a VR shoot of the Houston Ballet for a new Visit Houston CVB campaign. YouVisit
Skift Take
Companies creating virtual reality videos and other immersive video formats say they're driving exponentially higher engagement levels between travel brands and consumers.
Interest in virtual reality (VR) content is surging in hospitality and tourism in 2016, even though very few travelers have access to quality VR equipment.
That is anticipated to change over the next few years as headset prices decrease and the volume and variety of VR content increases. More consumer awareness will also spur demand as more people experiment with the technology. Presently, according to a Marketing Week poll last month, 43 percent of men and 50 percent of women “can’t see any practical use in VR.”
For those people who are interested, also according to the same poll, travel is the most preferred type of VR content that they want to consume
Among the companies leading the development of immersive video in the travel sector, YouVisit and Matterport are developing new virtual reality and 360-degree/3D video platforms for travel brands targeting both leisure travelers and conference planners.
For people without a VR headset, 360-degree videos and 3D im
