Google Maps to Debut Predictive Views of Attractions for Upcoming Visits
Skift Take
Google previewed a series of upcoming search features in Google Maps to improve the user experience that could make tours and activities booking sites and operators even more dependent on the search engine when it comes to popular attractions.
Event planners and organizers may also see merit in some of the new search functionalities.
At its Search On 22 event Wednesday, Google unveiled a feature on Google Maps for Android and iOS that displays 250 "photorealistic" aerial videos of landmarks, including the Empire State Building, the Louvre, Tokyo Tower, the Acropolis and the Colosseum, for example.
You can now view in the Google Maps app a 30-second aerial video of the Colosseum — empty of people — that revolves around the landmark. Google Maps users can add photos, get directions, phone the venue, save the attraction for trip-planning purposes, share it, or get information about booking tickets from the landmark's website or third-party providers.
In the Google Maps app, the main image shown here of the Colosseum is actually a revolving video. Source: Google Maps