Virtual tourism: Discover the world from home!

Do you dream of traveling around the world to discover different cultures, incredible monuments, and amazing works of art? If your finances, the pandemic, or other concerns are preventing you from taking a trip, virtual tourism may be right for you. This year for National Travel and Tourism Week, consider giving it a try.

What is it?
Virtual trips can take many forms. They can involve watching a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) movie or using a special application that works with Google Street View technology. Other platforms offer VR tours, allowing you to put on a helmet that gives you the experience of being somewhere else. Additionally, the video game industry is creating immersive games that allow players to explore different places and times.

What can you see?
If you enjoy the arts, you can use Google Arts & Culture and similar applications to browse museums as if you were there. It’s a chance to admire popular paintings up close. For those who prefer the outdoors, there are several national parks around the world you can visit thanks to live image feeds. As for historical periods, Ubisoft’s Discovery Tour offers video games that let players explore Ancient Greece or Egypt.

What are the benefits?
Virtual tourism allows you to visit cultural and historical sites at your leisure, free of charge or at a low cost, without having to leave your living room. You can explore places that are normally accessible to the public as well as many that aren’t. Discover ancient art at the Lascaux Cave or, thanks to 3D modeling, monuments that are now destroyed.

There are many places to explore using virtual technologies. All you need to do is choose your next destination.

National Travel and Tourism Week takes place from May 2 to 8, 2021. Visit the U.S. Travel Association’s website (ustravel.org) for more information.