The tourism industry globally is seriously affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
World Bank estimated the cost to the global economy of SARS at USD54 billion. COVID-19 has destroyed tourism in such a way that it cannot expect to reopen to pre-pandemic levels until 2024.

So, now the question is how tourism can cope up in these testing times. The answer lies in the advancement of technologies such as virtual reality, which can be used to attract and engage tourists. 

“VR is going to change the way both many of the things we do today and some new and important areas are transformed like tourism.” – Shaun Collins, CEO of CCS Insight.

Companies within the travel and tourism industry have already started investing in virtual reality technologies to provide guests with virtual tours and revive the tourism industry. Listed below are some companies which are leading from the front.

• Jaunt VR, a startup, produces 360-degree films, documentaries, shows, tours on their app in VR. Users can choose among 20 different channels.
• io, a Berlin-based company, has created a platform to transport visitors to historical sites anywhere in the world through virtual reality.
• Ascape a virtual reality application for travel, reduces a user’s work by sorting out content for the user.
• YouVisit, an online virtual tourism platform, helps travel companies to create and share 360-degree photos and virtual reality tours.