What is a Virtual Tour? 3 Amazing Benefits of Traveling Virtually

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Have you ever wondered, “What is a virtual tour?” and why would you want to take one, anyway?

Well, virtual tours have become increasingly popular in recent years. Better yet, you’re missing out if you don’t know their benefits as a traveler.

So, let’s delve into the virtual tour meaning. You’ll also learn about their advantages and how they can revolutionize the way you explore new destinations.

Whether you’re a travel enthusiast, a business owner in the tourism industry, or simply curious about the world of virtual travel, this article is your go-to resource for all things learning more about virtual tours.

what is a virtual tour? — What is a virtual tour, anyway?

CONTENTS – In this article, you’ll discover the virtual tour meaning and amazing benefits of traveling virtually, including:

The New Frontiers of Exploration: Virtual Traveling
What is a Virtual Tour?
How is Virtual Travel Beneficial
1. Know Before You Go
2. Visit Anytime
3. A Chance for The Disabled
Final Thoughts on Virtual Tour Meaning
Next Steps

The New Frontiers of Exploration: Virtual Traveling

While virtual travel would have sounded silly a few years ago, it is very much a mainstream topic now. In fact, it is a wonder in itself how far we’ve come from the Wright brothers flight innovation to virtual travel.

For the last several years, travel agencies and airlines have been using virtual reality technology to promote travel destinations to potential customers.

Now the impact of COVID-19 caused virtual reality to lose its image as a gimmick and become a believable reality.

Even virtual reality travel, while not a substitute for physical travel, has a number of benefits for tourism and consumers alike.

By allowing viewers to experience events, places and destinations from the comfort of their own home, virtual tourism offers many distinct benefits.

And to experience them, you don’t need to buy expensive tickets or wait for the right season to visit. You just need to install a good internet connection in your home.

But first, you’ll want to go with a reliable Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as Cox Internet so you can explore without lags or delays. That way, you’ll get to fully enjoy the experience of virtual travel.

So if you’d like to explore the virtual world, you’ll need to know the answer to the question, “What is a virtual tour?” and find out why virtual traveling is on the rise.

Discover more about it, along with the top 3 benefits of planning a virtual trip, below.

Virtual tour meaning — Discover the top benefits of virtual travel.

What is a Virtual Tour?

A virtual tour is one that allows you to visit distant places on a remote basis. The idea has been around for several years as a natural outgrowth of virtual reality (VR)-inspired possibilities. Virtual travel uses audiovisual machineries–and sometimes, virtual reality–to bring museums, pyramids, jungles and much more to your screen.

It is especially suitable for educational tourism activities where you might want learn more about a certain facet of a place. It’s also ideal for cultural and artistic tourism, where you can get a closer look at every unique detail in a painting or tapestry.

The Metaverse is the next defining space for the travel industry. This VR social platform is a type of continuum that spans the entire spectrum of digitally augmented worlds, realities, and business models.

The Metaverse applies to many realms, including:

Consumer, employee, and enterprise
The real world to the virtual world and back
2D to 3D
The cloud
Artificial intelligence
Augmented reality
Blockchain
Digital twins updated with real-time data
Advanced technologies
and more

And now, the Metaverse encompasses travel!

How is Virtual Travel Beneficial?

Now that you know the answer to your question, “what is a virtual tour?,” let’s talk about why you’d want to take one.

When virtual traveling, you’ll be able to walk along the beach, explore downtown, or take a boat ride in a fully immersive 360-degree environment.

In a nutshell, you can see, hear, and experience your destination from the comfort of your own home. Any number of travel experiences and destinations are available for you to experience virtually.

However, there are several additional benefits of virtual travel you’ll be interested to know.

Here are the top 3 benefits of taking a virtual tour.

1. You’ll Know Before You Go

The potential of these devices and videos allow you to take a virtual trip. Your travel professional might even use them to give you an idea of a destination in their office before you book a trip.

More and more travel professionals are adding virtual travel experiences to their offerings.

In many cases, you’re even able to walk through a hotel room and really get a feel for it before booking. Likewise, imagine never having to worry about the cabin size your are booking on a cruise.

What a great way to dispel fear and misinformation about a destination by letting you see it for yourself, virtually!

Maybe you’re wondering if the beach of the resort you’re looking for has all the facilities. Well, you don’t have to imagine it anymore, it’s very much possible to take a virtual tour!

2. You Can Visit Anytime

When you take a virtual trip, last minute cancellations will no longer be an issue. Rain or shine, you are always welcome to visit the places virtually.

That means, you are not bound by a specific travel date. You can go whenever it suits you. And even if the business is closed on public holidays or after visiting hours, you can still get in.

This benefit can prevent last-minute cancellations of tours due to bad weather – and worse, trudging through a non-refundable tour in terrible weather. (Ugh!)

From a business’s point of view, this is also good. It means that their customers can view the business at any time of the day or night and from different time zones. Those who view the business through Google Street View could even eventually become repeat customers.

Virtual tours are also a boon when you can’t seem to shake your responsibilities to take a trip.

Whether that’s your job, children, elderly parents, pets, or other things that make it hard for you to get away, a virtual tour provides you with a quick travel break!

3. A Chance for The Disabled

Another amazing benefit of virtual tours is the ease of accessibility.

A virtual tour gives you the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the places you have dreamed of, even if you have disabilities, chronic illness, or are elderly.

Don’t give up on that bucket list if you are physically unable to accomplish it. Instead, you can take a virtual trip. Believe it or not, there are real cases where elderly residents of a nursing home enjoy skydiving using virtual reality!

Most virtual tours also allow you to zoom in so you can get close enough to see details better. For instance, some virtual safari tours make you feel like the lions or elephant are just sitting next to you.

Doesn’t that sound like an amazing experience?

You don’t have to miss out on your dream vacations when you can take a virtual tour.

Final Thoughts on “What is a Virtual Tour?”

What technology can do today is quite remarkable.

As a virtual traveler yourself, virtual tours open up a whole world of possibilities you might not have considered or thought were out of reach.

And when you discover a hotel or place you’d like to go through virtual tourism, you’ll be more likely to book a stay you’re happy with in the future. Then, you can look forward to living through the action in the real world.

You can go on a virtual tour any time, even if your responsibilities or physical limitations might prevent you from traveling.

Finally, for the tourism industry, the clear advantage lies in its ability to stay in the minds of potential customers and showcase locations, opportunities, and offerings.

Now that you know the answer to ‘What is a Virtual Tour,” it’s easy to see why it really is the best of both worlds – virtual and reality, that is.

It’s an exciting option to consider!

About Jackie Gately, editor-IN-CHIEF

I'm Jackie Gately, your travel confidante and the creative force behind Enjoy Travel Life, awarded the "Best Casual-Luxury Lifestyle Blog (USA)" in Travel and Tourism by LUXlife Magazine for four consecutive years.

With 25 years of published expertise, I'm a seasoned writer, editor, and photographer curating inspiring travel guides and lifestyle tips for empty nesters. I hope to kindle your spirit of exploration, encouraging you to overcome obstacles and turn your dreams into reality.

Learn to minimize your pre-travel angst and maximize the joy of exploration with insights from my experiences. Let's make every adventure a celebration of this exciting phase of life! 

Follow my social channels for more inspiration.

Next Steps

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