Excerpt from Travolution
Travelport conference in Dubai heard from independent consultant Steve Bambury
Virtual trips to the past, the future or even to fantasy worlds could become a reality within 15 years in the Metaverse, Travelport’s Future of Travel Retail was told.
Independent Web3 and Metaverse consultant Steve Bambury said what the move to create a new virtual world represents is the “evolution of computing”.
The Metaverse is a persistent virtual reality world where people will be able to interact with other people in many ways and in connected spaces which they will move between.
Bambury said for travel the “stepping stones” of adoption of the Metaverse will start with virtual 3D and 360 degree tours offering a ‘try before you buy’ experience.
He said agents and travel brands will then acquire valuable real estate within the Metaverse, setting up virtual stores to attract visitors.
The final “crazy idea”, which he said may be five to 15 years away, is holidays in the Metaverse.
“Do I go to France for a couple of days, or do I go to Ancient Rome, do I go to Hobbiton? As ridiculous as it seems this is a distinct possibility – virtual trips to the past, to the future.
“They will not replace real life tourism, people will not stop taking real life trips, they will supplement their real travel.
“Innovation is the change the unlocks new value. This is change that unlocks new value. It’s opening a whole new world in the way we interact with digital content.”
Bambury added: “In Meta everyone is a world builder, including brands. Everyone will have land, shops and places to reach customers.
Bambury said the Metaverse is more than just a buzzword and is not simply a video game, although the concepts behind it have been developed in games like Roblox and Minecraft.
And he said it is not just about Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook which he renamed Meta, to the consternation of many in the virtual reality community.
“It’s kind of been a zenith for everyone in the VR industry,” said Bambury.
At the heart of Metaverse is technology and concepts related to Blockchain, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) or non-replicable digital assets, and next-gen internet iteration Web3.
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