A year ago, a lot of people could say they’d never heard of the metaverse. But thanks to the pandemic’s push towards virtual realities, demand for the online universe is expanding. More than 500 companies have begun working in the metaverse in the last year alone, and travel is among the dozens of industries starting to operate in the experimental venture.
Airlines are starting to explore features like virtual cabin crews and flights, while hotel companies are setting their sights on virtual real estate, buying “land” and designing digital replicas of physical hotels. The incorporation of augmented and virtual reality technologies can even enhance the consumer experience of destinations, allowing location-specific attractions and businesses to extend behind their physical boundaries. Across the travel and tourism industry, the metaverse has the potential to reach beyond the limitations of physical travel, amplify consumer personalization and deepen immersive experiences.