Virtual Reality and Tourism

Virtual Reality technologies can play essential role for the success of tourism inventiveness. Hence, this application entitled VR Bukit Puteri is designed and developed as a medium to promote and attract tourists to visit this natural cultural heritage place in Terengganu. This application is particularly very useful for the user to get information or learn interactively about history and artifacts of Bukit Puteri. The interaction design lifecycle model had been implemented in the development of this application. In addition, the gaze interaction technique had been successfully used to add more interactivity and user-friendliness to this application. The framework, interface design, testing and expert evaluation may also serve as guidelines in developing similar VR application in another domain. The author would consider gamification elements, engaging activities, 360’ VR experiences to be proposed to enhance VR applications for the future. These engagement elements can be a great ...

Experiences of cultural heritage and tourism have been enhanced by the development of digital technologies. In light of this, this paper focuses on the importance of immersive storytelling experiences to encourage visitors’ engagement through VR and the evocative and emotional storytelling of events and contexts.
After an introduction  to the best practices from Italy and abroad in the last years, the paper focuses on the VR immersive storytelling of the 1693 earthquake, which destroyed 70 cities in south-eastern Sicily. The survivors, revealing great resilience, soon rebuilt their cities. The well-known Baroque city of Noto, a UNESCO site since 2002, was rebuilt on another site, so abandoning the destroyed one (Noto Antica).
Through an immersive film in VR (25 min.), commissioned by the Noto Municipality, the last moments of the city are recounted, creating a “digital bridge” between generations to regain awareness of their ancient roots. The VR project stands out for its participatory production process involving a commission  of experts and  3D casting of its modern citizens, and the tragic nature of the event, recounted through the emotional and evocative account of a recent earthquake and the solution adopted following the COVI-19 pandemic (in situ, on YouTube VR and Vimeo).

It is undeniably true that Virtual Reality (VR) has continuously been developed since 1800s and still have been produced till today. However, very few studies have attempted to study on the design of Virtual Reality Graphical User Interface (VR-GUI) that effectively empowers users to interact and immerse in a simulated world, via hardware and software with ease. Therefore, the aims of this research are to compare four different types of VR GUI Controller designs including (2D, 2D animation, 3D, and 3D animation) and to determine UI response time of the Oculus Touch Controller and compare the results with UI response time of Oculus Rift to determine what VR GUI is appropriate for which ages. 168 participants were purposely selected, aged from 12 to 17, 18 to 33, and 34 to 45. The experiment results showed that VR GUI had a significant impact on UI response time resulted from different types of VR GUI controllers. Last but not least, analysis of VR GUI controller user data had suggested that VR GUI developers should design appropriate VR GUI controllers that match all age groups in order for them to experience a fully immersive, perceptually real environment as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Celem artykułu jest ocena szans i zagrożeń wynikających ze stosowania wirtualnej rzeczywistości w turystyce. Praca ma charakter teoretyczno-empiryczny. Przedstawiono w niej istotę omawianej technologii, jej podstawowe elementy i przykładowe zastosowania w turystyce. Następnie, na podstawie przeprowadzonego eksperymentu pilotażowego z wykorzystaniem gogli VR, wskazano na istotne przesłanki wykorzystania wirtualnej rzeczywistości w procesie kształtowania postaw nabywczych potencjalnych turystów. Rozważaniom poddana została również kwestia substytucji turystyki przez wirtualną rzeczywistość. Stwierdzono jednak, że nie jest ona możliwa, a badana technologia nie stanowi zagrożenia dla rozwoju turystyki i może stać się jej uzupełnieniem.

B. A. Final thesis analysing the relationship between Virtual Reality and Tourism, such as 3DVT or Three Dimensional Virtual Tourism. The first chapter covers the topic from the definition of Virtual Tourism to what Virual Reality is and which tools it uses. In the second chapter it is discussed the economical impact on the tourism sector, defining its fields of application, following Guttentag's research, such as planning and management, marketing, education, accessibility, conservation and entertainment and bringing examples about these uses. In the third and last chapter it is analyzed the specific issue of authenticy regarding tourism and virtual tourism in particular.

Virtual Reality technologies can play essential role for the success of tourism inventiveness. Hence, this application entitled VR Bukit Puteri is designed and developed as a medium to promote and attract tourists to visit this natural cultural heritage place in Terengganu. This application is particularly very useful for the user to get information or learn interactively about history and artifacts of Bukit Puteri. The interaction design lifecycle model had been implemented in the development of this application. In addition, the gaze interaction technique had been successfully used to add more interactivity and user-friendliness to this application. The framework, interface design, testing and expert evaluation may also serve as guidelines in developing similar VR application in another domain. The author would consider gamification elements, engaging activities, 360’ VR experiences to be proposed to enhance VR applications for the future. These engagement elements can be a great ...

Trong những năm gần đây, công nghệ thực tế ảo đang thực sự phát triển mạnh mẽ và đã trở thành một xu hướng trong du lịch. Nếu không nắm bắt được trào lưu nói trên, tính cạnh tranh của du lịch Việt Nam có thể bị giảm thiểu đáng kể, đặc biệt trong bối cảnh ngành du lịch đang bị ảnh hưởng nặng bề bởi đại dịch COVID-19. Với mục đích hỗ trợ công tác ứng dụng công nghệ VR một cách hiệu quả, phù hợp với điều kiện của Việt Nam, thông qua phương pháp nghiên cứu tại văn phòng (desk research), bài viết này tập trung tìm hiểu hai khía cạnh: nền tảng và các vấn đề của cơ sở lý thuyết trong việc ứng dụng VR trong du lịch, và thực trạng ứng dụng công nghệ VR của ngành du lịch Việt Nam. Từ đó bài viết xây dựng các đề xuất cho quá trình ứng dụng của Việt Nam trên cơ sở hồi phục và phát triển bền vững. Đồng thời, kết quả nghiên cứu cũng đề cập đến việc nên ứng dụng VR song song với các giải pháp công nghệ khác để đảm bảo sự phát triển đồng đều, công bằng của hệ sinh thái du lịch.

The Faro Convention’s adoption by the Italian Parliament changed the future of Italian public museums; the Convention regards the active participation of the community as a new resource, intrinsically linked to the conservation and enhancement of heritage. This contribution hopes to give some guidelines for the future ‘techno- creative spaces’ at the Italian cultural sites, presenting some cases studies from the last three years (2018–2021).

In the last few years, the Department of Cultural Heritage of the University of Padova has developed new digital tools far enhancement and dissemination. The continuous update of information technology has allowed to build interactive guides attractive to the public and, in recent times, the creation of virtual tours, working both in open-area sites and in the museum halls, has generated a new and ever-growing interest in virtual archaeology and, consequently, in academic researches.

Virtual Reality technologies can play essential role for the success of tourism inventiveness. Hence, this application entitled VR Bukit Puteri is designed and developed as a medium to promote and attract tourists to visit this natural cultural heritage place in Terengganu. This application is particularly very useful for the user to get information or learn interactively about history and artifacts of Bukit Puteri. The interaction design lifecycle model had been implemented in the development of this application. In addition, the gaze interaction technique had been successfully used to add more interactivity and user-friendliness to this application. The framework, interface design, testing and expert evaluation may also serve as guidelines in developing similar VR application in another domain. The author would consider gamification elements, engaging activities, 360' VR experiences to be proposed to enhance VR applications for the future. These engagement elements can be a great counterpart to increase user experience in virtual world.

The accelerated development and expansion of cultural tourism in areas with unique tourist objectives, characterised by a high degree of risk in terms of their physical and chemical integrity, requires sustained efforts by all stakeholders to identify new methods, techniques, and procedures for their conservation, protection, and capitalisation, with respect to tourism. The aim of this study was to propose an optimal methodology for capitalising on tourism related to wooden churches, regarded as a structural item of tangible cultural heritage, with positive effects on the protection, conservation, information, and awareness of all stakeholders in tourism development. This involved the development of a web portal, in which were integrated the 3D models related to the analysed objects, the panoramic images inside them, the audio support, the photographs, and the accompanying text necessary to create and render a virtual reality (VR) production for purposes of virtual tourism (VT). The results obtained consisted of the creation of the website Bi-hor360°, which is freely navigable and whose content, including both textual and graphic information , can be easily accessed by all interested users. The aim involved was to release an online bridge for potential visitors to the fragile tourist attractions, facilitating the development of active knowledge and VR while raising awareness among the population and the local authorities about the role and the importance of the wooden churches in tourism and the local economy.

Abstract This chapter discusses the opportunities offered by digital marketing in tourism as well as the rise of virtual tours which provides a fertile environment for potential visitors to explore virtual representations of tourism destinations.

The submitted case study is about the rupestrian church of Meryem Ana in Göreme (Cappadocia, Turkey), a small church with mural paintings representing valuable heritage at risk due to the poor stability of the rock where it's excavated in. In 2012 a team of researchers from DIDA – Dipartimento di Architettura, Università degli Studi di Firenze carried out a survey of the church that would show the artifact current conservation state and procedures to avoid the permanent loss. The processing of data carried out by laser scanner and photographic survey made it possible to produce conventional drawings and to build a 3D reality based model of the church thanks to reverse modelling, retopology and texturing techniques. This now represents an important database of a no longer accessible cultural heritage and a useful tool for still-images or animation products, but also a helpful means for the development of research projects and restauration interventions for enhancement. A scale model, build from 3D data with SLS technology (Selective Laser Sintering), and an augmented reality application, developed with Unity 3D and Vuforia are the way to achieve the main aims of the project, which is the reconstruction of the church through the integration of 3D print techniques and augmented reality technologies. These applications properly programmed can be used for dissemination both in scientific and entertainment fields.

Course Description: This course investigates the use of three-dimensional virtual media in museum, gallery, and online exhibition contexts, with an emphasis on Virtual Reality (VR). This course prepares students both practically and conceptually to work with 3D virtual media in professional contexts of the artworld, especially in museums, art galleries, and online exhibition contexts. It provides students with an understanding of 3D virtual media technology today and the directions it may take in the future, and trains them to think critically about its most effective usage, especially in museum environments.

Virtual Reality technologies can play essential role for the success of tourism inventiveness. Hence, this application entitled VR Bukit Puteri is designed and developed as a medium to promote and attract tourists to visit this natural cultural heritage place in Terengganu. This application is particularly very useful for the user to get information or learn interactively about history and artifacts of Bukit Puteri. The interaction design lifecycle model had been implemented in the development of this application. In addition, the gaze interaction technique had been successfully used to add more interactivity and user-friendliness to this application. The framework, interface design, testing and expert evaluation may also serve as guidelines in developing similar VR application in another domain. The author would consider gamification elements, engaging activities, 360’ VR experiences to be proposed to enhance VR applications for the future. These engagement elements can be a great ...

Housed within the distinctive architectural fabric of the former L&N Railroad Depot and listed on the Water Avenue Historic District National Register of Historic Places, the Old Depot Museum depicts life in Alabama and the histories that made Selma the "Queen City of the Black Belt." Formally known as the Selma/Dallas County Museum of History and Archives, collections range from the times of prehistoric American Indians to the Civil War, continuing through the Depression and the historic path of the Civil Rights Movement, illustrating how a site that was once home to a Confederate foundry became a critical repository for the preservation and interpretation of key documents, artifacts, and photographs related to "Bloody Sunday", as one of the most significant incidents of American Civil Rights Movement, and its aftermath. Through enlightening and enriching displays, Selma's Old Depot Museum provides unparalleled educational opportunities for the general public and area schools, with particular respect to the path from slavery to voting rights for African Americans. This paper presents a research project that brought the architectural fabric and archives of the Old Depot Museum in Selma to life, both on-site and remotely through Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM) and other technology, including LiDAR, 360 o photography, photogrammetry, and UAVs. The findings of this project offer a workflow for digitally documenting and showcasing other cultural heritage sites, underscoring the importance of redundancy in digital captures and platform flexibility for information integration and dissemination.

artikel ini memaparkan bagaimana metode kunjungan secara virtual ke Kebun Raya merupakan salah satu solusi bagi pengelola area wisata termasuk kebun raya dan pengunjung untuk dapat menikmati kebun dan mendapat informasi botani secara alam di masa Pandemi Covid-19. Artikel ini juga menceritakan bagaimana peran penting humas LIPI dalam program virtual tour ke kebun raya sejak  dari tahap perencanaan, promosi, pelaksanaan, hingga evaluasinya.

This project is part of the interpretation of Romariz Castro and the Castro Culture of the Northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula where that site is part of. From 2014 the project has been evolving and since the beginning of 2017, with the support of the Town Hall of Santa Maria da Feira, Municipality where the archaeological site is placed, the local Museum of Lóios Convent and the Cultural Association Voltado a Poente. This opportunity gave it a new contour: the project is seen has an opportunity for the local museum to reinvent itself in the Age of Technology and consequently give the local population and tourists a new way to learn the region’s ancient history in a playful way through experience of a gaming platform.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown of 2020, freedom to travel was restricted but there was a remarkable increase in webcam-travel, which can be defined as visiting place-based webcams online. Media commentators suggested that this technology was being used to connect with places and nature; an observation mirrored by webcam hosting organisations. This study examines the surge in popularity of these webcams which reflect a wide range of sites – often natural environments. It goes on to explore the attributes of webcam-travel to explain its rise during lockdown, primarily by employing an online questionnaire. It reveals that this experience is marked by feelings of freedom, nostalgia, and connection – each of which offers potential wellness benefits. Respondents exercised their freedom through these virtual portals to connect to nature, the outdoors, and places that they associated with happy memories pre-lockdown. This article also suggests that webcam-travel links to an increased likelihood to physically visit these sites in the future. Therefore, this research may be relevant to both academics and practitioners with an interest in the experience economy. To access visit: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1467358420963370

This review surveys three types of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, from attempts to replicate the museum visit experience, to alternative replacements making use of online platforms, to initiatives that envision radically different relationships to their audiences. The selection is not intended to be representative, but instead draws into dialogue the experiences the authors had during lockdown, reflecting a small sample of international and Norwegian museum locations, exhibitions and engagements that were increasingly available throughout the pandemic, while commenting on wider trends. Visiting such a cross-section of museums offers us fresh insight into digital tourism in the age of the coronavirus.

Virtual Reality and Cultural Heritage are an inseparable and essential pair, an incredibly efficient tool for research activities, and even more for educational and promotional ones. The Department of CulturalHeritage of the University of Padova has been promoting for a number of years the development of interactive guides based on virtual reality and destined to guarantee to the public a better comprehension of the results of archaeological research. Virtual tours, which offers an immersive navigation through reconstructions made following the greatest scientific rigor, allow to project into the past a museum visitor as well as an open-cat site visitor. These virtual archaeological experiences have been extensively tested for a number of years in different university contexts – such as Roman Padua and the archaeological park in the ancient city of Nora, Sardinia – and they are a consolidated educational system that considerably attract a non-specialist public, and it makes cultural goods more accessible and intelligible.

The accelerated development and expansion of cultural tourism in areas with unique tourist objectives, characterised by a high degree of risk in terms of their physical and chemical integrity, requires sustained efforts by all stakeholders to identify new methods, techniques, and procedures for their conservation, protection, and capitalisation, with respect to tourism. The aim of this study was to propose an optimal methodology for capitalising on tourism related to wooden churches, regarded as a structural item of tangible cultural heritage, with positive effects on the protection, conservation, information, and awareness of all stakeholders in tourism development. This involved the development of a web portal, in which were integrated the 3D models related to the analysed objects, the panoramic images inside them, the audio support, the photographs, and the accompanying text necessary to create and render a virtual reality (VR) production for purposes of virtual tourism (VT). The...

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, technology and interactive communication methods increased in importance. One of the sectors most affected by the lockdown was the tourism industry. It became necessary to apply a new approach to the research and development of this field using the virtual world. This paper presents the implementation of direct use of raw point cloud data enriched with digital historical resources on the case of the historic Klodzko Fortress in Poland's Lower Silesia. Terrestrial laser scanning was used to visualise the real world, later used in a game engine to create space for real-time virtual interaction. Like the touring paths in the real world, the interaction in the adopted solution went beyond observation and understanding of the space unified with historical resources. The project's overall goal was to create a safe and accessible digital tool to popularise the region's cultural heritage resources in pandemic and post-pandemic times.

Virtual Reality (VR) research is accelerating the development of inexpensive real-time Brain Computer Interface (BCI). Hardware improvements that increase the capability of Virtual Reality displays and Brain Computer wearable sensors have made possible several new software frameworks for developers to use and create applications combining BCI and VR. It also enables multiple sensory pathways for communications with a larger sized data to users' brains. The intersections of these two research paths are accelerating both fields and will drive the needs for an energy-aware infrastructure to support the wider local bandwidth demands in the mobile cloud. In this paper, we complete a survey on BCI in VR from various perspectives, including Electroencephalogram (EEG)-based BCI models, machine learning, and current active platforms. Based on our investigations, the main findings of this survey highlights three major development trends of BCI, which are entertainment, VR, and cloud compu...

Highlights:

A theoretical framework for webcam-travel (viewing place-based webcams)  is proposed.

Contextualization is provided by examining relationships with (virtual) tourism.

The appeal of webcam-travel and transported immobility is considered.

A figure summarising the main elements of webcam travel is included.

Saryazd Castle is located in Yazd Province, Iran. The castle dates to the Samani era, with later expansion during the Safavid era. Constructed entirely of mud-brick, Saryazd was continuously used until the mid-20th century as a vault, protecting both people and their property. Earthenware structures require continual renewal in order to maintain the integrity of the structure. Today, visitors can witness traditional construction techniques, albeit with some newer materials. The site has a magical quality which is enhanced by the current caretaker, Mr Hosein. The lighting of the fire, serving of tea, and his warm hospitality breathe life into the castle and make this a special visit for guests. The castle has developed into an open-air museum and is unique within the region. Considerable restoration work has occurred in recent years, with the desire to increase the number of visitors. Recent weather patterns and excessive rain have created challenges in maintaining the integrity of the castle's fabric. A project to digitally document Saryazd Castle was undertaken in December 2019 and aimed to document the castle as it currently stands. The techniques used were close-range photogrammetry, high-resolution photography and the creation of a virtual 360º tour. The documentation can be used in the future for preservation, conservation and popularisation of the monument. This paper aims to raise a discussion among professionals about living museums and to suggest guidelines for enhancing their potential as open-air museums.

Aim of this paper is to offer a survey of the Google strategy on the
enhancement of the archaeological sites in the world and a preview of the pilot
project in progress at the UNESCO site Agrigento Valley of the Temples. We
managed to map all the area of the Temple of Juno Lacinia, which is now the
only Greek temple that can be visited online on a 360° tour on a Google
platform, browsable inside. Also some point of interest will be selected
which can be clicked and explored, taking captions with descriptive sheets of
architectural and decorative elements, capitals, columns, 3D reconstructions,
videos and aerial virtual tours realised with drones. They will be soon available
in Italian and in English languages and in audio mode. In the next future the
entire valley will be mapped and browsable in such a way.