Virtual reality is opening up new ways of thinking about the definition of travel and can also be used as a new type of marketing, said Karen Nemeth, a producer at the photorealistic documentary company Realities.IO, during the ITB Convention in Berlin.

“Travel is typically defined as the transportation of people around to different physical locations,” she said. “But with virtual reality, we are transporting places to people for the first time.”

Cities affected by over-tourism like Barcelona or Venice could benefit from this technology, as it would enable potential visitors to fully experience these cities without leaving their home, she said.

“It could mitigate these issues in place where tourism is impacting locals’ quality of life,” said Nemeth.

But the technology could also serve as a marketing tool for countries looking to retain or even boost visitor numbers, said Nemeth.

“A virtual trip of a ruined temple complex in Cambodia allows people to access a teaser of what they’d see at Angkor Wat,” she said. “For tourism boards looking to attract people, virtual reality is a way to bring culture to people and a means to market locations themselves.”

Virtual reality can also preserve temporary or demolished spaces for future generations to explore, while holograms can bring historical spaces to life by delivering a different kind of immersive experience, she said.

“We can teach kids about the history of Rome by sending them to the Vatican to have a conversation with experts in the Vatican space itself,” said Nemeth. “That really takes you out of the textbook and brings you into that space.”

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