Augmented and Virtual realities have been widely accepted as the way forward in many industries thanks to the incredible technological advances they afford, but how are they going to impact our industry?

For starters, let’s make sure we’re all up to scratch on what on earth I am actually talking about when I say augmented and virtual reality.

Augmented reality (AR) is any technology that can make changes to one’s perception of their physical surroundings when viewed from a particular device. One particular device that has stormed its way to the top of the tech and pop culture conversation is the new ‘Apple Vision Pro’ that (if you have nine minutes to watch the entire video) will blow your mind.

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated version of a three-dimension image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using certain equipment, for example, the Changi Airport metaverse.

In a recent interview with Travel Weekly, David Anderson, CEO of Big Red Group, Australia and New Zealand’s biggest wholesaler and retailer of experiences, explained how the continually emerging technologies can be applied to the travel and tourism space

I think that the augmented opportunity is really interesting.

Perth jetboating with Red Balloon. (Supplied)

Enhancing rather than replacing

In all honesty, I was new pretty to the idea of augmented (and virtual) reality. I didn’t really know what its role could be in the travel market, what could replace an actual first-hand experience?

The answer is simple… Nothing.

But as soon as Anderson discussed the way in which he sees some of the scuba experiences that are available through Big Red Group using new technology, it became clear just how big of an impact these modern strategies could have.

“Yesterday,” he, said, “I was with our global systems integrator partner, looking at diving helmets when you are scuba diving or snorkelling on a barrier reef.

“Through your visor or your goggles, you’ll be able to pick out the names of different fish or interesting information as you are floating around.

“Or a person jumping out of a plane, as your hurtling towards the ground, your goggles will be picking out points of interest or can tell you your your flight speed and other incremental information.

“So lots of these things are starting to emerge. Although not yet mainstream, I think it will have a significant impact down the line.”

So while nothing is going to be able to replace your first ever scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, AR can  enhance your experience, and this, Anderson believes, is the way of the future.

Scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef with Big Red Group. (Supplied)

Capable to change the way experiences are advertised

Compare these two advertisements for the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge climb:

(Above – 2023, Below – [circa] 2007)

Apart from the clear differences in terms of camera quality, the two ads use a similar formula to market the experience of walking to the top of one of Sydney’s greatest ever landmarks.

Now think if the next campaign was created using virtual reality technology like this Google Earth VR video below…

Anderson believes this sort of advertising is the next step for travel and tourism marketing campaigns.

“I think the opportunity for virtual reality is in the pre sales,” he said.

“Its in the marketing, and creating anticipation of an experience.

“I can imagine instead of having a photo from the top of the Bridge Climb, you might have the whole experience for future reference.”

While virtual reality does not have the enriching values of its technological relative, augmented reality, Anderson says it creates different plus sides.

“They’re types of things that offer adjacent and incremental opportunities as opposed to enhancing or enriching,” he, said.

“It’s about giving access to a broader population you may not be able to afford or physically do otherwise.”

Where is the technology in 2023?

Although some of this technology is not quite yet ready to be distributed from the curators to the customer, there are already a number of ways AR and VR are being implemented into the travel industry in 2023.

For example, apps like City Guide Tour, which is easily installed onto your smartphone and then uses object recognition to provide on screen information about places of interest in the immediate area, such as museums, landmarks and other tourist attractions.

AR technology similar to that used by ‘City Guide Tour’. (iStock – NicoElNino)

Booking.com recently announced a new technology to be trailed in America, the ‘AI Trip Planner’, which is built upon the foundation of Booking.com’s existing machine learning models that recommend destination and accommodation options to millions of travellers on the platform every day.

The AI Trip Planner is also partially powered by large language model (LLM) technology from OpenAI’s ChatGPT API to create a new conversational experience for people to start their trip planning process.

The AI Trip Planner will be able to answer any travel-related queries and the specific questions associated with any stage of the trip planning process such as identifying the best accommodation options, or even helping to pick the right destination.

Booking.com AI Trip Planner. (Supplied)

So whether you are on the wait list for the first set of Apple Vison Pro to hit Aussie shores, or struggle to change the TV from Foxtel to Netflix (like my mother), one thing is for certain, AR and VR are going to change not only the travel industry, but the entire world in years to come.

And although they will (hopefully) never replace first hand experiences, they certainly can enhance them, and at the same time provide suppliers and marketers across the board in travel with new and more engaging ways to show off their product!