VIRTUAL TOURISM - Cloudinary



center1095375VIRTUAL TOURISMConcept Proposal 76500VIRTUAL TOURISMConcept Proposal BLANK PAGEINTRODUCTIONZimbabwe is a country that is blessed with immense natural and man-made tourist attractions but attracting enough publicity for all these areas is often difficult and fairly expensive.ICT innovations have changed the nature of other sectors of the economy and now a new set of services and solutions are revolutionising the global as well as domestic tourism market.The concept of virtual tourism has been circulating for a while now, and mostly it has been used in developed countries because of the greater penetration rates of access to the internet but Ibelieve it is now time for these same concepts to be customised for our local requirements and help spearhead the country’s economic recovery.Understanding Virtual TourismKey features of Virtual tourismAll that is required is access to the Internet and the virtual tourist can see either a real time video feed or a static panoramic view of a particular location, or take a virtual tour of a building.This makes it possible to get a visual and/or audio experience of a place and helps attract attention for major cultural events or heritage sites.It is a more affordable option of tourism that can actually allow increased revenues to flow into the areas served through the higher volumes of trafficIt is also true that nothing can replace the real thing, so even after a virtual tour, a tourist is still as likely to visit a place as before, if not more likely.Case StudiesThese are just a few key examples of the use of virtual tourism:On January 13, 2017, the then President of the USA, Barack Obama released a 360 Degree Virtual tour of the White House with accompanying audio.Since December 2015 the British Museum is available for a virtual tour.Virtual tours of historically significant areas like the World War Two Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camps are availableHow it can be used in ZimbabweNational Heritage SitesIt would be possible to take a virtual tour of the National Heroes Acre, get an audio narration of how it was built and the meaning behind the design. Furthermore visitors can get a compiled biography and story of each person buried there.The same could be done for provincial heroes acre’s as wellA virtual tour of Great Zimbabwe and the smaller stone Ruins will help even the locals understand that there are other stone structures that were built which might me nearer to them whilst highlighting the national history.The list of national heritage sites cannot be exhausted, in this document Landmark creationWhat is it about the Matterhorn that makes it famous?..The statue of Liberty in New York or the Eiffel Tower in Paris?People travel from all over the world to see these man-made structures.It is clear that people can only visit places they know. We must do more to give better access to sites which stimulate tourism and this is suggested below under Panoramic Live Views.Panoramic live viewsMutare as viewed from Christmas pass Harare as viewed from the KopjeKariba dam wallSunset at Lake Mutirikwi Dam wallVictoria Falls with the permanent rainbow in the backgroundVictoria Falls bridgeBirchenough BridgeThe list is endless! It is clear that locals can be encouraged to add places of local significance to them.Benefits of Virtual Tourism In GeneralIt is a cheaper way of marketing currently ignored areas that have huge potential like Lake Mutirikwi or the recently completed Tokwe Mukosi Dam It will help focus more attention on often neglected national heritage sites. Often times we pass by areas of great significance without even noticing they are there. This greater interest in Local cultural sites and areas of interest will help stimulate the local economy and preserve cultural identityIt will be possible to get access to a wider market very easily for advertising and marketingIt is likely that the majority of Zimbabweans have never visited the country’s major tourist attractions and some have sadly passed on without ever getting the opportunity. Virtual Tourism can help address this in a small way.The use of a mobile application that highlights nearby areas of possible cultural or historical value would improve domestic tourismSchool children in rural areas can take virtual tours of national heritage sitesRevenuesVisitors can be charged a fee to gain access to the virtual tourIt is also possible to host events at key locations and sell virtual access to it, for example, If there was a constant video feed transmitting a live panoramic view of the Victoria Falls and on a specially constructed set there was a special performance by a musician, it would draw attention to that location from the musician’s fans.For high value sites, it is possible to have sponsors pay for online advertising on the site. This will make it easier to fund the setup and installation of the system.The proceeds from the revenues would help augment the budgets of these places.Conservation agencies like The department National Parks and other wildlife conservation organisations can also receive direct donations/support where applicable.Impact on the EconomyTourism is a major foreign currency earner for most countries and Zimbabwe is no exception. We can only expect positive returns from these endeavours. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download