A few words about "Virtual Tourism"

Do you like to travel? Of course so! Who doesn't love it. And did you know that since 1945, we live in a period of "mass tourism" and the so-called "globalization of the tourism industry."

With the help of modern modes of transport - travel to other countries and continents is no longer a problem.

However, have you ever heard of "virtual tourism"?

It is based on a "Virtual Tour" or a computerized simulation of the existing location of attractions or historical monuments. It usually consists of a sequence of video clips or still images. Other multimedia elements, such as sound effects, music, story, and text, can be used.

The origin of the term dates back to 1994. The first example of a "virtual tour" was a tour for museum visitors, which consisted of a "walk" of a 3D reconstruction of Dudley Castle in England (from 1550).

And one of the first users of the virtual tour was Queen Elizabeth II, officially opening a visitor center.

Because the Queen's officials demanded full information about the name and description of the event, the system was named and described as "Virtual Tour, which is a cross between Virtual Reality and the Royal Tour."

3D virtual tour technology is increasingly used to preserve historic sites that are threatened with destruction or are in limited public access. Virtual 3D models can even be stored in digital archives for future academic research.

However, "virtual tourism" is not just about 3-D modeling. This direction largely consists of "virtual walks". Virtual tour videos are documentaries, video clips, shot as the camera moves forward, for example, through the museum.

Historically, this type of tourism was preceded by popular TV and radio programs that introduced interesting tourist places.

For whom can such Virtual walks be attractive? In principle, for everyone! And especially for those who want to get acquainted with the sights and sounds of certain places, but who do not have enough time or financial resources to really go there.

In addition, now, during the global pandemic, this type of tourism may be of interest even to those who were previously indifferent to history.