“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” – Genesis 1:2
Virtual tours use computer imagery, video feeds and virtual reality to render real (or imagined) environments. A user can visit locations that would otherwise be too far away, too costly or too dangerous for them to experience in the flesh. Welcome to astral travelling with an internet connection.
It has almost unending possibilities for research, education, tourism and introverts. Users can see the Salem Witch Museum in 3D or be transported to the fictional Hobbiton within seconds. Here’s more about virtual tourism and the places it can take you.
Genesis – the first virtual tour
The first virtual tour was brought to users in 1994, a product of the internet generation at a time when personal computers were becoming a must-have home appliance. Users could view Dudley Castle, which is supposedly one of the most haunted castles in the United Kingdom. The interactive tour shows the castle in the 1500s, and it can still be accessed online.
Virtual tours and interactive landscapes have evolved into full-scale augmented tourism experiences. Visitors to Stephen King’s website circa 2009 would have been greeted with a rare, interactive view of The Office. The reconstruction was complete with movie posters, books and other “Easter eggs” that fans would have recognised from King’s career.
Virtual tours can give tourists (and fans) an experience, while taking pressure away from a preserved location. While King and his wife used to host Halloween experiences at their Maine house, they discontinued the practice – presumably because they needed the rest!
A tour can also exist within a video game. Minecraft lets gamers explore Tolkien’s Middle Earth, an uncensored library and other painstakingly recreated world landmarks.
Why virtual tourism?
Virtual tours provide an engaging and informative experience, but without the physicality, cost or danger of visiting the actual location. Tourism can benefit from virtual tours through the careful preservation of rare, important and hard-to-access sites.
According to the World Economic Forum, virtual reality tours became integral during the COVID-19 lockdown. The BBC outlines virtual tourism’s benefits for the tourism industry: virtual tourism is accessible, with potentially unlimited possibilities for education and research.
Google Earth and Street View document the most basic walkthrough technology. Viewers can look up roads before physically going there, or go back in time to see their childhood home – rendered unrecognisable by a rugged, high-security fence.
Virtual tours: South Africa
South Africa has no lack of virtual tours for local and international visitors. There’s a lot to see; however, physical or budgetary constraints might stand in the way of an important experience. Virtual tours shorten the gap, allowing visitors (especially students) to absorb an environment. Prospective students can see the University of Cape Town, Wits or Nelson Mandela University through their respective virtual tours. Visitors can also walk through the Ditsong Museum at 60 Church Street, Pretoria, with a virtual guided tour (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR-nznqFpv8).
Art enthusiasts can view the Constitutional Court Art Collection (CCAC) with a virtual walkthrough. You can also see the Tata Madiba Virtual Exhibition, courtesy of Iziko. Nelson Mandela’s capture site (Howick, KwaZulu-Natal) has been virtually immortalised for visitors at this tour. If you prefer a bird’s-eye view or love flight simulators, you can visit SAA Virtual, which takes its tourists on virtual flights.
Famous icons, natural sights and going back in time
Virtual tours can also recreate rare, fragile or natural sites. Some recreated world sites include The Natural History Museum and The Louvre. Within seconds, you can skip to the UK National Gallery, and then to the Sistine Chapel.
Walks.com specialises in walkthrough-style tours and can show you a first-person perspective of PG Wodehouse’s frequented London spots. If you’d rather go back in time, virtual tourism makes it possible: what about seeing a recreation of Pompeii?
Dark tourism
Dark tourism is a phenomenon which takes visitors to dark, hidden, morbid or dangerous locations. However, it could also benefit from going virtual – and according to studies, virtual tours could minimise the danger level. For some, it also includes supposedly haunted locations that can be visited in spirit.
Users can make a three-dimensional visit to the Parisienne Catacombs or see the Naples Catacombs with this online tour. You can also take the Villisca Axe Murder House or Jack the Ripper Tour.
It’s more than just morbid fascination. The same technologies can be used to provide insights and replays for forensic purposes. The Salem Witch Museum is a favourite location for virtual tourists, including oddities from the infamous witch trials.
Fictional tours: Screens and pages
Virtual tours and walkthroughs aren’t limited to existing, real-life locations. A virtual tour can also represent favourite fictional places, which readers and viewers might know so well they could imagine that they’ve already been there.
Harry Potter fans can view Hogsmeade in virtual reality at Wizarding World Park. There exists a virtual reality recreation of Hobbiton, where readers first encountered Bilbo Baggins. Thanks to LOTRProject.com, you can also find a fully interactive map of Tolkien’s universe: wander as much as you want without getting lost. Star Trek fans can undertake a virtual tour of The Enterprise, coinciding with the release of Star Trek: Picard. There’s no limit to what you can explore.
Up and beyond
There’s no limit – no, not even the sky. Viewers interested in the skies can use Stellarium-Web or In-the-Sky.org to see planets and stars. Google Sky is a clever alternative which gives users access to a planetary walkthrough with descriptions and added information. If you happen to be more daring, you can also take a virtual reality bungee jump off Tokyo Tower.
See also:
M(W)ak(h)anda forever! Redes om die Nasionale Kunstefees te besoek