Virtual tourism provides tourists with the opportunity to travel using information and communication technologies (computers, phones, etc.). According to Dimitrios Buhalis, IKT (information and communication technologies) used in tourism include: hardware (e.g., mechanical and electronic devices), software, and computer networks.
In the virtual world, external reflection is reflected not only on the screen, but also in knowledge and experience. After all, visitors to virtual reality can use audiovisual methods to communicate with other online travelers, learn new information, etc.
Virtual tourism is quite versatile and includes the following: visiting websites with photos, articles, and videos, following online diaries, participating in virtual tours (walking around a city or museum), or immersing themselves in virtual worlds (“virtual realities”).
Virtual tourism is characterized by the following features:
- overcoming the boundaries of time and space (the world is presented outside of time and space, virtual tourism makes it possible for visitors to appear in one part of the world while actually being in another)
- interactivity (it means communication between people and computers. Virtual tourism uses various sensors to interact with a multidimensional information space);
- high technologies (virtual tourism is the result of combining tourism with information and virtual reality technologies, and therefore this type of tourism cannot exist without high technologies);
- savings (virtual tourism makes traveling cheaper);
- versatile sensations (the ability of visitors to virtual tours, worlds to perceive images, sounds, gain experience and other components of perception).
- Virtual tourism has strengths as well as limitations. Virtual tourism makes traveling easier and more affordable. It is much cheaper to take a virtual tour than to buy a ticket (for a plane, train, bus, etc.) and pay for a hotel. Moreover, tourists don’t have to spend any more money or time on getting a visa. In addition, virtual travel is safer: for the tourist, if he wants to visit a dangerous place (war zones, emergency situations, etc.), and for the environment (virtual tourists do not pollute the natural environment).
Another positive aspect of virtual tourism is comfort: it is much more convenient to travel sitting in a chair than to spend 15 hours on an airplane. Tourists can also control the time when it is more convenient for them to connect to the virtual world, pause, or rewatch. But the biggest advantage is that people who would never be able to travel in the real world (people with disabilities, the elderly, the seriously ill, the poor) can travel through virtual tourism. The question arises as to why this type of tourism will not completely replace traditional tourism.
First, virtual tourism is not able to provide all five senses (smell, touch, taste, sound, and visual perception) simultaneously, as traditional tourism does. In virtual tourism, the emphasis is on visual perception, while for many people, touch is important. Moreover, the “picture” in the virtual space (even if it is a 3D image, where not only color but also volume is transmitted) is not completely identical to what people actually see when they are in a particular travel destination. In addition, there is a difference between virtual and traditional tourism in terms of emotional perception. Of course, emotions (joy, surprise, etc.) are present in both cases, but the emotional level is different. An example is a safari tour in Africa or a hot air balloon flight, where a real tourist, in addition to positive emotions, may experience fear of heights, death or injury.