Virtual tour in times of pandemic

Virtual tour in times of pandemic

Caught amidst the pangs of this unforeseen pandemic when the going is getting tough, human efforts to supersede these challenges are yet to subside. The role of technology in negating the countereffects of this pandemic situation of COVID19 has escalated at an unprecedented rate. With many countries declaring a lockdown or complete shutting up of institutions, workplaces and places of social gathering, the dimensions and definitions of the world we once believed in, is changing rapidly. Since social distancing and minimum physical contacting have become the norm of the day, many activities that need direct human supervision or inspection has come to a halt. Main activities like trips, site seeing, real estate businesses, fields of hospitality etc. are getting a major setback. It is here where the role of a virtual tour comes in play to minimise the loss and to utilise the best opportunities that awaits. Companies and organisations have switched onto this mode of virtual tour service delivery to help market their services and products. This is a win-win situation for both the service providers and the market as the demand for such delivery has never been so high as it is now. Virtual tour at this juncture not just helps people meet their psychological needs of overcoming the depressive bouts of continuous lockdown but also in maintaining the momentum of market dynamism. Emphasizing upon the applicability of Virtual tour, currently there are five main sectors that can make the best out of this current situation, the details of which are discussed below. 

Virtual tour and schools:

Considering the current scenario, it is conspicuous that the activities at school have become difficult. The role of school in interacting and imparting knowledge has become a challenge considering the lockdown situation. In times like these when going gets tough, the tough get going. Utilising the benefits offered by virtual 360^o based applications, schools and educational institutions can offer a panoramic view of class-based knowledge imparting. Video/audio integrated virtual tour to schools and premises will help in better connecting with students who await at distant comforts of their houses.

The 360^o virtual journey can be implemented by schools to involve students in learning by offering various options like a trip to their playground, providing students a glimpse of their library and its atmosphere to help them be seated at home feeling like being in their school library. School excursions can be made without physical interactions via virtual 360 travelling to various spots. 

The 360 panoramic view not just incites the imagination and interest but also elicits better interactive results compared to any other online services functioning at present for kids or students.

Let tourism flourish:

While schools and students struggle to find their way out, never ever has the summer vacations been so hard and devoid of fun than during these times of a pandemic. As, tourism sector is yet another victim, of this contagious viral attack. Considering the momentum this sector was attaining in the past few years, the sudden stopping of all services has led many businesses to bleed. However, to look on the positive side, this pandemic situation or lockdown hours can be translated into a better business opportunity with services of virtual tours, aerial panorama or providing the option of virtual travel. For this may not only help in coming out of this current cycle of depression but also be a future investment to maintain businesses during off seasons for tourism etc. It can also be an option to provide travel services to places where normal crowding and touring options are not available or difficult to avail. Even before the corona outbreak many of the countries, especially Scandinavian countries, had started to limit the number of travellers, fearing the phenomenon of over-tourism affecting the natural landscape and environmental serenity. Virtual 360^o services can uphold the hope of future world of fun and entertainment.

Health and fitness can’t be put aside: 

Currently, while long distance trips and tours have become an impossible task, short distance visits (on a daily basis) to nearby places of importance too has become difficult. Current lockdown situation and closing down of gyms and wellness or fitness centres has opened the pandora box of sedentary lifestyle-based issues like obesity, cardio-vascular vulnerabilities etc. People have become lazy and mere working out within the four walls of your living room or bedroom seeks to find no profound solution to maintain one’s health. However, what if these fitness centres or gyms reach to their homes via virtual tour, creating the same environment for work-out at home. This cant be disregarded as an unviable option after this pandemic situation is over. As, even after things swing back to normalcy after we overcome this viral attack. This option of providing virtual tour or travel services to people at home who either shy away from public places or lack time to spare a visit to local gym, can be beneficial for a majority of people. The panoramic canvas of these places can elicit psychological satisfaction and better results for people working out at home.

Spiritual quotient needs to be met in various forms: 

When it comes to health one should not restrict oneself to physical health but should also consider the options of mental and spiritual health. Yet another drastic distinction of this time is the closing down of worship and pilgrimage centres. The places once devoted to ensure a peaceful sojourn to reckless souls have become physically distant and difficult to reach now. However, the concept of virtual tour applies here too. The religious and pilgrimage centres can still maintain the visits of devotees if not physically at least virtually via a virtual tour that can give an almost real experience to those eagerly waiting for a pilgrimage to these Holy Places. The aerial and panoramic picturesque places can act as a solace to those suffering with this social distancing and lockdown. The spiritual nourishment not felt to be withheld due to physical distances from their places of worship.

Real estate continues to maintain the growth:

While considering all the above sectors let us not forget to mention about this one sector of real estate business that has never been hit down so hard as now. With urbanisation at its peak growth period, these sorts of physical shutdown can be a difficult call for real estate businesses as most of the functioning happens with direct onsite visits and analysis. Even though this appears as a dismal period this sector there is definitely a silver lining for those who seek to transform according to the changing circumstances. The provision of high-quality virtual touring and visiting facility will add up to their business profiles. The company can offer various site seeing possibility of entire project on a 360^o panel. The customers can pre-book or buy directly by seeing every nook and corner (in literal sense) of the house they intend to buy, or the property or land they wish to invest upon. 

The advent of virtual technology especially virtual 360, aerial trips etc. can be considered as the modest solution to the modern problems where supply and demand need to meet the call of time. The benefit of these initiatives cannot be confined to the graphs of financial or business-oriented successes but their fringe effects are far more extant than expected. At times like these, virtual 360 and similar technologies not just weave the beauty of real-life world around them but also help in building the hope and keeping their psychological well being on the track. Ranging across all age groups this proves to be the right measure of blessings that technology can provide to the changing economic, cultural and social set-ups. Its just the matter of choice who wants to move ahead the time and make best of this the trend that is yet to flourish, through their investment and style of functioning. Technological innovations and investments are the calls from tomorrow, aiming to better our today after learning from our yesterdays.