Everyone sees the Metaverse as a very important part of the technological future. For example, the Gartner consultancy predicted that by 2026, a quarter of the world’s population will spend at least one hour a day in the Metaverse to work, shop, study or simply entertain themselves. 

In fact, the Metaverse is being driven by large companies such as Meta, Facebook’s parent company. In 2021, Meta spent $10 billion on its Reality Labs division, in charge of the metaverse project development.

A new world 

As a result, tourism companies are exploring this new world of the Metaverse, seeking to offer new experiences to their customers and to develop alternative business models. 

It is not about virtual travel replacing real travel, but about finding open pathways to grow within the Metaverse and become a pioneering sector.  

Many destinations and tourist establishments can be integrated into the Metaverse to allow customers to preview what awaits them in the real destination before they travel physically: something similar to a virtual tour, but with the possibility of interacting in this digital world as if they were actually there. 

Business trips can also take advantage of the Metaverse to complement or replace this type of travelling, allowing companies and organisers to save costs without reducing revenues, as business contacts are maintained within the virtual world. 

Tourism and Metaverse 

We are at an early stage in the relationship between the tourism sector and the Metaverse in which the basic links on which this relationship will develop are being created.  

In the report carried out by Segittur and Turium, “The Metaverse and the Soul: Journey to the Next Tourism Challenge”, different experts analyse how the use of metaverses and their impact on the tourism sector can affect human beings and society. 

source: https://www.telefonica.com/en/communication-room/tourism-is-joining-the-metaverse/