Hamilton Island unveils 3D virtual reality tour as tourism marketing ‘goes to next level’
Hamilton Island has unveiled a virtual reality tour of the destination in a move it claims will set it apart in the tourism marketing arena.
The three-dimensional, 360-degree video will be available to first class customers on selected Qantas international flights, and in the airline’s lounges.
A version of the technology will also be available on an app to be released early next month, which Hamilton Island will market through social channels.
Footage will also be loaded onto Qantas’s Youtube channel.
The video, which can be viewed through Samsung headsets, and technology which sits behind it was created by the electronics giant in partnership with technology firm Rapid VR, Hamilton Island and Qantas.
The video begins by viewers landing on Hamilton Island before being taken on a tour of the island’s key attractions, including an underwater experience of the Great Barrier Reef, and a trip around upmarket resort Qualia. A helicopter trip over Whitehaven Beach and coral formations also form part of the seven-minute video.
Hamilton Island chief executive Glenn Bourke said: The virtual reality experience is so real that people reach out and touch the three-dimensional images that pass by.”
General manager marketing Denny-Lyn Dixon said the fierce competition in travel and tourism has created a need to innovate, adding that the VR technology was experienced by key buyers at Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE), the tourism industry’s key annual trade show taking place in Melbourne this week.
Hamilton Island has also taken the technology on sales missions to the US and Asia.
Dixon described the move as “taking tourism marketing to the next level”.
“Many of the buyers we work with have not been to Hamilton Island so the VR is a great way to bring the destination, and the Great Barrier Reef to life in a unique way,” Dixon said. “The tourism industry is very competitive and this is a way we believe we can get cut through and give a fabulous taste of what visitors can expect.”
While the VR will be limited in terms of its availability and distribution, Dixon said the app will provide the wider public with an opportunity to experience 360 degree views of the island.
Qantas Group executive brand, marketing and corporate affairs, Olivia Wirth, said: “As one of the largest private investors in Australian tourism, we are constantly looking at different ways to showcase the wonderful destinations on our network.”
Steve Jones
Cool idea – well done Denny-Lyn