Consider that 85% of leisure travelers consider the internet their main source of travel planning and the average traveler visits ~22 travel related sites during 9.5 research sessions prior to booking. (Google ThinkInsights, 2011) If an attraction’s website gives a more enticing taste of what it is like to be there, to experience the place, to know it from the inside, it will attract more customers. Adding a Tour de Force will do just that.
360VR tours won’t fully replace in-person visits any time soon. But if the experience of being there is part of an attraction’s “attraction” 360VR is best at conveying that, far better than still photos or promotional videos. And the experience can be enhanced even further by adding voiceovers, soundtracks, motion transitions and other rich media features.
Use it to increase traffic or raise revenues directly.
Occasionally we hear worries that a Tour de Force is so good, viewers may no longer feel the need to visit in person. But a tour can be specifically designed to give simply a taste, to whet the appetite for more. For the right type of attraction, a high quality, high resolution Tour de Force will only increase interest and traffic.
What’s more, your Tour de Force itself can raise revenues. You can charge a small admission fee for the virtual tour, you can place ads on the tour page and you can attract an underwriter to whom you give prominent credit for sponsoring the tour.