Augmented Reality Solution Set to Transform the Tourism Industry Amidst the Fallout of COVID-19

An Augmented Reality solution launched by Sea Monster, the global gaming and animation firm, is offering people the chance to explore the cultural essence of cities using technology on their smartphones. The new interactive app offers a lifeline for travel destinations under lockdown and enables budding gallivanters to explore new territories from within the comfort of their own homes.

Travel has halted across the globe, with a devastating financial impact on travel organisations and destinations. Augmented Reality (AR) technology offers a solution, allowing people to explore places – from outdoor attractions to theme parks, museums to cities – on their smartphones.

“We are passionate about supporting education throughout all our projects and Destination AR is the informative and interactive tool for people looking to travel through their smartphones,” says Glenn Gillis CEO of Sea Monster. “Stories are how we explore the world around us, and now more than ever people want authentic stories, new hope that travelling to places and connecting with people bring. Augmented Reality development South Africa allows us to layer these stories over the world like never before”.

Sea Monster’s new virtual 3D experience is a tool that can be used and customised by destination marketing organisations around the world, most recently adopted by Cape Town Tourism, to market to an engaged audience with a view to translating those into qualified leads into sales once lockdown and social distancing restrictions have lifted.

“This unprecedented situation that we are facing as the tourism industry has been challenging for us to navigate, but there are some positives. The pause inactivity has provided those in the field an opportunity to rethink and redesign their product offerings and re-shape how tourism should operate going forward. It has resulted in amazing technological feats such as what Sea Monster is doing with Augmented Reality in the tourism space.” says Enver Dunimy, CEO at Cape Town Tourism.

“We are excited about what Sea Monster’s interactive app will be able to allow us to do, especially now while our borders remain closed to international guests. Keeping Cape Town top of mind is of utmost importance to us and while we are certainly worth waiting for, it’s great to have potential visitors able to engage on this platform and remind them why they love our city so much!” Dunimy concludes.

Destination AR has been adopted by tourism clients with other attractions wanting to come on board, offering a one of a kind digital experience for customers at home. The app presents interactive landmarks and tourist attractions in a way that educates and informs users about the region. It also provides detailed analytics of what attractions people engage with, which aspect of the stories around them resonant, and these insights can be used to refine offerings to prospective visitors.

Wahida Parker CEO at Cape Town’s Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company says: “With the power of captivating the minds of tourists, Augmented Reality is a true game-changer for the industry that allows for an even greater, immersive experience. The Destination AR project, pioneered by Sea Monster, shows us what’s possible when we merge new technology with tried and tested ways of creating trust and excitement about travel. We are excited about virtually enhancing the world-class experience of people experiencing our New7Wonders, Table Mountain.”

Gillis adds “It’s really just the start of the journey to show how this kind of technology can drive travel-related goals, at scale, and attractions, cities and places of interest should now be considering AR as a serious new tool in their communication arsenal”.

Destination AR is available to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

www.seamonster.co.za