TORONTO — ‘Try before you fly’ virtual reality (VR) technology is revolutionizing the travel industry and Travel Professionals International (TPI) is leading the pack. Hundreds of TPI travel advisors have implemented the VR technology and have successfully used it to offer consumers a preview of not only destinations but also new experiences and higher-margin product.

Tim Morgan, TPI Vice President and member of Virtuoso’s technology committee, says virtual reality technology is meeting a growing need: “Travel is becoming more and more experiential every day. Travellers want unique experiences in unique destinations. Explor VR is able to provide as close to a real-life preview of this uniqueness as possible.”

Explor VR technology allows clients a sneak peek of what awaits them in the world, no matter where they’re travelling. “This tool is incredible for retail environments and trade shows – basically anywhere that the travel advisor directly interacts with consumers,” says Morgan. “Not only does it have the ‘wow’ factor of being cutting edge, which draws people in, but once they try it their expectations are always exceeded. The tool allows travel advisors to show their professional value, and give clients that first class experience that makes it is harder for them to go back to economy.”

Morgan says he believes virtual reality will make consumers feel more comfortable in choosing destinations they’ve never been to before. “It will allow travel advisors to be seen as innovators and gatekeepers to the next generation of experiential travel. An important part of selling travel is to be able to craft a story for clients, as to how this isn’t just a trip, but rather an experience that they’ll never forget. Virtual reality only adds to that saleability.”

One of TPI’s top performing travel advisors, Lois Barbour, has used the Explor VR app and headset at bridal shows to attract more clients. She finds that the VR experience creates buzz. “I like the fact that there are options available that put the client in the space of the resort experience. That is the next best thing to being there, and certainly better than photos.  As we focus on Sandals Resorts, the pre-loaded Jamaica experience is one of the best ones for us so far. It is always better for clients to have the experience (even if it’s virtual) than listen to an explanation.”

The Explor VR technology was developed by Travelweek in an effort to help travel agencies meet their changing marketing needs.  “We’re always thinking of ways to add value for travel agents, so we thought long and hard about the future of travel marketing, and created a suite of sales tools agents could use to capture the attention of consumers,” says Devin Kinasz, Director of Digital Strategy, Travelweek. “The result of our efforts is the industry-leading Explor VR, which puts fun virtual reality destination experiences into the hands of agents and their customers.”

To get more information and download the free Explor virtual reality app, go to explorvr.com/.