Virtual Tours in Tourism: Experience, Discover and Build Anticipation
Tourism has changed significantly in recent years—especially due to digitalization. While virtual tours of hotels and vacation rentals have long been established, completely new possibilities are now opening up for hiking trails, excursion destinations, and experience regions: virtual tours make these attractions accessible even before visitors arrive on site.
Why Virtual Tours Are Essential in Tourism Today
Many travelers want to know exactly what to expect in advance—especially families with young children, older adults, or people with mobility limitations. For them, finding suitable destinations that meet their needs is often a major challenge.
Virtual tours help by presenting hiking trails, nature parks, sights, and local infrastructure in a clear and interactive way. Visitors learn not only about the condition of paths and locations of rest stops or eateries but also about potential challenges they might face.
Preparation and Safety for All Age Groups
Planning and safety are especially important when traveling with small children or elderly people. Virtual tours enable realistic assessments of distances, elevation profiles, and difficulty levels. This helps visitors bring the right equipment, plan enough breaks, and tailor the tour to their individual needs.
For people with limited mobility, such digital insights are also crucial to identify barriers early and choose alternative routes.
Building Anticipation and Emotional Connection
Another benefit: virtual tours increase excitement for the actual trip. They create an initial emotional experience that encourages visitors to be active on site. Visitors can discover favorite spots, seek out viewpoints, or explore cultural highlights in advance—creating a stronger connection to the destination.
Example: Weinschmiede Gamlitz – Experiencing Wine, Digitally and On-Site
A great example is the Weinschmiede Gamlitz in southern Styria. Here, not only the cozy winery itself has been made accessible virtually, but also the surrounding vineyards and hiking trails through interactive 360° views.
Interested visitors can already take a walk through the vineyards online, learn about the different grape varieties, and enjoy the landscape from various perspectives. This not only sparks desire to visit but also helps with planning.
Conclusion: Virtual Tours Are the Future of Tourism
Virtual tours go far beyond simply showcasing accommodations. They enable destinations to be experienced holistically and barrier-free, improve safety and planning, and boost anticipation for visits. Families, seniors, and people with special needs benefit greatly from this digital support.
Innovative examples like Weinschmiede Gamlitz demonstrate how digitalization and nature experiences can go hand in hand—and how tourism destinations can be made fit for the future.
CEO Full Thinking Agentur GmbH
