Thursday, 15 October 2015

SOUTH AFRICA: Kruger Airport Turns To Virtual Reality


According to the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport it was recently the first airport in Africa to implement virtual reality (VR) technology to give users a spectacular three dimensional airport experience in a 360° interactive format.

By using a mobile device with a VR headset such as Google cardboard, Oculus or Samsung VR Gear it will transport users to an immersive virtual world at the click of a button which showcases the airport and the province.

The airport business development manager Eugene van Jaarsveldt said “this technology will open up a new world for marketing South Africa, as well as give tourists a powerful way to preview destinations and experiences within our country."

With the assistance of Google photographer Chris du Plessis a unique production was created with one of the virtual 360 scenes being on approach to land at KMI Airport within a cockpit of an aircraft.

"After finalising the airport airside and landside Google street view and VR 360 projects in September, we decided to showcase our product during the recent World Routes event held in Durban. In attendance there were over 230 airlines and almost 700 airports from 115 different countries. The response that we received from the major airlines across the world was overwhelming," said Van Jaarsveld.

“Whether the user wants an immersive 360° virtual tour of our airport or experience the splendour of the Blyde River Canyon, it’s a fantastic tool to view our top attractions, inspiring travel and promoting tourism.

“From an airport perspective, this is a first for Africa. We are delighted to use this technology and what better way to demonstrate the impact this VR technology can have than by showcasing Mpumalanga, South Africa one of the world’s most iconic ‘must do’ tourism destinations,” said van Jaarsveldt.

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