Dame Irene Hays believes consumers will take holidays in the metaverse in the coming decade – and then be inspired to take a trip to that destination in real life.
The chair of Hays Travel told Travel Weekly: “People will be booking holidays as a result of having visited places in the metaverse.”
She said cruise lines such as Celebrity and other operators are increasing their offering in the virtual sphere, adding: “Travel has got to be one of the easiest products [in the metaverse].”
Dame Irene made her comments during the Hays Independence Group conference in the Algarve, which featured Jo Rzymowska, Celebrity Cruises’ EMEA vice-president and managing director, as a presenter and panel moderator on Sunday (March 5).
Rzymowska told delegates how the cruise line created a virtual world called Wonderverse (pictured) with the launch of a digitally recreated Celebrity Beyond in December 2022.
It enables agents and their customers to explore the Edge-series ship before they sail on it.
“We are seeing a younger audience engage with it; you feel that you are actually on the ship,” she said.
“You cannot get everybody on all the ship so the metaverse is a brilliant way to showcase it.
“There are lots of cynics but brands need to push the boundaries and empower people to help teams to innovate and think outside the box.”
Talking on the travel agent panel at the conference, Amanda Matthews, Designer Travel managing director, commented: “People may take short breaks but not a main holiday. Maybe they will visit somewhere [in the metaverse] before a real holiday.”
Scott Murray, founder of Murray Travel, said: “People still like the feel of sunshine on your skin; a virtual experience cannot recreate that.”
Keynote speaker Ken Hughes, a consumer behaviouralist, told delegates about the “phygital” world which is seeing a collision of physical and digital experiences.
He said the first thing that teenagers in ‘Generation Alpha’ bought was probably a ‘skin’ in the game of Fortnight – a virtual product.
“There will be digital products, you need to get your head around digital,” he told delegates, highlighting how $100 billion has already been spent in virtual environments.
“The metaverse is like the internet was in 1995 – a massive opportunity.
“There will be a bigger cake and more money will be spent on holidays.”
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