What Is Cloud Tourism And Is It Here To Stay?

“New normal”, “unprecedented times”, “social distancing” – these are phrases that have become all too familiar in recent months during the coronavirus pandemic. And in travel, “virtual tourism”, or “cloud tourism” as it’s known in China, is taking off. Culture Trip looks at the long-term effects on the industry.

Without much in the way of external stimulation during lockdown, in the UK, United States and Canada, the search volume for “virtual tourism” has spiked dramatically. Meanwhile China, which is going through a gradual loosening of its restrictions, has seen a continual interest in virtually exploring the world through what is known there as “cloud tourism”.

This kind of “at-home” tourism includes a whole host of experiences. Tuning into livestreams of entire trips – some as long as two weeks – has proven popular, as have city, museum and art exhibition tours. The term “virtual art museum tours” has seen exponential growth, mostly across the UK and US, with 14,800 searches in April up from zero in March.

Seeing the world through a screen has exploded under lockdown

A survey conducted by Culture Trip found that enhancing future in-person experiences was a reason for tuning into these virtual museum tours. It also found that Google Street View, which is particularly popular in China, has been utilised to inspire future travel to cities.

In the UK, where tourism spending is forecast to drop by about 54 percent this year – that’s a prospective £15.1bn loss to the economy – the British Tourist Authority have been busy encouraging potential visitors to see destinations through another lens.
“Virtual tourism and the innovative use of technology have been important in keeping our tourism offer in the international spotlight while global travel is at a standstill due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Tracey Edginton, of VisitBritain/VisitEngland, says. Virtual festivals, interactive whisky tastings and food tours have been among the organised events. “Our top priority is to ensure that tourism rebounds, to become once again one of the most successful sectors of the UK economy,” she says. “We are working across the industry and with the UK Government to ensure that the sector can recover as quickly as possible once restrictions are lifted.”
Search trends show that cultural events have drawn virtual crowds from around the globe. “Online concert” has cropped up as a new term, jumping to 33,100 in April compared to zero in March. Artists including Diplo and Dillon Francis have been among those to perform from the comfort of home.

Expanding skillsets has also been a trend in online behaviours. “Online cooking classes” saw a 300 percent search increase from March to April, with 14,800 people searching for new dishes to learn virtually, up from 3,600.

Online cooking classes are increasingly popular

Meanwhile, cloud tourism has become the driving force behind pre-sales. In China, the Suzhou Museum saw 5.8m viewers tune in for a single livestream, which encouraged a boost in pre-sales and museum souvenirs. And following a live tour of the Atlantis Sanya Hotel, ¥10 million (£1.15m) was generated in bookings in one hour.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.