Thomas Cook - Virtual Reality Holidays

Thomas Cook - Virtual Reality Holidays

British tour operator Thomas Cook has opened a concept store that is leveraging the latest digital advancements to let store visitors immerse themselves in digital content. Promoted as ‘virtual reality holiday’, store visistors store can try on Oculus Rift headsets – a head mounted virtual reality 3D display, which features an ultra-wide field of view and low latency head tracking – that have been programmed to present a 3D, 360-degree vision of tropical paradise, in an effort to help build excitement around the holidays the company offers.

The headset – combined with a newly developed application – translates head and motion movements to the virtual world allowing customers to explore Thomas Cook’s Sentido resort and the interior of an Thomas Cook aircraft, while bespoke audio and fragrance complete the immersive experience.

Says a Thomas Cook spokesperson,

the technology advancements in virtual reality over the last 18 months have made it a real contender for playing a key role in changing the way we can showcase experience-based products to our customers, especially in the high street environment.

Future plans include offering customers the chance to experience New York City with Oculus later this year, which ties in with the company’s strategic partnership with BrandUSA promoting America’s ‘Great Outdoors’ as well as Thomas Cook’s new flights and holidays to the Big Apple.

If the virtual reality trial is a success at the concept shop located in the Bluewater shopping mall (just southeast of London), the Oculus devices will be introduced to the other Thomas Cook stores in Leeds, Stockton on Tees, Bristol, Edinburgh, and Essex.