22 Travelportation

Travelportation

The digital world is offering immersive travel experiences from the comfort of home.

Immersive technology gives travel the potential to be less cost-prohibitive, more accessible and more imaginative.

True teleportation may be a sci-fi fantasy (for now), but the sensorial experiences of travelportation make it possible for travelers to immerse themselves in a physical destination without actually going there.

Japanese airline group ANA Holdings and JP Games launched the Sky Whale digital platform in May 2021. The platform hosts multiple digital worlds that consumers can travel between and shop in with friends and family, supporting an interactive, cultural travel experience. The platform features a Sky Park, Sky Village and Sky Mall, and is partnering with companies in countries including Australia, Austria, Canada, Hawaii, the Philippines and Singapore to connect users from around the world. Microsoft Flight Simulator, already compatible with Xbox Series X and S, now offers a TCA Yoke Boeing Edition controller for the ultimate virtual flight experience. Players can control the pitch of their virtual aircraft with this one-toone replica of the control yoke of a Boeing 787, with additional Xbox buttons and an audio jack for a seamless adjustment to the new console. Pre-orders were available from November 2021, with consumers scheduled to receive their stainless steel controllers the following month.

Why it’s interesting This immersive technology gives travel the potential to be less cost-prohibitive, more accessible and more imaginative.