Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Wednesday, 22 July 2020

Future of Tourism ?




Due to Covid pandemic, world over tourism is in dumps .


Governments around the World, do not want people to travel and mingle ( not only for pleasurable sightseeing but even for essential business travels )


Now as far as business-related travels are concerned, companies are getting around the problem by employing Video Conferencing ( Zoom – Google Meet – MS Meet and now Jio Meet ).


Pretty soon,




In the meantime, there are huge collateral damages to other industries such as :

Ø  Air Travel ( and travel by trains – buses – cruise ships etc )

Ø  Hospitality ( Hotels – Restaurants – Resorts – Hill Stations etc )


Of course, when the World comes out of the current pandemic ( hopefully, within next few months ), TOURISM will revive .


Along with the revival of tourism, above-mentioned industries, too will revive – although it may take a year or more


In the past too, we had VIRUS outbreaks ( SARS – EBOLA etc ) . But these were limited to a few countries . This time, COVID has the entire world in its grips !



Experts / Scientists believe :


Ø  Every 5 years or so , we may expect another Virus attack

Ø  Like current pandemic, these too will cover entire world – and last longer

Ø  Each future virus attack would need development of NEW vaccines ( Covid vaccines under development right now, will not immunize us against future virus ).

 This will take months / years

If what the Scientists are saying is “ very likely ( high probability of occurrence ) “, then one thing is very clear


After each such future outbreak, TOURISM industry will suffer a deep recession !


It is about time the TOURISM industry asks of itself :


What business are we in ? “



If they do , the answer could well be :


We are NOT in the business of transporting the people to the scenic / beautiful places on the Earth .


We are in the business of enabling people to enjoy these scenic / beautiful places, from the comforts of their homes – without making them suffer the problems / stresses associated with travelling – checking in – packing / unpacking – walking – getting fatigued – eating unpalatable foods – carrying heavy luggage – worrying about loss of passports / credit cards – struggling to read road-signs in foreign languages – falling sick in foreign lands …etc



We are in the business of bringing inside the home of a TOURIST, all the beautiful places of the entire World. Anytime he desires to visit / view / experience , ANY place on the Earth


And show him in 3D , any such place in REAL TIME ( ie: show him how exactly is that place looking, right at THIS MOMENT / what is happening at that place, right NOW ) ”



Those TOURISM companies which come up with such an answer, would want to know if TECHNOLOGY can help bring about such a REVOLUTION / DISRUPTION



They may want to look up :





Extract :

Ø   Now a company called Roomality plans to use AI to deliver an immersively large 3D experience at home, without the need for glasses.

     
Ø  Demonstration videos show the Unreal Engine-powered system displaying photorealistic beach, jungle, forest, and field landscapes that — at scale — could make a viewer think they’re seeing any of the actual sites outside their home or office window.




TRAVEL WITH ROOMALITY
 
Roomality lets its users escape from their ordinary surroundings and visit somewhere extraordinary.
The system can transport you to a Manhattan rooftop terrace, a luxury beach resort, or a cottage in the woods, and that’s just the start.
No airfare, no accommodation and no worry about restrictions – just the freedom to shift your surroundings and escape the everyday. }


Ø  Roomality suggests the system’s next steps will expand to full-wall scale, providing the illusion of a balcony that could be explored, then to full-room scale, creating “total immersiveness” the user could navigate just by looking anywhere in the room.


Ø  Roomality’s system appears to be fully usable in 3D for only a single person at a time — at least, on any given wall — and there’s no physical simulation of 3D objects. But it might conceivably allow a person to walk into a room and peer out multiple “windows” that are actually just AI-backed 3D displays, simulating views of distant places.



Ø  Roomality doesn’t yet have a release date or price for its displays, but the company is exploring prospective uses in architecture, including windowless accommodations, as well as virtual tourism, gaming, and set creation for the film industry. In addition to Unreal Engine, the company is using Quixel Megascans for 3D assets, ensuring a wide range of artificial and real-world environments will be compatible with its system whenever it’s ready to launch

=======================================================


How can / should the INDIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY , turn the present dismal business scenario, into an opportunity ?



Answer :

Ø  By tying up with Roomality


Ø  By having “ TOURISM GUIDES ( humans ) “ walk around places in India, wearing headsets ( like Jio Glass ? ) and streaming LIVE VIDEO BROADCASTS to Roomality installations, all over the World


To start with , Roomality might install its hardware / software infrastructure at CINEMA HALLS around the world . 


Once the prices drop ( with competing companies coming out with similar technologies ), such installations will reach individual homes



For Indian Tourism Industry , becoming VIRTUAL seems like an answer , in order to cater to billions of people around the World



And that would include :


Ø  Sick and / or, Old persons who cannot travel physically

Ø  People who cannot afford the costs associated with physical travel

Ø  People who are just too lazy to travel



Indian Tourism Industry Statistics :

Tourism in India is important for the country's economy and is growing rapidly. The World Travel and Tourism Council calculated that tourism generated ₹16.91 lakh crore (US$240 billion) or 9.2% of India's GDP in 2018 and supported 42.673 million jobs, 8.1% of its total employment.


======================================================

Dear Shri Prahlad Singh Patelji,

[ Minister for Tourism / prahladp@sansad.nic.in ]


I urge you to exploit this opportunity to make India , VIRTUAL  TOURISM  CAPITAL  of the world



With regards,

Hemen Parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  23  July  2020


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Added on  30  April 2022 :

IMAX in your pocket! EE launches 'Nreal Air' augmented reality sunglasses in the UK that instantly project a cinema-sized screen in front of your eyes  


  • The AR sunglasses have two OLED displays hidden behind the lenses
  • These can project an 'Imax-sized' 201-inch virtual screen at a distance of 20 feet
  • Users can stream movies and games over 5G on the go
  •  They can also mirror a connected smartphone screen or explore AR apps



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