KMIA introduces new marketing tool
KMIA recently became Africa's first airport to implement this technology and has ever since become the talk of the town in aviation.
MBOMBELA – Most of us will probably never go to the moon, drive a supercar, go deep-sea diving or sit next to a pilot while flying over the picturesque Lowveld.
However, the latter is possible, from the comfort of your own home thanks to Google Photography and the intuition of business development manager at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA), Mr Eugene van Jaarsveldt.
This is all due to a concept called virtual reality (VR), which in short means that bits of the world are being simulated into a video using high-performance equipment. Imagine the possibilities.
KMIA recently became Africa’s first airport to implement this technology and has ever since become the talk of the town in aviation.
At World Routes in Durban, the largest and most prestigious event in the Routes portfolio, some of the most senior representatives from airlines, airports and tourism authorities were in awe when Van Jaarsveldt demonstrated this concept.
In attendance were over 230 airlines, almost 700 airports and 150 tourism authorities from 115 different countries. “The response we received from the major airlines across the world was overwhelming. Whether the user wants an immersive 360-degree virtual tour of our airport or experience the splendour of the Blyde River Canyon, it’s a fantastic tool to view our top attractions, inspiring travel and promoting tourism,” he said. “You can not only express yourself in a verbal manner, but in a virtual manner.”
Virtual reality gives users a spectacular three-dimensional view in a 360-degree interactive format. By using your mobile device with a VR headset such as Google Cardboard, Oculus or Samsung VR Gear, it will transport users to an immersive virtual world at the click of a button which showcases the airport and our beautiful province. Van Jaarsveldt said that this technology will open up a new world for marketing in South Africa, as well as give tourists a powerful way to preview destinations and experiences in our country.
“With the assistance of Google photographer Mr Chris du Plessis, we created a unique production with one of the virtual 360 scenes being on approach to land at KMIA within a cockpit of an aircraft.”
In layman’s terms, you connect your phone to the headset, put it on like a pair of goggles, put your earphones on, sit back, relax and enjoy.
When you look up, you see the roof of the aircraft, in front of you the runway and all the dials in the cockpits and when you look left you see the pilot, almost exactly like really sitting in that seat.
“From an airport perspective, this is a first for Africa. We are delighted to use this industry leading technology, and what better way to demonstrate the impact this VR technology can have than by showcasing Mpumalanga, South Africa one of the world’s most iconic ‘must do’ tourism destinations,” Van Jaarsveldt concluded.
You can also use your mouse to pan on this video to get a better idea of you experience when wearing the headset. It’s as simple as clicking and dragging left, right, up or down. Give it a try.
