Before the trip, how about a virtual test drive?

Travel firms, tourism boards want to appeal to the senses of prospective clients

From raising money for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital to rolling out a new airline business class service, travel companies and tourism boards are increasingly turning to virtual reality to expand their reach and entice prospective clients.

In November, for instance, the Tourism Authority of Thailand released four 360-degree videos, including one on an elephant sanctuary near Chiang Mai and another on the Khao Luang Cave in western Thailand.

“With social media and distribution channels so fragmented, we have to appeal to the senses of consumers,” said Steven Johnson Stevenson, the authority’s marketing manager for the Eastern United States. “We