Opening Scene
A woman stands on a quiet street in Kyoto wearing AR glasses. Sakura blossoms drift around her perfectly, symmetrical, endless. She reaches out to touch one, but her fingers slip through the light. Above her, the real tree is bare. She smiles anyway. At this moment, it doesn’t matter what’s real.
Origin
From Ruins to Renderings
As virtual reality became accessible, the world of tourism completely changed. Imagine walking the streets of ancient Pompeii, not as dusty ruins, but as a bustling city. Cairo started offering tours of tombs led by pharaohs, and lost temples in Kyoto were suddenly "resurrected."
Here is the exciting part: if you can perfectly recreate the past, why not invent the future? This is the major leap happening right now. Tourism boards and entrepreneurs jumped on this idea immediately.
They started building entirely new, virtual destinations. Think floating mega-cities, forgotten underwater civilizations, or utopian, futuristic versions of the capitals we know. People are not just exploring them; they are booking virtual stays, and even posting their "travel photos" online. Would you book a trip to a city that doesn't physically exist?
The Phenomenon
What started as a simple educational tool is now a full scale tourism industry. In 2025, the most popular "places" are not always physical anymore. Many exist only in VR headsets, apps, or AR layers floating over real cities.
The biggest trends right now:
AR-Layered Cities
Travelers walk through real streets, but digital overlays completely transform them. You can see a neon cyberpunk Shibuya, Edo-period Kyoto, or Victorian London reconstructed on the spot. These "dual cities" are now a normal product for urban tourism.
Virtual Theme Parks
Companies like Disney and Universal are building theme parks only in VR. Rides, hotels, and lands exist purely in the simulation.
Impossible Destinations
The best-selling VR trips aren't even replicas of real places. They are places that never existed: floating islands, ancient mythical civilizations restored, or luxury resorts on Mars. Underwater kingdoms with bioluminescent architecture are a huge hit.
Digital Twins of Heritage Sites
Sites facing overcrowding or conservation issues now offer VR "duplicates." Giza, Petra, and the Taj Mahal can now be explored through these digital replicas.
AI Travel Companions
Guides, translators, historians, and even "locals" are now AI characters that accompany you. These companions adapt dynamically, customizing the experience inside the simulation.
What the World Says
Around the world, the public conversation is surprisingly optimistic. For many travelers, immersive tourism feels like liberation. We're talking about travel without stress, overwhelming crowds, or a troubling carbon footprint.
Travel magazines now praise VR trips as the antidote to over tourism: no endless lines, no sold-out tickets, and no selfie crowds at sunrise. You can stand alone inside the Sistine Chapel, something nearly impossible in real life.
People with mobility limitations, chronic illnesses, tight budgets, or restricted passports see this as a breakthrough. It’s a way to explore the world without barriers, whether physical or financial.
High-end publications even suggest that the richest form of travel may now happen from your living room. All you need is a blanket and a cup of tea. In short, the message is clear: immersion isn't escapism, it's empowerment.
The Dark Side
As virtual journeys become smoother, prettier, and endlessly customizable, an unsettling question forms: what happens when the simulation becomes more desirable than the world itself?
The consequences are subtle but profound. Authenticity begins to lose value when beauty can be endlessly perfected. A digital Machu Picchu never closes for preservation; a virtual Louvre never has broken lights or overcrowded halls.
While a VR version of the Marrakech souks may dazzle visually, it will always lack the smells, the voices, the chaos, and the human presence that turns a place into a lasting memory. Is it truly travel if there is no discomfort or surprise?
There is also an economic shadow. If millions choose to wander through destinations via headset instead of an airplane, the real cities feel none of the benefit. The revenue circulates inside tech ecosystems and not local communities.
And so the dilemma deepens: as simulated worlds grow flawless, the real one starts to look insufficient, perhaps even unnecessary.
📌 Curiosities
In Baiae (Italy), archaeologists use AR/VR underwater to let divers see how the submerged Roman city looked before it sank.
Modern VR headsets can already read your emotions, boredom, stress, or happiness and adjust the experience in real time.
The AR/VR tourism market is booming, with projected annual growth of 18% in the coming years.
Heritage AR/VR apps don’t just show ruins, they digitally reconstruct sites as they once were, creating immersive historical narratives.
Hotels and travel companies now use hybrid AR/VR previews, letting you “visit” a destination virtually before booking the real trip.
VR can replicate beauty, but not the warmth of a stranger’s smile or the weight of a shared moment.
Will we remember to value the human world when the virtual one feels easier to love?