Travelocity, an online travel agency, is launching its first augmented reality (AR) experience.
The agency is putting together an offering that will allow users to take a snap of travel photos and videos with the brand’s spokesperson, The Roaming Gnome, whose icon appears on-demand in 3D anywhere around the globe thanks to a new AR camera feature available in the Travelocity mobile app.
The AR feature gamifies an experience everyone can relate to: taking holiday photos. It can operate with or without a Wi-Fi connection or cellular data access. The app users can save and share Roaming Gnome photos and videos to their phone or favourite social applications. The travel agency is one of the many Expedia Group Brands experimenting with new technologies. The AR feature launches with the help of two travel tech developments from Brand Expedia, including a voice-enabled Action for the Google Assistant and second VR experience from ExpediaLabs.
The Travelocity app is available for free on both iOS and Android devices from the Apple or Google Play store.
Elsewhere, Dutch airline KLM is giving online users a chance to experience faraway places without leaving home by immersing them in computer-generated virtual reality (VR). According to Mobile Marketer, KLM’s iFly KLM Magazine online platform has 360-degree videos that showcase various destinations for travellers to visit virtually. Similarly, National Geographic's "The Fearless Chef" star chef Kiran Jethwa and UK television station Channel 4's "Extreme Foods," are providing a guided tour of the destinations in three video episodes where viewers can see the 360-degree videos with a smartphone, tablet or VR headset.
