Tripadvisor Wants Tourists to Test Drive Reality in the Metaverse

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, January 12. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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Episode Notes

Tripadvisor plans to release a metaverse experience later this year that would provide travelers the chance to virtually see popular attractions before booking, writes Travel Technology Justin Dawes. 

Tripadvisor has signed a contract with Meet Kai, a company that creates metaverse and artificial intelligence products. Dawes reports it’s still too early for Tripadvisor to share specifics on exactly how the metaverse experience will look, but the company looks to partner with travel brands to create digital spaces — such as shops in Paris — that users can explore. 

Adam Ochman, Tripadvisor’s global director of marketing solutions, said travel is one of the most expensive things that consumers can purchase without trying it beforehand. 

Next, London Heathrow Airport is coming off an enormously busy 2023, which saw 24 of its routes break the million-passenger milestone. Airlines Editor Gordon Smith takes a look at the airport’s busiest routes last year.

Routes from Heathrow serving the U.S. represented six of the 24 that carried more than 1 million passengers last year, a sign of the boom in transatlantic travel. The Heathrow-JFK route was the busiest for the London airport, serving more than 3 million passengers. Meanwhile, Dubai and Doha took the next two spots for Heathrow’s busiest route in 2023. 

Finally, Thailand will be setting for the third season of the popular HBO show The White Lotus, which is expected to boost tourism to the kingdom, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. 

Tourism Authority of Thailand and HBO have partnered to film and promote the Emmy-winning series. Thai officials didn’t disclose which hotel would be featured – the last two seasons were set at Four Seasons properties. Habtemariam notes that travel demand for Sicily boomed after the island was selected as the filming location for season two of The White Lotus.