Futures and Innovation - Media and Innovation - Essay Example

Media and Innovation Introduction Innovation is basically an original process, method or idea of doing something, which usually invokes a lot of creativity and brainstorming. However, it is not enough to define innovation only in these terms as there are innovations with irrelevant contributions to society. A functional or useful aspect must also be added in defining innovation if it is to be considered in the macro perspective. Innovation is important to development, particularly in the economic sphere. Costs pertaining to innovative efforts are usually high as they are better done through research and development (R&D). Innovation could help bring in more revenues for industries, for the government, and for the overall economy. It is a never-ending process and a way in which industries learn to adapt to the changing needs and wants of the general public (Schaffer & Paul-Chowdhury, 2002). In this postmodern society, some of the best innovations are through media. The dawn of computers and information technology (IT) has also been the go signal for media innovations. The wonders of the internet has already brought us online social networks, not to mention blogs, forums, and chat rooms where people of all walks of life can put across their personal sentiments, conduct their private businesses or simply socialize while glued to their seats. This virtual enterprise has especially made a difference on the business interests of the tourism industry. Governments from various countries as well as private companies specializing in travel and tours are now seeing the cost-efficient way of promoting native destinations to the rest of the world via the internet (Steinbock, 2003, pp.109-121). There is no need to send travel brochures or pamphlets by manual mail. Today, the tourism industry can simply build websites with state-of-the-art “Virtual Tour” features and attract tourists from around the world. Virtual tourism has had a mixed reception, which is why this essay will scrutinize its benefits and disadvantages in modern-day tourism. Following a discussion on the pros and cons of this ground-breaking media innovation, this essay will also present a country case study dealing with the impact of virtual tours and virtualization in Portugal. Virtual Tours Virtual tours are mock models of sceneries, shops, or places that help to promote the real ones. Also a kind of virtual reality accessible through several tourism websites, virtual tours are a set of continuous pictures, videos, and other multimedia that enables viewers to move from place to place with just a click of the mouse or the arrow keys. The next generation of virtual tours employs three-dimensional materials on the panoramic views intended for promotion, and this produces a feeling of being there in the actual location. The easiest method of creating virtual tours is through image stitching; photos are merely aligned one after another so that viewers can click on the next one, pan or zoom at will, or watch an unbroken view of the pictures via a slideshow. Recent innovations on image stitching include a walk-through system that allows viewers to view the image on different angles. Secondly, there are also video-based virtual tours. This type of virtual tour uses the same principles as image stitching since viewers are able to watch continuous footages of the locations in-focus taken from video cameras, instead of still digital photographs. Unlike image stitching, however, viewers have less control of the views they prefer to watch and will have to wait until the video tour is over. Lastly, with the added advantage of specialized software, three-dimensional virtual tours are made possible (VStar3D, n.d.). Though this type is rather costly, the elegant media generated by 3D tours could help the tourism industry leap an extra mile. Well-known softwares that allow easy image stitching and 360 panoramic views include Panoweaver 6.00, Tourweaver 5.00, and Studio 2010, which combines features of the other two (Easypano, n.d.). Virtualization and the Tourism Industry The virtual tour is a breakthrough innovation in the tourism industry for having presented a cost-efficient marketing strategy. However, there are many reasons that compelled the tourism industry to also transform into a virtual enterprise. A general one would point out to globalization, which necessitates both public and private institutions to compete at the international level and cater to the preferences of customers located at various areas in the globe, without having to invest so much capital. Information technology seemed to provide the answer (Virilio, 1995). Also, like most industries, tourism is dependent on fast, easily accessible and accurately presented information. With IT revolutionizing space, information develops a more “profound implication” because it can connect together stakeholders in the industry. The virtualization of information helps them have a smooth and well-coordinated transaction. Producers, suppliers and consumers will be able to communicate properly to one another through emails, instant messengers, or other internet media. They need not mince the data they need to get across, such as the list of all hotel bookings for the last ten years; they can even send data in bulk without physical exertions. Increasing the virtuality of information is an advantage to the tourism industry for it saves several things, including time, money and sweat (Buhalis, 1998, pp.200-201). With prior information, tourists, for their part, will definitely have a run for their money. It is not advisable for them to rely only on travel brochures, pamphlets, or books for that matter. Print media are costly, with sometimes limited if not outdated information (i.e. travel books published this year are usually based on data and images from previous years which may have changed recently). In the internet, however, data can easily be updated and it does not have to be thrifty on information. Customers have the freedom to access and choose information in the virtual world but not with print media. In taking a virtual tour, for example, viewers can scroll, pan or zoom on images at will. If these are not enough or unsatisfactory, viewers can always visit alternative sites that offer free virtual tours until they encounter the tour that strikes their interests. The tourism industry faces several demands for customized products. Virtualization gives the industry little time to panic for customers can just voice out their demands while they book online. No matter how complex these demands are, it is understood that virtualized tourism has linkages with other virtual corporations. It does not matter where those corporation as long as corporations are “virtually near” the customers and their special demands. With many heads looking after customer demands at various and accessible areas in cyberspace, virtual partnerships will help address complex demands more efficiently (Buhalis, 1998, p.201). If they are not used to attract travelers and tourists, virtual tours function as an overview or “quick peek” into real locations. Virtual reality, however, has a dual impact. Some researchers argue that virtual tours lessen people’s interests in actual travelling for they no longer feel the thrill of visiting places which they can automatically see in the internet or through softwares (Buhalis, 1998, p.200). If virtual tourism fosters this kind of attitude among viewers, then it is detrimental to the business interest of the tourism industry for would-be tourists will be discouraged to buy plane tickets or book tours. Virtual tours could also seriously threaten the natural, cultural-historical, and even tangible values of tourist destinations because it isolates viewers from material reality. People’s attraction to virtual tours derives from their belief in magic, which post-structuralist philosopher Jean Baudrillard referred to as hyperreality, “the substitution of the reproduction for the actual object” (cited in Ulman, 2001, p.344). In contrast, some believe that people are naturally needy for tangible things, and virtual reality to them is a “poor substitute” to the authentic life. As Margaret Morse in Nature Morte said: “Why produce virtual environments at all when we could be enjoying a far more satisfying and beautiful physical reality?” (cited in Ulman, 2001, p.341). Instead of reducing interests, virtual tours will reinforce among viewers the need to visit places and increase the anticipation of seeing and experiencing those for real (Buhalis, 1998, p.200; Krug, 2004, pp.1-2). On the brighter side, virtual tours can provide persons who are financially deprived or are too weak to travel, with a substitute reality to the reality they cannot experience because of their circumstances. Moreover, a somewhat radical advantage virtual tourism has over reality is its capacity to preserve cultural sites that are endangered of wearing away like the Stonehenge. When people divert their attention to digitalized landscapes, they will tend to leave heritage sites alone and the risk that people might accidentally or purposefully destroy them will significantly be reduced (Krug, 2004, pp.3-4). If the tourism industry takes into consideration all the negative and positive sides of virtual tourism, then there is a much better prospect for its business interests. In its marketing strategies, it should also try to consider customers of various circumstances. For example, customize virtual tours so that customers of all walks of life are accommodated. At affordable prices, tourism websites could offer a virtual tour package for those with physical disabilities or limited budget. Free virtual tours, on one hand, could be placed next to online booking links or travel schedules so serious travelers are further encouraged. These are just a few ideas to help the tourism industry successfully achieve its goals as a virtual corporation as well as an economic driving force. Considering the manner it now manages itself worldwide, in the future, virtual tourism will certainly have substantial and far-reaching implications on organizations and businesses. There are many opportunities to innovate (Buhalis, 1998, p.200). Virtual tourism, of course, is not exclusive to the tourism industry. It has several other uses. It is already utilized for academic or educational purposes, to give students an accurate visual perception of geography or places in history, for example. Virtual tours serve as visual aids that will guide students as they study subjects that require visual elaboration. Virtual tours are very useful to the real estate business, where agents let prospective house and lot buyers walk through digital models of houses or subdivisions so they can choose which site to visit or have an option to decline when they dislike any of the design. They are also used for museum walk-throughs or sneak previews. One other important thing about virtual tours is that they need not be about existing places for even structures that are still in the process of construction or are still being planned can be simulated. This media innovation is therefore useful to individual professions, but success ultimately depends on the presentation. Architects can use virtual tours to gain approval for their designs. Politicians, to woo voters or the citizenry, can also use virtual tours to explain platform of governments or policy initiatives that are better understood through illustrations, (i.e. renovation of the city hall, beautification of the national park, or the construction of a convention center) (Longley & Batty, 2003, pp.49-52). Virtual Tour in Portugal Portugal is a case in point when it comes to virtual tourism. Tourism is responsible for approximately 10% of the country’s Gross National Product (GNP) and about one-fourth of all foreign investments. Beaches and a wonderful climate constitute the main attractions of Portugal. The roughly 12 million tourists yearly are important revenue sources of local restaurants, hotels, small-time businesses and native product manufacturers. The country offers a truly unique and what others might call “responsible tourism.” Instead of the typical classy shopping hub several local tourism industries aspired for, Portugal ensures that its regions have a cultural, homely, and therapeutic charm (Indigo Guide, n.d.). However, its biggest step forward is the virtualizing of its tourism industry, and indeed, it has all taken into account globalization, information technology and customized demands. Just this November 2009, the leading Portuguese airline TAP, in cooperation with the Portuguese Tourist Board, opened one of the most important tourism campaign ventures in Brazil. The partnership invested a million Euros to ensure that Portugal becomes the prime destination for the Brazilian market. Brazil has recently been listed among the top ten sources of international tourists and is Portugal’s eighth source. Portugal beaches and hotels registered 446,000 overnights from Brazilian tourists during the period of January to September 2009, while 1,234,000 Brazilian passengers booked TAP to and from Portugal. The ongoing campaign, which will reach its culmination this December, extensively makes use of broadcast and print media, but more importantly, the country is determined that its cultural and natural wealth is advertised non-stop in the internet via Brazilian websites (TAP Portugal, 2009). The campaign is an indicator that the country understands the significant role media innovation plays in helping one of its key industries grow and serve the economy better. The remarkable statistics Portugal gained before the Brazilian tourism campaign could well be increased by encouraging the installation of virtual touring sites. As of the present, the number of tourism websites that offer a virtual tour of Portugal cannot be accounted for, though the trend is fast increasing and will soon become an essential component of Portuguese tourism. Many websites already have their own digital simulations of the cultural and natural wonders of countries, sometimes including restaurants, shops, and boutiques for fancy tourists. 360portugal.com (n.d.), for instance, offers a comprehensive virtual tour of castles, palaces, archaeological remains, Romanesque churches, seashores, World Heritage Sites, villas, and mountain landscapes in Portugal. Though the site only uses a first generation virtual tour system, there are several categories for would-be travelers to choose from. The 2D pictures are also clickable and easy to navigate. Most travel sites about Portugal are informative, providing statistics or historical and cultural facts. Other innovations that help ensure the effectiveness of Portuguese virtual touring sites include travel videos, online travel itinerary planners, and virtual tourist boards (360 Cities, n.d.). Online tourist boards entertain important questions, verifications and suggestions from individuals who seriously consider traveling to Portugal. Portugal’s tourism industry, although a vital economic force, has been one of the leading causes of environmental concern for it has contributed to the urbanization of provinces. The government’s efforts to preserve historical and natural sites were what earned Portugal the brand of “responsible tourism” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009). Virtual travels could do two important things for the country: heal its ecotourism by diverting the attention of tourists to its digital version, or enforce in tourists and citizens a protective responsiveness (Paez, 2008). Virtual tours place emphasis on Portugal’s heritage and delicate environment, which will infuse responsibility to whoever has the desire to see and experience it. Conclusion Virtual tourism is a multipurpose media innovation. However, it has made its presence most significant in the tourism industry, where it generates revenue for the economy. Like many of today’s technology, it continues to evolve and overcome its critical areas. This revolutionary technology helps people see their environment better (Paez, 2008). It has made significant contributions in the preservation of natural, cultural, and historical wonders of countries such as Portugal, and strives not to substitute reality but to help those who cannot avail of that reality or reinforce their need to experience it. Virtual tours are important tools for growth in various fields of endeavor. Reference List Buhalis, D., 1998. The virtual tourism enterprise: concepts, practices and lessons. 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