Virtual Reality Attracting International Wine Tourism

The Federal Govt recently allocated $2.8 million to the Australian wine industry, for investing in various projects to promote local as well as international tourism. A few Aussie winemaking bodies have been selected for the task, three of which have taken up the challenge of implementing augmented or virtual reality experiences to attract more foreign tourists.

South Australia-based Riverland Wine has plans to spend half a million dollars on creating a virtual reality wine experience. Executive Chair Chris Byrne stated that he hopes the technology and its appeal would help sell the region to potential wine enthusiasts, and bring attention to what it has to offer to the world. He goes on to say that the entire approach of the Riverland wine district is to look towards technology moving forward, be it in the vineyard or the wine market. The biggest advantage of Virtual Reality is that it is a portable experience – it can even be sent to international wine events for luring wine lovers and tourists.

Winery Seppeltsfield’s Sales & Marketing Manager, Chad Elson, is one of the people to have invested in this technology since 2016. He was delighted to share that the marketing strategy has been well received across Asia (especially China). He believes that it is the next logical step that business owners should take for marketing their produce to different parts of the world.

This recent fad has a lot of people wondering if virtual reality would go on to replace the “real thing”. General Manager at Destination Riverland, Caroline Phillips, believes this not to be the case since VR can never replace the actual experience of visiting a winery. If anything, it will only entice people further by giving them a taste of what’s in store for them when they visit these pristine locations.

The real trouble is that technology is advancing at a rapid pace, with each passing day having something new to offer. So these winery managers are hoping that they can get ahead in the race and deliver what’s best for all wine aficionados.

Ref: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-05-08/virtual-reality-boosts-australian-wine-industry/9728440