Travel Startup Breaks Through COVID to Lead 'Bangkok' Vacations

MyRealTrip 'Online Tour' Sold Out Lineup

Travel tech startups operating travel platforms are leading the 'Bangkok' vacation trend this summer. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has curtailed outdoor activities including vacations compared to previous years, various travel content that can be enjoyed from home is gaining attention. The offerings range from online travel experience services that faithfully convey real travel experiences to virtual reality (VR) services that allow users to tour Jeju Island.

According to industry sources on the 18th, MyRealTrip, a travel product brokerage platform, launched the 'Real Online Tour' last month, which has gained great popularity and continues to sell out. This service features veteran guides from around the world who introduce travel destinations and share experiences in real time, allowing participants to engage in travel through interactive communication. Such online travel experience services are operated overseas by Airbnb, but MyRealTrip is the first to introduce them domestically.

The online tour lasts 90 minutes and accommodates up to 15 participants via video call apps or video platforms. Through local videos and photos owned by expert travel guides in each field, participants can enjoy indirect travel experiences focused on actual experiences. So far, tours of Mont Saint-Michel, the London National Gallery, Southern Italy, Southern France, and the Prado Museum in Spain have been offered, and domestically, the Gyeongbokgung Palace tour has gained popularity as parents purchase it for educational purposes. A MyRealTrip representative explained, "It relieves the frustration of not being able to travel and makes it easy to obtain valuable information from professional guides. Especially, it is popular because participants can reminisce about past trips and preview destinations they wish to visit after COVID-19."

Riding on this positive response, MyRealTrip plans to expand content to popular Asian travel destinations such as Hong Kong and Bangkok, as well as Australia and the Americas. Additionally, tour products for Ireland, Hong Kong, and Belgium will feature overseas dual live broadcasts connecting participants with local guides in real time.

The VR travel platform 'JejuTVR,' operated by startup Diantvort, is also gaining popularity. Since early this month, after launching full-scale VR travel services through 'Hotel in Hanwha Resort Jeju,' 'Jeju IVE Hotel & Resort,' and 'Van Gogh's Garden,' Diantvort explained that all 10 or so VR devices provided daily have been fully rented out, indicating strong interest.

JejuTVR captures about 200 travel spots on Jeju Island in 360-degree videos, providing vivid travel information. The all-in-one VR headsets can be rented and experienced at various Jeju tourism businesses such as hotels and cafes. A Diantvort representative stated, "By watching VR videos directly, users can plan trips without failure, and they can enjoy VR videos and various game contents in a safe space, which has led to a surge in service inquiries."

Accordingly, Diantvort plans to continuously expand the service to more hotels. Although the service currently operates with about ten devices per hotel, some hotels want to provide devices in each room, so the quantity may increase in the future, the company explained. Diantvort's strategy is to expand this VR travel content service nationwide and overseas.

An industry insider explained, "In the post-COVID and untact era, travel tech startups are emerging with services that help people enjoy travel within limited spaces and enable safer travel, becoming a new trend for this summer's vacation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.