Tourism Seychelles and international multimedia provider Gecko Digital, have signed an MoU to create 360-degree virtual reality (VR) images and tours of the island.

The multimedia firm was briefed to produce high-quality VR photography and videography tours to promote the culture and tourism destinations in Seychelles and make its services available to stakeholders and accommodation providers, reports eturbonews.com.

Gecko Digital will create a ‘Seychelles in 360’ section on Tourism Seychelles, the official tourism website of Seychelles, that will map and showcase destination highlights and areas of interest with 360 VR content. The content will provide immersive experiences and a source of travel inspiration. Locations, including Côte D’Or; La Digue, Victoria, Praslin, Lazio Praslin, and Moyenne Island will be showcased.

The collaboration between Gecko Digital and Seychelles Tourism includes identifying hotels and resorts to support the continuous supply of high-quality VR content to be used to promote the Seychelles internationally.

Gecko Digital will also create a VR content photography training programme for Seychelles Tourism personnel.

“The advent of ‘Destination VR’ marks a paradigm shift in travel marketing. Our passion for immersive technologies and cutting-edge virtual reality aims to transport users to the destination, offering the ultimate travel inspiration and an unparalleled tool for planning their trip. Our stats, drawn from Google, tell us that 70% of people who view a virtual tour online click through, with 35% going on to make a direct booking,” said Founder of Gecko Digital, James South.