Fáilte Ireland has launched a new Virtual Reality experience that will allow potential tourists to get an immersive 360 degree view of the Wild Atlantic Way when researching locations to visit.
It will allow users to click, drag and change the viewing angle of all 15 signature points on the Wild Atlantic Way from their desktop machine or through Virtual Reality apps like Littlstar, Samsung Milk VR and Google Cardboard.
The technology was recently tested successfully at ITB Berlin, one of the world's leading travel trade shows, to 110,000 international trade visitors from 180 countries. The 360 degree views were filmed using a combination of drone and go-pro equipment and showcase activities such as surfing below the Cliffs of Moher, climbing sea stacks in Donegal, horse riding on Sligo beach and mountain biking on the Burren. All of these are available on the official Wild Atlantic Way website as well as on its social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube.
Regarding the use of this new technology, Head of Marketing at Fáilte Ireland, Daragh Anglim, said: "The world of tourism is becoming increasingly competitive. Using this new technology to bring almost life-like experiences to visitors as they research and book their holidays will ensure that Ireland can stand out in a crowded marketplace. Furthermore it also proves that Ireland can compete with the best when it comes to employing emerging technologies and using innovation to drive tourism numbers".
Fáilte Ireland plans to integrate this new Virtual Reality experience and 360 degree views across their Tourist Office Network as well as producing more Wild Atlantic Way experiences later this summer.
