What’s the metaverse – and what does it have to do with business travel?

Imagine walking into your hotel room in a distant city before you’ve actually boarded your flight to take you there! It seems crazy, but it’s not. Through the application of online 3D technology across multiple platforms, our interaction in virtual spaces will connect us across physical boundaries and create a level of connectedness we can’t fully imagine. This Metaverse, as it’s been called, already exists in various forms we may recognise; think Fortnite Games and Nikeland, but imagine these spaces and experiences linked in an almost alternative reality.

It’s the perfect way to experience destinations and fine-tune your travel management, whether for business or pleasure. Check out the facilities on offer or immerse yourself in a virtual business class cabin to see how it compares to the premium economy.

The Metaverse will both inspire and demonstrate – offering an unparalleled emotional and captivating experience – a real sense of being there. Travel Managers can informatively explore the products they’re offering their travellers, and Meeting Planners can immerse themselves in a choice of venues for an event. Travellers can familiarise themselves with their destination locations and discover how to navigate the local area before arriving. The Metaverse will provide a valuable way of pre-empting many typical and often unforeseen travel glitches related to inappropriate facilities, inadequate security, or a general lack of meaningful destination knowledge.

From a financial perspective, the Metaverse might ultimately reduce actual travel spending by lowering the risk of poor choices, mitigating stress through improved knowledge and aiding in the increased value obtained from a business trip. In addition to this, the Metaverse will offer virtual meeting and event spaces that will minimise the need for travel.

So while the Metaverse is a long way off from substituting actual travel, it’s definitely bound to positively impact traveller well-being, travel budgets and overall travel management.

For more information on the Metaverse and business travel, download our report here