In
first quarter 2014, the world will see the largest-ever gathering of
countries, travel-related businesses and consumers in an
international online expo.
Called
Wonders of the World, the monumental event is unprecedented as it
aims to bring the entire travel industry as well as its consumers
together on the world's biggest event space - the Internet.
This
unique event allows the tourism industry to participate by allowing
destinations - either interior, exterior, or both - to be
re-constructed in an interactive three-dimensional (3D) format.
Consumers can now visit and interact with a country's renowned
attractions, as well as have a bird's-eye view of their landscapes
and structures from their computers or tablets, thanks to realistic,
built-to-scale 3D reconstructions.
Travel
industry and media partners can then embed the event's interactive 3D
scenes on their own websites and portals, replacing the traditional
pictures typically used. With just two lines of code, an entire 3D
location can be included effortlessly into these websites.
This
online collaboration will bring about a significant boost to the
travel industry as it provides a limitless and cost-effective
platform to showcase and promote a destination's best sights to
consumers all over the world in a hassle-free and efficient manner.
"The
unique selling point of Wonders of the World is that it is a one-stop
media mechanism for the entire travel and tourism industry. There is
also the idea of interactivity and immersion - in which consumers'
interests can be piqued through their experience in exploring the
destinations firsthand," said Mr Terence Mak, CEO of 3rd Planet,
the event organiser. "The event offers an innovative alternative
in the form of an "affordable yet immersive interactive 3D
platform", he added.
"By
bringing all the best tourism locations onto one massive platform,
participating tourism bodies participating will realise tremendous
mileage by pooling their resources to reach out to the global
audience more effectively," he noted.
The
event has received strong positive responses from several countries
since opening up registration from the travel and tourism industry
earlier this month.
The
event particularly reaches out to broadband users, who generally tend
to be more affluent and IT-savvy. This means they can afford trips,
tend to stay at a location longer and spend more money during their
vacation - the ideal target for the industry.
With
users mass sharing the sites on social media outlets such as
Facebook, Twitter, as well as China's Weibo and Renren, Wonders of
the World will be of an extensive scale, reaching out to some 600
million across the six continents. This is a much more massive
outreach compared to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, which saw over 73
million attendees.
To
help enable a fast and convenient experience, 3rd Planet will be
partnering with local top-tier broadband operators in each country to
roll out the fast-speed event.
"The
earlier the countries join Wonders of the World, the more time we
have in helping to create the best online interactive 3D experience
for them," said Mr Mak.
Not
just businesses, consumers too will benefit from a stunning preview
of the best destinations in the world, and for free. At the same
time, they also stand a chance to take part in competitions and win
dream travel-related prizes.