There is no doubt that the Covid-19 and its restrictions have had a disastrous effect on the tourism industry in Asia. With the increased use in the gaming sector, virtual reality (VR) may also help tourist destinations recover from the pandemic. 

Hong Kong's tourism almost came to a halt. According to The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), Hong Kong's total number of visitor arrivals in 2020 was 3.57 million, a 93.6% drop from 2019. HKTB launched the "360 Hong Kong Moments" campaign globally in October 2020, featuring virtual reality (VR) experiences. The campaign highlighted VR films on Hong Kong's natural scenery and cultural activities, taking viewers virtually outdoors on an immersive journey across Hong Kong's breathtaking scenes. Thanks to VR travel, travellers who are unable to venture out can enjoy popular travel destinations as if they are actually visiting the attractions in person. 

Fashion industry is also transforming due to intelligence technology. With more and more customers shopping online, retailers have made some of the in-store experiences available online too! Augmented reality (AR) has been a great assistance to consumers, allowing them a virtual try-on of the product like shoes and makeup. Furthermore, the first product collaboration between a virtual personality and a label in Asia was launched last year. In December 2020, Singapore's top virtual influencer Rae launched a capsule sneaker collection created in partnership with popular Singapore brand SBTG. The collection was sold out in 3 days upon its launch for pre-orders. “Working with a virtual personality like Rae has led to success in the real world. This collaboration gives us the confidence to push the boundaries of product collaborations, to continue being innovative,” SBTG founder Mark Ong said. 

These technologies are forecasted to accelerate out of the pandemic. For example, Businesswire revealed that Asia-Pacific’s VR market is expected to grow at a 38.4% CAGR over 2020-2026 and have an addressable market value of USD 172.8 billion for the coming 6 years. Undoubtedly, the future of digital reality is coming faster than ever, not just in the tourism and fashion industry, but also in other sectors like healthcare, business, journalism and hospitality. They have started to leverage digital reality as a game-changer. Thus, these technologies are one of the most anticipated application scenarios in the 5G era. At present, facing the continuous growth of the digital reality market, many technology companies are very optimistic about the development prospects. They will continue to strengthen their own R&D and welcome the arrival of the industries’ new era.

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