What did we miss the most during the pandemic?

One of the things we do at AIRDA is have regular conversations with travelers and vacation seekers – particularly during this post-Covid period. To review their readiness to travel, and assess comfort levels when it comes to actually going on a vacation.

And when we were putting this story together, one aspect came through as a regret or concern. “Before Covid, we were free to do anything we wanted to do, and we took this freedom for granted,” was the message that came across strongly to us.

In a way, that makes sense – maybe we did take things for granted. And this realization might help us take a closer look at things that we may have overlooked.

Here’s what one of them had to say.
I took my freedom to travel for granted. Freedom to travel sounds strange, when you actually have the freedom to travel – any time, any place and anybody you wish to travel with. But when the lockdowns kicked in, this freedom to travel was taken away from us. I then realized what it meant to lose that freedom. (Something that I had taken totally for granted.)

Strangely, during that period we did not even have the freedom to get out of home, move around in the city, or even go to office. And that’s when you know what a precious commodity “freedom” really is.

I now look at things like that with renewed respect and consideration. It’s only when something is taken away from you, do you actually feel the difference.

There’s more on this story at this link > World of Travel / April 2022

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Using 360-degree panoramas for the hospitality industry

In this interview, we talk to Santosh about using 360-degree panoramas for the hospitality industry. Ongoing developments in enhancing customer experience are changing the ways people interact with marketers in physical and virtual environments. And technology enhanced platforms are shaping customer experiences and adding value to the purchase journey.

Justin Santosh – Founder, Intellimedia Digital Solutions

The need to enhance customer experience is bringing about new ways to interact with people in physical and virtual environments. If you compare older formats with emerging technologies, you will see an immersive pivot point in 360-degree panoramas – you’re almost there, with the ability to look around you. (As opposed to looking at still images or linear video footage.)

In the 360-degree interface, users can actually look around “anywhere” they want to, either by using a head set, moving their phones around, or by simply dragging the panoramas on a laptop, mobile device or smart TV, using the remote.

Using navigation controls, you can explore visual panoramas both horizontally and vertically. It is this perspective that takes the experience right up the immersive quality scale. Which means you can actually go deep sea diving or take a spacewalk side-by-side with an astronaut – instead of just watching it like an episode on TV.

There’s more on this story at this link > World of Airda / April 2022

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