The 22nd edition of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit in Saudi Arabia will be attended by a prestigious gathering of tourism leaders in Riyadh. It is also supported by a metaverse experience created for potential investors to explore investment opportunities and take part in some of the sessions that will be livestreamed from the Saudi capital.
The use of the metaverse at the Summit is a practical example of how the Kingdom is already implementing its three-year Digital Tourism Strategy that was launched earlier in the year.
For the first time, the Summit, being held from 28th November to 1st December in Riyadh is being live streamed to the general public, and those attending virtually can choose to join some of the livestream sessions via the metaverse or on the public live stream available.
The metaverse experience has been designed to be easy to use, engaging and a novel introduction of how the metaverse can support and enhance physical events both for those on site and for those who wish to engage virtually only. Attendees can choose to create their own avatar, watch the live sessions available and set up appointments with exhibitors.
It will allow the user to explore Saudi as a tourist destination, see how the Kingdom is using technology to transform tourism, watch session highlights and gain insights on the topics being discussed. Users will also be able to connect with a global audience by discussing trending topics in the networking area as an avatar using both text chat and voice chat functionality.
The interactive nature will also enable individuals to understand the investment opportunities offered by Saudi Arabia and engage in live interaction in the investor’s gallery and ask questions in real time.
This year’s event has the theme “Travel for a Better Future” and will bring together global thought leaders to discuss the pressing issues affecting the post pandemic travel and tourism sector. It will feature a line-up of globally renowned speakers including Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Lady Theresa May, former British Prime Minister.
