The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has revealed its first virtual reality film as part of its new ?Travel Aware? campaign.
The film, produced and co-funded by digital innovation agency Brandwidth, features Phileas Fogg, the famed fictional explorer from the Jules Verne novel, as he attempts to travel around today?s world in 80 days. He quickly realises that he can?t simply set off as he is informed of the critical preparation he needs to make before he starts.
The film will be premiered at the Telegraph Travel show at Excel in London and will be shown at a range of events over the next 12 months.
Michael Vibert from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said: ?We decided to commission this film in virtual reality as it can completely transform the planning experience for potential travellers. Our job is to help British nationals to prepare for their journey and raise awareness of travel safely so that they can get the most out of their trip. We are always looking at how we can convey our key messages to maximum effect.?
Dean Johnson, head of innovation at Brandwidth, outlined the importance and potential for the travel industry to embrace new technology, such as virtual reality, setting out where it could take the sector in the next 12-24 months. He said: ?Most of us have a love/hate relationship with technology. Add travel to the mix and network performance, software and hardware can mean the difference between a good and bad holiday or business trip. The travel industry is starting to embrace virtual reality and the Foreign Office is leading the way in showing how to bring to life key safety messages and provide people with a truly immersive experience before they travel.?
?Travel Aware? is the new identity for the FCO?s ?Know Before You Go? campaign which has been running for 14 years. Evolving the brand into Travel Aware enables the FCO to address all aspects of the trip, not just the planning required pre-departure.
