O uso da realidade virtual como ferramenta de promoção turística de Manaus

Abstract

Tourism and Information and Communication Technology, a new concept for the two areas of knowledge. These two subjects have been the evolution of tourism on the question of how they are available and added to information, which, as consequence, has led to a change on the way of purchasing and enjoying touristic products and services. Tourism is an area characterized for its intangibility along with the tourist consumer, it takes an intensive, active and dynamic communication. Virtual reality is an advanced technology in which the individual has an experience in a virtual scenery recreating to the maximum the exact sensation possible of the reality. The goal of the study is to discuss the use of virtual reality as a tool of touristic promotion and to verify its usability in the city of Manaus. The methodological procedure used for the research led to an analysis of multiple methods (quantitative and qualitative), stopping on the explanation of the qualitative approach. The sample is worked from the point of view of three tourism agencies in Manaus: Amazon Explorer, Amazon Eco Adventures Tours and Fontur; using the managers and contributors’ speech regarding the use of virtual reality as a tool of the touristic promotion in the city of Manaus. The research time of application occurred in May, 2018. The results allowed the comprehension that the knowledge about virtual reality in the tourism sector is known by the sample, but the use of this tool is not present in business marketing, there are two main reasons why it is not used, which are: the consumer that has been looking for the agencies and the investment in the tool. Due to difficulty, in the academic field, regarding the subject about virtual reality with the tourism sector in Brazil and in Manaus, the information shared here may contribute to the production of future researches. Besides also contributing to the society, as well as the tourism trade of Manaus, allowing a marketing and scientific dialogue.