Jan Scheele about Virtual Reality and the adoption of the Metaverse: “I expect we are going to see an immense number of new opportunities within the travel industry in the coming year.’’

Playing with the endless possibilities of technology and the Metaverse, how far along are we? Keynote speaker Jan Scheele has been active in the blockchain industry since 2015 and in addition to being a Board Member of Blockchain Netherlands (the largest blockchain/crypto/NFT/Metaverse community in the Netherlands), he is Digital Leader at the World Economic Forum and CEO of a blockchain scale-up. In the run-up to the Travel Congress 2023, we discuss some of the developments for the coming year.

What do you expect to see in 2023 in terms of (travel) tech news?

‘Developments are happening at lightning speed; from having hybrid holidays and tasters of destinations in the Metaverse, to all the technology that provides you with an incredible experience at the location itself. Virtual Reality is rapidly becoming huge, and I expect that in the coming year, within the travel industry, we are going to see it being used for an immense number of cool new opportunities.’

What will be the most spectacular innovations and to what extent will they play a role in the short term?

‘We will see the arrival of new VR glasses from every major technology brand in the coming months. Some even more sophisticated than others. On the other hand, they are also becoming cheaper, making them available to a wider audience. This is going to greatly accelerate the adoption of the Metaverse, in my opinion.’

What start-ups/organisations or new initiatives have your attention and what can the travel industry learn from them?

‘No specific companies, but a number of them are working on solutions on both the software and hardware side. I really enjoy the many experiments or already successful implementations that arrive onto the market every day.’

Does the travel/hospitality industry respond adequately to technological advances, now and in the future?

‘You always see a few frontrunners; there were hotels five years ago that offered guests the opportunity to walk around a hotel room with VR, to give them a better view of the place than is possible with flat photographs. But as with other technologies, you notice that the industry is still hesitant. I understand that, because experimentation and implementation costs a lot of time, effort and money.’

What will your session at TravelCongress 2023 be about?

‘The Metaverse! What impact is this going to have on the travel industry? What are cool examples of authorities and organisations already working with it? As an organisation, how can you start using it? And what developments can we expect in the coming years?’