The new definition of urban tourism: combining history, art, entertainment, and technology.

The history of urban tourism

Cities are the birthplace of human civilization and the center of human activity.

Over 2,300 years ago, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said:

"People gather in cities to live, and stay in cities to live better."

This statement illustrates that cities are an inevitable product of human life and development.

The history of urban tourism dates back to ancient times.

In the early days, urban tourism was primarily driven by religious pilgrimages, political visits, and commercial trade.

For example, the pilgrimage routes in Europe were an ancient form of urban tourism, where people traveled from all over the world to religious holy sites such as Jerusalem and Rome.

Image source: Expedia

With the development of the social economy, urban tourism gradually became an important form of tourism.

The "Grand Tour" in 17th to 18th century Europe was a significant stage in the development of urban tourism.

Noble and wealthy families in Britain and continental Europe often sent their children on a trip before entering society, in order to broaden their horizons and expand their knowledge.

Promotion of urban tourism

With the development of technology and the convenience of transportation, what once required people to spend a long time and effort to travel to distant places can now be accomplished in just a few days.

For example, in ancient times, to travel from China to Europe via the Silk Road, it would take months or even years to reach the destination.

However, with the development of transportation, people can now quickly reach their destinations using airplanes, trains, cars, and other modes of transportation.

This not only shortens travel time but also reduces travel costs.

As a result, promotion has become an essential part of urban tourism.

Promotional methods are diverse, including advertisements, social media marketing, travel brochures, travel websites, and more. These can enhance a city's visibility and attractiveness, drawing more tourists.

Next, let nspace introduce some common promotional methods.

A. Advertising

Filming promotional advertisements to promote urban tourism is one of the most common methods.

For example, the following advertisement features famous tennis star Roger Federer and talk show host Trevor Noah. The video begins with them accidentally boarding the wrong train and then showcases the beautiful scenery of Switzerland through their journey.

This type of promotional video is distributed through channels such as television and social media, effectively conveying the city's unique features and charm, and sparking tourists' desire to travel.

B. Social Media

Social media marketing has become a popular promotional method in recent years.

Social media platforms have a wide audience base, making them effective for spreading information about urban tourism.

For example, the Taipei City Tourism Bureau has set up an official Facebook page for the Taipei Travel Network, sharing various attractions in Taipei. Through social media, cities can showcase the latest travel information, events, and promotions, and interact with tourists.

C. Travel Brochures and Websites

Travel brochures and websites are important sources of information for urban tourism, providing tourists with details about transportation, accommodation, dining, attractions, and more, helping them plan and organize their trips.

For example, the Toyota City tourism website. In addition to creating a dedicated tourism website for visitors to learn about relevant travel information, Toyota City also offers travel brochures in multiple languages, allowing tourists to browse and visit the places they wish to explore.

https://www.tourismtoyota.jp/tw/

Image source: Toyota City Official Tourism Website

Other forms of promotion also include cross-industry collaborations for urban tourism. Cities can enhance their visibility and attractiveness by hosting various travel festivals and PR events.

Cross-Industry Collaboration in Urban Tourism

Urban tourism has always been a powerful engine for economic growth and cultural exchange. However, the demand for travel experiences from modern tourists continues to evolve, and cities must constantly innovate to attract them.

In addition to local resources, the success of urban tourism also depends largely on cross-industry collaboration.

nspace has compiled some urban tourism case studies and strategies to introduce cross-industry collaboration in urban tourism.

A. Film Collaboration: Exploring the Magic of Cities

Movies have always been a powerful force in attracting global audiences, and using cities as film locations is a successful collaboration strategy.

For example, King's Cross Station in London, with its famous Platform 9 ¾, has become a must-visit spot for Harry Potter fans.

Image source: richabba.com

The scenes at King's Cross Station, due to the Harry Potter story, attract visitors from all over the world.

These tourists want to personally experience the magical world, imagining themselves as wizards fighting dark magic and feeling the mysterious sensation of taking the train to a magic school.

These urban tourism attractions create unique experiences through collaborations with the film industry, increasing interaction and engagement with visitors.

B. Collaboration with the Anime Industry: Driving the Anime Craze

Animation, comics, and anime culture have become a global phenomenon, and cities can attract anime enthusiasts through collaborations with this industry.

For example, Ogaki City in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, became famous for being the backdrop of the manga "A Silent Voice."

"A Silent Voice" is an animated film based on the manga of the same name by Ogaki-based manga artist Yoshitoki Ōima.

Although the locations mentioned in the story are fictional, most of the landscapes were inspired by the scenery of Ogaki City.

In October 2018, to mark the 100th anniversary of Ogaki City, a video titled "One Day I Will Meet You" was released on YouTube.

In addition, in April 2020, two PR animations "Let's Go to Ogaki Festival!" and "Gagitabi! ~ Castle of Youth Version" were released.

This attracted a large number of anime fans to visit and also increased the local popularity.。

Such cooperation has attracted many anime fans who are willing to spend time and money to experience their favorite culture, promoted the city's hotels, restaurants and small vendors, and brought countless economic benefits.

C. Events: Celebrating the uniqueness of the city

Special festivals and events in cities are great opportunities to attract tourists.

These events can include music festivals, cultural exhibitions, food festivals, etc.

For example, Thailand's Water Splashing Festival and Taiwan's Dagang Music Festival are both major events that attract large numbers of tourists.

Image source: amazing.THILAND

These events not only bring economic benefits to the city, but also provide a platform for cultural exchange. Visitors can experience the uniqueness of the city at these events while also having the opportunity to interact with local residents.

In addition to relying on the city’s local resources for cross-border cooperation, with the rise of the Web3 world, a cooperative promotion model and strategy has been added to urban tourism to attract more tourists, promote economic development, and enrich tourists’ travel experience.

Singapore partners with The Sandbox to launch Lion City, an urban tourism experience

To promote urban tourism, Singapore launched the urban tourism experience "Lion City" at The Sandbox.

This virtual experience takes visitors on a journey through the unique landscape of Singapore, bringing the beauty and culture of this modern city into the metaverse.

Every user who participates in Lion City can see Singapore’s famous tourist attractions.城。

Let nspace introduce you to some of the famous attractions in The Sandbox in Singapore.

A. Merlion

As soon as we enter this Lion City experience today, you can see that the first task is to collect Singapore’s most famous Merlion.

Although the Merlion is a Merlion Park in Singapore, in The Sandbox experience, he becomes a collectible of the Metaverse.

This iconic sculpture has become a symbol of Singapore, and we can feel the charm of Singapore's city by collecting Merlion.

Image source: AEBack 🍀애백🍀

B. Jewel Changi Airport

Image credit: Klook

Jewel Changi Airport is the newest shopping mall in Singapore Changi Airport. It extends the image of Singapore as a garden city and moves the entire botanical garden "Forest Valley" indoors. The world's largest indoor waterfall "Rain Vortex" is extremely eye-catching.

In the Metaverse, this attraction is carefully recreated, allowing visitors to experience the beauty of nature in the virtual world.。

Image source: AEBack 🍀애백🍀

C. Singapore Flyer

In addition, the Ferris wheel is also an attraction not to be missed in Lion City.

Singapore Flyer is the tallest and largest observation wheel in the world, facing the dazzling night view of Singapore Sands Hotel, Merlion Park and Skytree of Gardens by the Bay. In The Sandbox, you can also find the Singapore Flyer, where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of virtual Singapore as if you were there in person.

This Singapore collaboration with The Sandbox brings together a new city tourism experience that blends the real and virtual worlds. Visitors can explore the beauty of Singapore in a virtual environment and collect unique collectibles in the metaverse, which will become an exciting trend in future urban tourism.

How will the metaverse experience change urban tourism?

1. Cross-border integration to preserve history, art and entertainment

The Metaverse can virtualize a city’s history, art, and entertainment resources, allowing visitors to have an immersive experience in the virtual world.

For example, the South China Morning Post’s experience at The Sandbox chronicled the history of Hong Kong.

Image source: The Sandbox

Through The Sandbox, we can experience what Hong Kong was like in its early years, visit the port, enjoy art performances, etc.

This will help preserve the city's history and culture and enrich tourists' travel experience.

2. Product placement in the tourism industry to gain more sponsorship and advertising revenue

The Metaverse can provide new promotional channels for the tourism industry.

For example, in the night market experience built by nspace, Taiwan’s food culture can be incorporated, allowing the stores to be seen by more people in the metaverse.。

Businesses can also advertise through the Metaverse to promote their products and services, which will help the tourism industry gain more sponsorship and advertising revenue.

3. Turn travel brochures, advertisements, hotel booking websites and other related information into NFTs.

The metaverse experience can also be used to improve subsequent marketing strategies.

Tourism operators can turn travel brochures, advertisements, booking websites and other related information into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and airdrop them to the wallets of tourists participating in the Metaverse experience.

Or you can bundle souvenirs with NFTs to make virtual-real integrated products for sale.

For example, in the 2023 FIBA ​​World Cup Basketball Tournament, as long as you purchase the NFT issued by FIBA ​​this time, you will have the opportunity to get World Cup VIP group stage tickets, VIP finals tickets and a basketball signed by legendary star Pau Gasol.

Image source: mementos.fiba.basketball

Doing so not only provides useful information, but also creates a way for interaction and feedback.

Tourists can easily access this information in the virtual world, which also increases their interest in city tourism and further promotes the city’s various tourism resources.

Conclusion

As a pioneer of the Metaverse, The Sandbox hopes to allow more players, creators, brands, and IP celebrities to join the Metaverse in the future and use the power of Web3 to provide education, social experiences, and activities.

As more and more people join The Sandbox, the platform’s global influence will continue to expand, bringing a brighter future for virtual creation and the development of virtual worlds.

If you are a brand that wants to expand into the global market, create brand voice and value, and combine online and offline marketing to create unlimited possibilities, you can contact nspace fan page.

nspace is a company that specializes in creating Web3 experiences for brands. We provide land sales/leasing and asset construction for The Sandbox, as well as marketing and planning for brands and products.。

nspace has helped Shin Kong Life Insurance participate in MegaCity3’s land offering at The Sandbox, using Campbell as a Premium Asset, and will also launch its own The Sandbox experience this year.

If you want to learn how to operate Voxedit, learn how to design, build, and own your own assets in The Sandbox, you can click on the link below to watch more course content, become a metaverse designer, and explore The Sandbox together.

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