Holywood Chamber launches first ever virtual reality tour

Holywood has become the first town in Northern Ireland to launch a virtual reality (VR) tour of the town in a ‘game-changing’ marketing and tourism initiative.The County Down initiative has been introduced by Holywood Chamber of Commerce and created by local business, JohnsonWestco, using both drone technology and 360-degree VR photography.The digital tour commences with a 360-degree birds-eye view of Holywood, allowing the user to move between 11 drones to view the entire town as if in the sky.It also allows full zoom-in access with an option to enter the shops in an immersive experience, virtually placing them in the picture.Holywood Chamber of Commerce who’s mission it is to promote the business interests of the town and surrounding areas, says they feel the project will help put them on the map both locally and internationally.After over 50 years trading in the town Leslie Waite, joint president of Holywood Chamber of Commerce, and owner of Hannah’s Florist, said: “As a business owner in Holywood for over 52 years, I am really excited about this new technology which will really help us shout about just how amazing Holywood is to visit, shop and do business in.“The drone footage and photography are second-to-none and really brings our town to life showing everything from the beautiful seafront, historical points of interest, to public transport links, parking, to the 70+ independent shops spanning everything from ladies clothing boutiques, to silver smiths, award-winning restaurants and the many delicious coffee shops and delicatessens.”The Holywood Virtual Tour is accessible via smart phone, tablet, computer or VR headset, and the different businesses featured can embed the link to the tour within their own website and social media channels.Call-out tags have been placed throughout the Tour which gives further details about an individual business’ product or service, allowing a photo gallery, digital brochure, voucher or menus to be uploaded, linking to external websites or E-commerce store.Highlighting the hard work and commitment from within the Chamber and community to get the initiative up and running, David Johnson, co-owner of JohnsonWestCo, explained: “We are over the moon to be finally launching Holywood’s Virtual Tour after many months of planning and hard work.“The technology will not only help tourism, but it will also help boost sales and footfall as it allows potential visitors to get a glimpse of what’s on offer before they embark on a trip.“It also allows businesses to link their own E-commerce websites to the tour, boosting sales internationally.”With 35 businesses already signed up for the project, Susi Diesel, co-president of Holywood Chamber and manager of Camphill Coffee Shop, urged others to register.She added: “We are delighted that Holywood is the first to invest in this technology – it is such a unique town, rich in both history, character and culture and made up of many different independent businesses that allows visitors to get a glimpse onto the High Street and the surrounding areas. 35 businesses have signed up to the project, with more being added weekly. We urge anyone who hasn’t signed up yet to get in touch as the more businesses we have listed, the more it offers the viewer.”