Published in September 2021, this guide explains virtual tours—immersive digital experiences that enable people to visit locations remotely as if they were physically present, though in virtual form. Using a virtual tour, visitors can navigate through spaces and view them in their entirety by moving between linked 360-degree images via clickable icons.
Types and Technology
Virtual tours exist in several forms. The simplest versions allow movement between rooms using directional icons. The most widely recognized virtual tour application is Google Street View, which guides people along streets on Google Maps. The same technology extends into businesses, where customers can enter locations mapped with 360-degree cameras—a process requiring a dedicated photographic survey. This allows hotel guests to view bedrooms, museum visitors to explore galleries, and art enthusiasts to examine collections in detail.
Panoramic 360-degree photography stored on Google Maps and Google Street View generates significant engagement. For example, one company’s spherical photos received over 55 million views through Street View alone. The technology enables users to become directors of their own experience, controlling what they see within apartments, museums, or galleries with precise detail.
Features and Integration
Virtual tours created with 360-degree photos offer advantages: they function on all devices while consuming minimal bandwidth, making them highly accessible. Information can be embedded within images through icons and interactive elements—such as navigation points between photos—and even aerial 360-degree images can include descriptive overlays, links to websites, live webcam feeds, and other supplementary content.
These tours can be uploaded to Google Maps, gaining visibility through Google’s promotional reach. Virtual tours also support VR viewer technology, ranging from simple Google Cardboard devices (cardboard headsets that hold smartphones) to more sophisticated devices such as Oculus and other augmented-reality visualizers.
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual tour?
A virtual tour is a system for visiting locations remotely by moving through linked 360-degree panoramic images. Users navigate between spaces using clickable icons, experiencing interiors and exteriors as if physically present but entirely online.
How are virtual tours created?
Virtual tours are created through photographic surveys using 360-degree cameras. These spherical images are then linked together and uploaded to platforms such as Google Maps and Google Street View, where they become accessible to the public.
What devices can display virtual tours?
Virtual tours function on all standard devices—computers, tablets, and smartphones—without significant bandwidth consumption. They also support VR viewers, including Google Cardboard, Oculus, and other 3D reality visualizers.
