ALULA: A new metaverse hot air balloon experience will give visitors a bird’s-eye view of a 3-D model of Hegra’s Tomb of Lihyan in AlUla, the Royal Commission for AlUla announced on Monday.
The virtual journey, developed in cooperation with the Saudi Arabian Hot Air Ballooning Federation, is scheduled to begin during the upcoming AlUla Balloon Festival, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The experience will give tourists a panoramic view of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
And a limited number of visitors will be offered the opportunity to obtain a wearable non-fungible token to unlock future metaverse experiences.
The information portals are designed to guide visitors through sites that capture more than 200,000 years of AlUla’s history and heritage, while at the same time driving forward digital transformation and innovation.
Ahmed Daoud, the RCU’s acting executive director of innovation, said: “The commission’s entry into the metaverse is the first step of a journey that will eventually reveal many new worlds and help expand and strengthen AlUla’s relationship with the new tech-savvy generations around the world.”
He noted that creating the tomb in the metaverse enhanced the visitor experience, allowing better interaction with the monument.
“The balloon tourism experience in the metaverse allows for viewing the tomb in new dimensions, giving digital explorers exceptional access to one of the most important attractions in the world, in ways that exceed what is possible in real life,” Daoud added.
The new virtual experience, part of the Decentraland platform, has been created in partnership with global creative consultancy Frog Design, giving tourists access to unique attractions from anywhere in the world.
Frog Design, part of Capgemini Invent, has been contracted to develop and facilitate Hegra’s emergence into the metaverse and to support the RCU’s strategy to drive innovation and digital progress through the comprehensive development of AlUla Governorate.
In November, the commission introduced an immersive 3-D model of Hegra’s Tomb of Lihyan, son of Kuza, into the metaverse marking the first time a UNESCO World Heritage Site had been recreated for the fictional universe.
