Sunverse.net

Agents to get cruise training in 3D virtual world Second Life

via http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-bzkitc0923,0,912922.column

Travel Technology Initiative Special Report: Costa Cruises plans to use virtual world Second Life to host ship tours and training sessions for UK travel agents. The Italian cruise operator has already launched Costa Serena on Second Life and has created a room within the ship for online classrooms, customer presentations and press conferences. Costa corporate e-business director Daniele Mancini said Costa would use Second Life to train agents on its trade booking tool Costaclick as well as take them on virtual ship tours. The company, which is part of Carnival Corporation, has also experimented with blogs as a way of getting the brand talked about and picked up by the search engines. Mancini said: "Second Life is a medium, a social network and it does not cost a lot. It's a few thousand Euros which is very cheap compared with newspaper advertising." He added that agents get to see the ship as it is and to the same scale as in the real world. In May Costa inaugurated Costa Serena while simultaneously launching the ship and a cruise terminal on Second Life. by Linda Fox

Get Real ! ( With Entropia )

I have just realized how important this PR if for the future of Entropia and possibly the tourism industry in Virtual World. I am a firm believer of reality in virtuality and this move is very clever indeed.

Just have a look at the pictures below...

Marketwire - July 25, 2007) - Entropia Universe, the safest virtual world utilizing a real cash economy, has signed a license agreement to use the stunning high-tech game engine CryENGINE 2®, from German developer Crytek, creators of "Far Cry®" and upcoming "Crysis®." This will make Entropia Universe the closest-to-reality looking massively multiplayer online game ever seen. The transition to an Entropia Universe platform built around this new technology is expected to be finished by mid-2008, and will be available to all Entropia Universe partners.

Creator MindArk PE AB's CEO Jan Welter Timkrans explains, "The upgrade of Entropia Universe will be built around the spectacular features supplied by CryENGINE 2®, offering a complete and immersive experience to Entropia participants. It will create synergies between the proven and safe Real Cash Economy backbone, the Entropia storyline with colonists fighting to establish a new world, and the very life-like visuals supplied from CryENGINE 2®." He continues, "When we saw what the engine was capable of, we immediately understood that it would be perfect for Entropia, as both MindArk and Crytek are pioneers in their respective fields."

Rixos opens virtual hotel in Second Life

At the virtual hotel opened by Rixos Hotels in the virtual world of Second Life, everything operates in the same way as in real Rixos Hotels in Turkey. The hotel also plans to choose its future personnel from among the personnel who prove to be successful in the second life

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=82950

Turkey's Rixos Hotel Group, a luxury chain, is opening its latest luxury hotel in “Second Life (SL),” an Internet based virtual world launched in 2003 that now has over eight million registered users.

Upon its completion, Rixos Hotel Group will be the highest investor in the SL with golf areas, entertainment and other social facilities. The hotel will choose its future personnel from among registered users who prove to be successful in the virtual world. The hotel's operation will be the same as in the real world and will also enable students studying tourism to virtually run the various departments of the hotel.

  “As we couldn't open the hotel on time in real life, we decided to open one up in the virtual world,” said Fettah Tamince, chairman of the hotel chain.

  He said they opened the hotel in Amsterdam in the SL and that there was no difference between opening a hotel in reality or virtually. “We are watching the developments, changing trends and needs in the world. Virtual investment is the result of this kind of vision.”

Job opportunity:

  Tamince expects the benefit of finding good personnel for their real hotels in Turkey from among the virtual employees.

  “The hotel in the virtual world should be managed in the same way as it is handled in the real world. A professional team will thus work at the virtual hotel and they will do the same work as they had to do in real hotels,” he said. “So, our project will offer job opportunities for those who are studying tourism and want to work in our hotel chain.”

   The services and their quality will be the same as those offered in real Rixos hotels and discounted holiday rates will be offered to customers who preferred to stay at the virtual Rixos. A 5,000-member team currently runs the hotel. 

  The Rixos Hotel World, which is built on an island belonging to the Rixos Hotel Group, has a 40-room hotel, spa and wellness center, meeting hall, shopping centers, restaurant and French Street.

Taking a Virtual Break at TUI (from 3pointd.com)

While many residents of the virtual world of Second Life have taken themselves off on a short break to Chicago for Second Life Community Convention (SLCC) 2007, I have had to settle for a virtual holiday instead. Courtesy of German travel company, TUI, I have been rafting, scuba-diving, and exploring wrecked pirate ships at their virtual beach resort in Second Life.

The TUI AG group is perhaps the largest holidy tour operator in the world, and includes brands such as Thomson in the UK. This Second Life presence, spanning 4 islands, is intended to advertise their German tour operations. These are classed under 3 major “sub-brands” which are reflected in the names of their islands. TUI Schöne Ferien (classic seaside holidays), TUI Weltentdecker (city breaks and circular trips) and TUI Premium (high-end holidays).

You actually arrive in the islands at the airport on »Tui Island«, stepping off the inbound TUIfly.com jet and making your way to the entrance plaza. Here you can pick up those all-essential holiday freebies, like swimwear, scuba gear and surf boards, before heading out into the island complex. The site is manned currently for around 4 hours a day. There is also a treasure hunt for those so inclined, but as that doesn’t include me, I have no idea of what’s involved or what you stand to win.

As I’ve already mentioned there are a number of things to keep you entertained. As well as the soggy sports alluded to aboue, you can try your hand at golf (on the tiny driving range) or visit the temple, with its vaguely pre-Columbian American imagery. There is a firework display every half hour and a thalassotherapy centre. As you might expect, there are also many meeting and dance area, and throughout there are links to relevant pages on the TUI website. And this is only scratching the surface of the activities available.

It will interesting to see how this island complex is received. Aside from its role as a 3D advertising hoarding, I assume it is also an experiment to explore what a future 3D internet site might offer. There is much here to amuse and engage people, but right now it feels like it is missing something. The site has been open about a month, but as yet there is no sign of a schedule of events. Also, the majority (if not all) of the activities are individual, not group, pursuits. With such a large site at their disposal I think that TUI and their virtual world consultants are missing an opportunity to encourage a community. However, it is early days and the site is still finding its feet. There is a group, the “TUI Island Club”, that will be used to advise of events once a schedule has been worked out.

The whole complex has been designed and constructed by Blue Sky Media, based in Hanover. You can watch their ad for the build on YouTube.

Video Google Map updated

  Just to let you know that I have updated the google map with video of new Holland and brugge in Second Life. Enjoy here !