Seoul will be the first city in the world to be visited in the metaverse!
Will the ‘metaverse’ be the new reality in world tourism in the coming years? We’ll see what happens! In the meantime, ‘meta-verses’ are springing up all over the world in all fields.
“Metaverse Seoul” will allow residents to visit famous tourist attractions, attend festivals and even submit documents in the offices of a city hall in virtual reality.
The South Korean capital, Seoul, has announced plans to build its own twin in a metaverse.
Residents will soon be able to attend concerts, visit famous tourist sites or complain about potholes (the real ones) with the municipality through virtual reality.
The city government has revealed its plans to build a Blade Runner-style “Seoul Metaverse” by the end of next year.
Seoul and a virtual twin to cross over.
The project will begin with a virtual launch event later this year and will aim to initially build a virtual mayor’s office and even a city hall in the metaverse.
Citizens will have a 3D avatar that can handle complaints and questions at a “Metaverse Center” to avoid queues and carry out paperwork in VR.
A ‘virtual twin’ with a different purpose from that of the models created to ‘test’ urban planning solutions. In presence, but not in person.
The ‘metaverse’ version of Seoul will also try to provide better services for people with disabilities, with immediate and preferential routes: but it will also think of citizens from other countries.
The city will also present a ‘virtual tourist zone’ that will include the main tourist sites. Even historical areas destroyed in previous wars, such as the Donuimun Gate, destroyed in 1915.
Even the famous Seoul Lantern Festival will be open to the world in a metaverse version (but from 2023).
An ’emotional’ city: the vision of Seoul 2030
The project (which starts with a rather small amount of funding, around €2 million) is part of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-Hoon’s ambitious plans to create an “emotional future city” by the end of the decade.
A city that builds its range of services and culture in the “metaverse”.
