Japanese Travelers Try Virtual Vacations
2020-08-14
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1Japanese businessman Katsuo Inoue chose Italy for his summer vacation this year.
2He enjoyed the views of Florence and Rome - without ever leaving Tokyo.
3Inoue and his wife "flew" to Italy on First Airlines, a company known for entertainment, not transportation.
4The Tokyo-based company entered the growing virtual reality market, as people face travel restrictions because of COVID-19.
5"I often go overseas on business, but I haven't been to Italy," Inoue told the Reuters news agency.
6"My impression was rather good because I got a sense of actually seeing things there."
7The "passengers" on First Airlines sit in the first- or business-class areas of a fake airplane.
8They are even shown a safety demonstration and given a life vest and oxygen mask.
9Workers serve meals and drinks as large screens show passing clouds and other views outside the airplane.
10The "travelers" then receive virtual reality eye wear that provides immersive tours of places like Paris, New York, Hawaii and Rome and other Italian cities.
11Japan has recorded over 50,000 coronavirus infections and just over 1,000 deaths.
12Those numbers come from the Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
13A second wave of infections starting in July has stopped most travel in and out the country.
14The country's biggest airline, ANA Holdings, said the numbers of passengers flying to foreign countries fell by 96 percent in June.
15And the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted last month that it would take until the year 2024 for international travel to recover.
16But First Airlines says business has increased by 50 percent since the start of the coronavirus restrictions.
17Its president, Hiroaki Abe, said, "We get some customers who normally travel to Hawaii every year and they can experience some of that here."
18I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Japanese businessman Katsuo Inoue chose Italy for his summer vacation this year. He enjoyed the views of Florence and Rome - without ever leaving Tokyo. 2Inoue and his wife "flew" to Italy on First Airlines, a company known for entertainment, not transportation. The Tokyo-based company entered the growing virtual reality market, as people face travel restrictions because of COVID-19. 3"I often go overseas on business, but I haven't been to Italy," Inoue told the Reuters news agency. "My impression was rather good because I got a sense of actually seeing things there." 4The "passengers" on First Airlines sit in the first- or business-class areas of a fake airplane. They are even shown a safety demonstration and given a life vest and oxygen mask. Workers serve meals and drinks as large screens show passing clouds and other views outside the airplane. 5The "travelers" then receive virtual reality eye wear that provides immersive tours of places like Paris, New York, Hawaii and Rome and other Italian cities. 6Japan has recorded over 50,000 coronavirus infections and just over 1,000 deaths. Those numbers come from the Japanese public broadcaster NHK. A second wave of infections starting in July has stopped most travel in and out the country. 7The country's biggest airline, ANA Holdings, said the numbers of passengers flying to foreign countries fell by 96 percent in June. And the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted last month that it would take until the year 2024 for international travel to recover. 8But First Airlines says business has increased by 50 percent since the start of the coronavirus restrictions. 9Its president, Hiroaki Abe, said, "We get some customers who normally travel to Hawaii every year and they can experience some of that here." 10I'm Ashley Thompson. 11The Reuters news agency reported this story. Hai Do adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 12Words in This Story 13view - n. the things that can be seen from a particular place 14impression - n. the effect or influence that something or someone has on a person's thoughts or feelings 15fake - adj. meant to look real or genuine but not real or genuine 16mask - n. a covering for your face or for part of your face 17vest - n. a special piece of clothing that you wear on your upper body for protection or safety 18screen - n. the usually flat part of a television or computer monitor that shows the images or text 19immersive - adj. relating to digital technology or images that actively involve one's senses 20customer - n. someone who buys goods or services from a business