Yigit Yigiter, Chief Executive of virtual reality app Timelooper, has won a prestigious World Travel Market London 2016 World Travel Leaders Award in recognition of how the innovation helps tourists “travel back in time”.
The company received the coveted award today (7 November) at the WTM World Travel Leaders Award ceremony. Timelooper, General Manager Europe, Nick Larson collected the award from Hazel Lyons, Associate Publisher, Travel Weekly US.
The Awards give WTM London’s Official Media Partners – which represent key travel industry media around the world – an excellent platform to congratulate and recognise those companies and individuals that have made significant and ground-breaking contributions to travel and tourism in their region or sector.
Three nominations from each of WTM London’s media partners were judged in September by a panel of three, consisting of an independent body, a representative of WTM London and the relevant media partner.
Timelooper is an app that combines augmented and virtual reality to enhance travellers’ experiences. The app can bring additional levels of “edutainment” to destinations around the world. It uses geolocation in smartphones to trigger a virtual reality video featuring that exact spot during a time of historic importance.
For instance, visitors in Trafalgar Square can see a virtual reality recreation of the blitz in the Second World War on their phone. It also features the Tower of London in medieval times and the Great Fire of London in 1666. Visitors in New York can see significant moments in the history in Times Square and Rockefeller Center, and many more locations are being developed.
The judges at the WTM World Travel Leaders Award said: “This innovation can fundamentally change the way a destination is experienced by engaging people in the destination past and present.”
Every year, World Travel Leaders Awards are presented at WTM London. The full list of 2016 winners is:
Canada: Destination Canada
Italy: Grimaldi Lines
India: SpiceJet Airlines
Spain: LogiTravel
Brazil: Serra Verdo Express
Portugal: The Azores Tourism Board
China: UTour Group Co. Ltd
Travel Weekly US: Yigit Yigiter (Timelooper)
Travolution: GLH Hotels
Middle East: Dubai Parks & Resorts
TTG: Holiday Extras
WTM London is the event where the travel and tourism industry conducts its business deals. Buyers from the WTM Buyers’ Club have a combined purchasing responsibility of $22.6 billion (£15.8bn) and sign deals at the event worth $3.6 billion (£2.5bn).
