Masjid Negara goes digital by rolling out virtual guided tours

Travel and social distancing restrictions might be in place but that will not stop tourists from viewing Masjid Negara (National Mosque of Malaysia). The mosque is launching a 360-degree virtual tour accompanied by experienced Masjid tour guides via its built-in video call feature.

The VR-powered mosque tour is a joint digitalisation initiative by Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM), Masjid Negara Malaysia, Islamic Outreach ABIM Centre Masjid Tour Guide Program (IOAC-MTGP) and technology platform LokaLocal. Replicating its in-person walking tour available on regular days, visitors can explore 10 key areas within Masjid Negara, such as the Main Prayer Hall, Main Speech Hall, Warrior Mausoleum, Sundial and Gallery.

The tour incorporates 360-degree photography, videos and stories that provide a lively insight into the features, architecture, history and function of the mosque. For instance, people can see the Main Prayer Hall light up beautifully in a time-lapse sequence, watch a video on the call to prayer, and listen to an audio explanation. It can be viewed on web and mobile, or by wearing VR headsets. The live guided tours are available in English, Chinese and Malaysia and are available for booking on the IOA Centre website. Self-guided tours are also available with a 60-minute time limit.

While LokaLocal declined to reveal the monetary amount of the partnership, its CEO Chin Yoon Khen explained that Masjid Negara is one of its early adopters for VR. "We considered its scalability and value of impact investing more than its monetary value. In turn, this allowed us to accelerate our market validation, adoption rate and acceptance rate to become a key VR player in Malaysia during the pandemic," Chin explained. 

The tours will be promoted through social media, blogs, LokaLocal's VR streaming platform, traditional and online media as well as word of mouth. Since the launch, LokaLocal has had around 120 sign ups and group requests to host the live guided session. 

LokaLocal is eyeing more than 50% in ROI within the first two years as mainstream adoption for online guided virtual tours increases, and as different mosques in Malaysia turn to VR as a primary marketing tool through web, mobile and headsets. It also expects a 20% year-on-year increase from the third year onwards. According to Chin, this is spurred on by the growing popularity of gaming and the increased awareness for VR, which leads to this technology becoming more accessible to consumers and businesses.

Masjid Negara is one of the few tourist sites to have launched virtual tours. TourHQ, an online platform that connects travellers with tourism service providers, for example, has virtual tours of Monemvasia in Greece, Caesarea in Israel, Banias National Park in Syria, and Lyon in France.

Separately, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri said the country will promote family-oriented nature tourism as Malaysia recovers from COVID-19. Quoting the minister, The Star said Malaysia will "set itself apart" from its neighbours by becoming a "nature-based destination" that targets families. The country also plans to capitalise on its natural beauty as well as promote "clean, healthy, family-oriented tourism", she added.

Malaysia, according to Nancy, is ready for the trend and growth of nature-based tourism. According to her, the upcoming Escape Cameron Highlands will serve "a catalytic role" in new tourism investments, as well as rejuvenate interest in the country's eco-tourism sector.

Photo courtesy: 123RF