Beyond the Ionian Film Office metaverse: design and development of a tourism location guide for Ionian Islands in Greece

Abstract

In this work, we present one of the first attempts to extend to the Metaverse, the Ionian Film Office, a public service inaugurated and supported by the prefecture of Ionian islands in Greece. Today, the wide availability of metaverse platforms, combined with the introduction of new types of interaction devices, the increase in connectivity speeds and the wide acceptance of those methods by the public are all factors that allow advanced levels of mixed virtual/physical collaboration to be realized. Within this real-life case study, we explore various developmental aspects that should be considered from different perspectives. Those include: adaptation of the intended interactivity scenario and use of the virtual space for other complementary purposes beyond its original intended use; various issues that commonly arise during collaboration as officials have to be present and interact in both the actual and virtual spaces with producers; designing for potential tourists or tourism office representatives who explore the available information gathered from a visiting-touristic perspective; the incorporation of various uses that include providing a shared visiting space for virtual exhibitions within touristic expos; the ethical and legal implications that arise.