Tag Archives: tourism

The World’s largest spokeless ferris wheel is coming up in Seoul

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Large ferris wheels seem to now be a landmark and tourist spot for a lot of large cities like London, Vienna, Budapest, Singapore, Dubai, etc. They provide a gorgeous view of the city to the people who fall in line (sometimes for hours) and also serve as part of the landscape for those viewing it from the ground. We will most likely see plans for more wheels to even more cities as it’s a pretty popular thing to do when visiting a place for the first time.

Designer: Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul has become one of the most popular cities to visit as Kpop, Kdramas and Korean food continue to conquer the world. The city government has now unveiled plans to add another thing for tourists and citizens to visit in what will possibly become the largest spokeless Ferris Wheel in the world. The Seoul Ring is set to start construction by 2025 and will be located in a former trash disposal site that is named after the sky or heaven. Haneul Park is now an ecological park when previously it was where a lot of the city’s garbage was dumped.

The ferris wheel will have a diameter of 591 feet and will have 36 glass carriages that can carry 25 occupants each. Aside from being visually stunning and give visitors a beautiful view of the city, it will also be environmentally friendly as it will be running on green energy. The “ring-without-spokes” design will use recycled energy, including solar power, adding to the eco-friendly theme of the park. They’re also planning to use augmented-reality to project things on the cubicles’ walls, like a virtual tourist guide while riding the wheel.

Haneul Park is actually close to North Korea so they also want it to become a symbol for their wish for a unified Korea. They’re expecting it to be able to carry up to 12,000 people every day when it will finally be completed by 2027 (hopefully). They local government will be investing around $411 million for this project as they look forward to having even more tourists visit the city. Hopefully, the Seoul Ring will become another draw to Seoul, among all the other things you can already do in the city.

The post The World’s largest spokeless ferris wheel is coming up in Seoul first appeared on Yanko Design.

This dominos-inspired skyscraper could become Africa’s second-tallest tower at 70-stories high!

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If brought to fruition, the Zanzibar Domino Commerical Tower will become Africa’s second-tallest building and a landmark tourist destination to help stimulate the country’s economy and tourism industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen some crushing setbacks on the tourism industry, in particular for countries that rely on it for their economic output. In response, architects have churned out some of their most daring and inspired plans, from apartment skyscrapers to floating museums, all with the hope of luring in tourists from across the world. Architecture and interiors firm xCassia unveiled its plans for Zanzibar Domino Commerical Tower, a dominos-inspired skyscraper slated for Zanzibar, an autonomous archipelago off the coast of East Africa, to become the second tallest building at 70-stories high in Africa and help stimulate Zanzibar’s local tourism industry.

If the building’s plans ever come to fruition, the multipurpose skyscraper will cover a sweeping 370,000 square meters and be composed of 360 scalloped slates with an observation deck at its highest point. One day, the tower is designed to function as a landmark tourist destination. xCassia initially developed the dominos-inspired tower for different sites in Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, but a recent contract was signed by Tanzanian AICL Group and Edinburgh Crowland Management for xCassia to begin progress on the skyscraper in Zanzibar.

The tower itself will be host to a 560-unit resident complex and five to six-star hotel and spa facilities. Covering 20-hectares on a 4km-long plot of land, the larger site will give rise to the largest resort in East and Central Africa, and will see a golf course, wedding chapel, and marina for yachts and cruise ships on the island’s private islet.

Jean-Paul Cassia, founder and design director of xCassia, described the tower’s initial inspiration, “First sketched in Paris in 2009, after my late father, two sons, and I played a round of dominos–I dreamed of building this project for over a decade. Between its innate mathematical order and geometries found in nature, its pure lines and proportions that evoke growth, progress, and freedom, it had all the bearings of an icon anyone could remember and draw on a paper napkin. All it lacked was the right visionary investor and site to make it come true.”

During the signing ceremony between AICL Group, Edinburgh Crowland Management, and xCassia, CEO of Crowland Management Ltd Dr. Emmanuel Umoh mentioned, “The building which will be called Zanzibar Domino Commercial Tower is expected to be one of the international iconic features, facilitating tourism, culture, and business opportunities.”

Designer: xCassia

This mixed-reality headset was designed to be your virtual tour-guide in foreign cities

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In every way, the Voyager is what the Google Glass project should have aimed at becoming. Designed to enhance the tourism experience by augmenting it with everything the internet has to offer, and to make you self-sufficient in a foreign city so you don’t have to awkwardly ask people for directions, the Voyager is a goggle-shaped mixed-reality headset that lets you explore new cities like never before. The Voyager connects to your phone, bringing elements of smartphone functionality to the mixed-reality space. This means you can navigate cities by seeing directions projected on the road ahead of you, can click pictures and capture videos of everything you see through the glasses, and can interface with real-world objects and buildings like your hotel, restaurants, tourist spots, and heritage monuments. Rather than augmented reality, which just projects virtual elements on the physical world, Voyager’s mixed reality interface means you can interact with elements, tapping on virtual buttons to check into your hotel, program destinations on your maps, and even send videos and images of your PoV to social media just by waving in the air!

The Voyager, just like other MR headsets like the Hololens, Oculus Quest, or the Vive, serves its specific purpose. While some headsets are designed specifically for entertainment, and others for work, the Voyager champions travel and living. The headset is styled to look like a pair of goggles, so people don’t stare at you; it comes with clear eyepieces so your eyesight is never obstructed, and you can wear the headset even when it’s switched off; and pairs with Voyager’s own helmet, which creates the perfect ecosystem of products designed to boost solo tourism and travel. Unlike other MR headsets, though, the Voyager isn’t meant for sale. Designed for temporary use-cases like holidays and quick trips, the Voyager can be rented from tourism offices, kiosks, and e-scooter rental centers.

Designers: Seunghye Han, Sieun Roh & Soomin Son

This 100% electric pod inspired by James Bond is the worlds first floating eco-hotel suite!

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Half the year is over and we haven’t been able to catch a break. To keep my hopes up, I continue to make a travel bucket list, and right now all I want to do is go off-the-grid regardless of the place. And there is nothing more perfect for that than Anthénea which is the world’s first autonomous and eco-friendly floating suite equipped with high-end facilities. This modern pod will literally wash all those worries away and you can continue being an eco-conscious traveler!

Anthénea is a UFO-shaped water suite made in France by veteran designers, engineers, and naval architects, whose vision was to create a nomadic vessel for eco-conscious tourists. It was a project born from the dreams of Jean-Michel Ducancelle, a naval architect, who was inspired by James Bond’s floating pod in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977). The 50 sqm pod has three living spaces – a living area, a sleeping zone, and a lounge area that features a 360° solarium on its roof for 12 people. All interior elements are entirely made from sustainable materials. Anthénea adapts to a wide temperature range (-30°C to +40°C) and its stabilizing ballasting keeps the seasickness at bay! Coastlines are often overburdened with tourism and Anthénea offers an ecological way to lighten that load while promoting sustainable travel which is our ultimate future.

The design has been decided upon after extensive study so that it can resist cataclysms and the rise of oceans. Its spherical shape is based on the principle of surface tension observed in nature. This is the optimal form of resistance to extreme conditions on the water. “By its shape and lift on water technology, the peripheral crown enhances the stability of the pod,” adds the team. It is equipped with silent electric motors that can keep it afloat indefinitely thanks to five south-facing solar panels and two electric propulsion pods. “Anthénea only uses solar power. An energy sensor dome meets the electrical and hot water needs. The home is equipped with certified black and gray water stations. She produces what she consumes and releases clean water only,” says the team. The domed shape helps optimize the sun’s rays for solar power and blend seamlessly into the environment. The central well serves as an undersea observatory and natural air conditioning system – design details like this about the structure makes Anthénea self-sustaining.

The most aesthetic part aside from the submarine-like views is the solarium with a motorized reclinable sunshade roof that enables it to automatically switch in the wind direction and facilitate natural ventilation of the living areas. All equipment and design choices are inspired by natural elements. Guests can upgrade their suites to include a desalination system and wood-burning stove that can be installed anywhere with zero environmental impact. Anthénea is a new kind of tourism, but also a new way of life in the face of many environmental challenges.

Designer: Jean-Michel Ducancelle of Anthénea

   

‘Pokémon Go’ creator Niantic to develop GPS-based tourism games

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It was at the helm of GPS/AR/Maps-based "exergaming" in 2013 with Ingress, saw phenomenal success with Pokémon Go, and will launch a location-based Harry Potter mobile game next year. Now, Niantic is making the natural move into tourism-focuse...