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Hubble Celebrates the 15th Anniversary of Servicing Mission 4

Hubble Glimpses a Star-Forming Factory

NASA Mission Strengthens 40-Year Friendship

NASA Selects Commercial Service Studies to Enable Mars Robotic Science

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams prepare for their mission in the company’s Starliner spacecraft simulator at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA’s Commercial Partners Deliver Cargo, Crew for Station Science

International SWOT Mission Can Improve Flood Prediction

NASA Is Helping Protect Tigers, Jaguars, and Elephants. Here’s How.

Two Small NASA Satellites Will Measure Soil Moisture, Volcanic Gases

C.26 Rapid Mission Design Studies for Mars Sample Return Correction and Other Documents Posted

NASA Selects Students for Europa Clipper Intern Program

The Big Event, 2024

This image of the Andromeda galaxy uses data from NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope. Multiple wavelengths are shown, revealing stars (in blue and cyan), dust (red), and areas of star formation. Dust swirls around like water going down a drain, as the black hole at the heart of the Andromeda consumes it.

NASA Images Help Explain Eating Habits of Massive Black Hole

NASA Licenses 3D-Printable Superalloy to Benefit US Economy

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ARMD Solicitations

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NASA’s Commitment to Safety Starts with its Culture

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Tech Today: NASA’s Ion Thruster Knowhow Keeps Satellites Flying

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Big Science Drives Wallops’ Upgrades for NASA Suborbital Missions

NASA Challenge Gives Artemis Generation Coders a Chance to Shine

NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars

Johnson Celebrates AA and NHPI Heritage Month: Kimia Seyedmadani

The Group 19 NASA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut candidates pose for a group photo – front row, Robert L. Satcher, left, Dorothy “Dottie” M. Metcalf-Lindenburger, Christopher J. Cassidy, Richard R. Arnold, Randolph J. Bresnik, and Thomas H. Marshburn; back row, Akihiko “Aki” Hoshide, left, Shannon Walker, Joseph M. Acaba, James P. Dutton, R. Shane Kimbrough, Satoshi Furukawa, José M. Hernández, and Naoko Yamazaki

20 Years Ago: NASA Selects its 19th Group of Astronauts

2021 Astronaut Candidates Stand in Recognition

Diez maneras en que los estudiantes pueden prepararse para ser astronautas

Astronauta de la NASA Marcos Berríos

image of an experiment facility installed in the exterior of the space station

Resultados científicos revolucionarios en la estación espacial de 2023

This almost full Moon shining in the eastern night sky was photographed on June 12, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA at Home: Virtual Tours and Apps

NASA is exploring our solar system and beyond, uncovering worlds, stars, and cosmic mysteries near and far with our powerful fleet of space and ground-based missions.

Explore our facilities. View our laboratories. Enter our operations control centers.

We invite you to tour NASA virtually from the comfort of your home or convenience of your mobile device.

RS-25 Rocket Engine Testing : NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi conducted a series of RS-25 rocket engine hot fire tests for NASA’s Space Launch System, which is being built for missions beyond low-Earth orbit that will carry crew and cargo to the Moon and destinations beyond.

Commercial Crew Program 360-Degree Virtual Reality Tour : NASA’s Commercial Crew Program works with commercial partners to launch astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil on American-built rockets and spacecraft . These immersive videos share the story of groundbreaking innovation borne of this government-industry partnership.

International Space Station Tour : The International Space Station is a unique scientific platform where astronauts conduct experiments across multiple disciplines of research – including Earth and space science, biology, human physiology, physical sciences, and technology demonstrations – that cannot be performed anywhere on Earth. In 2020, the station celebrated 20 years of a continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Operations Centers

Explore Goddard’s Clean Room : James Webb Space Telescope’s Communications Lead Laura Betz takes us behind the scenes inside the world’s largest clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Explore where the Hubble Space Telescope was built and where its successor – the James Webb Space Telescope – was assembled . See the special gowning process engineers go through on a daily basis to enter this super clean environment. This tour gives you a 360-degree look from the unique filter wall to the storage of Webb’s 18 gold-plated mirrors. Check out Goddard’s Space Environment Simulator, a massive thermal vacuum chamber in which scientists and engineers cryotested the heart of the telescope, ISIM, by lowering the temperature of the structure to 42 Kelvin (-384.1 Fahrenheit or -231.1 Celsius) and below to ensure that it can withstand the frigid temperatures Webb will face 1 million miles out in space.

Robotic Operations Center (ROC) : This 360-degree view of Goddard’s Robotic Operations Center (ROC) shows off its unique hexapod robot, which helps engineers simulate the way a satellite moves in space. Drag the photo to explore the rest of the state-of-the-art facility. The ROC acts as an incubator for satellite servicing technologies that will allow for the repair, refueling, and upgrading of spacecraft. In this lab, robotic capabilities are tested in spacelike conditions before they are put to action in orbit.

Solar System

Planets of Other Stars

NASA’s Exoplanet Excursions : A guided journey through the amazing TRAPPIST-1 star system, known to be the home of seven Earth-size exoplanets orbiting a star that is only a little larger than Jupiter. This also includes tours of the Spitzer Space Telescope and the ability to control the telescope yourself.

Exoplanet Travel Bureau : Explore 360-degree visualizations of the surfaces of planets of other stars (and download free posters!). This works on desktops and mobile devices, and it is optimized for such viewers as Google Cardboard.

NASA Centers (with virtual tours)

NASA’s Ames Research Center Virtual Tour : NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, has led NASA in conducting world-class research and development in aeronautics, exploration technology, and science aligned with the center’s core capabilities.

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Virtual Tours : NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is NASA’s primary center for high-risk, atmospheric flight research and test projects. For almost 75 years, research at Armstrong has led to major advancements and breakthroughs in the design and capabilities of many state-of-the-art civil and military aircraft.

NASA’s Glenn Research Center Virtual Tours : NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland designs and develops innovative technology to advance NASA’s missions in aeronautics and space exploration.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Virtual Tour : NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is humanity’s leading center for exploring where humans cannot yet reach. Its spacecraft have flown to every planet and the Sun in a quest to understand our place in the universe, and to search for the possibility of life beyond Earth.

NASA’s Johnson Space Center Virtual Tour : NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston is home to mission control and astronaut training. It also leads International Space Station operations and expeditions, development of the Orion spacecraft, NASA’s Gateway outpost program, and numerous other advanced human exploration projects.

NASA’s Langley Research Center Virtual Tours : NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, works to make revolutionary improvements to aviation, expand understanding of Earth’s atmosphere and develop technology for space exploration. It was also where NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson worked.

Featured Apps

NASA selfie app : Put your photo in a virtual spacesuit in front of some of NASA’s most captivating space images. Access the NASA Selfie app for iOS or the NASA Selfie app for Google .

NASA app : This app offers news and multimedia from around the agency ; other applications focus on individual NASA projects or research areas.

Aircraft and Aeronautics

Aeronautics augmented reality app : Learn about NASA’s X-57 Maxwell, X-59 QueSST, and G-III Gulfstream aircraft through an app that brings them onto your mobile phone.

“Next Stop: The Stratosphere” : Explore SOFIA, NASA’s flying observatory, a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry a 106-inch telescope. Scientists aboard SOFIA study stars, black holes, and more while flying between 38,000 and 45,000 feet.

Spacecraft augmented reality app : Learn about and interact with a variety of spacecraft that explore our solar system, study Earth, and observe the universe.

Browse more NASA apps and apps created by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory .

We encourage you to visit these sites for additional activities and resources:

NASA’s Artemis Program , NASA’s STEM Engagement , and NASA Kids’ Club

If you are interested in having a NASA speaker give a virtual presentation to your class or organization, visit the Speakers Bureau website and submit a request form.

Discover More Topics From NASA

NASA At Home

NASA at Home: For Kids and Families

NASA at Home: Be a Scientist

NASA at Home – E-books

The standard in 360° virtual tour software

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Create And Display Virtual Tours In 360º and VR

CloudPano 360° virtual tour software empowers you to create 360° virtual tours. With a few clicks, you can upload, connect, and publish a 360° immersive experience and host a 360º video chat call. No coding required. Get started today, its free. Sign Up Now.

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Create a 360° virtual tour with our easy three-step process.

Use any 360º camera, video or the CloudPano mobile app

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the best 3d tour software for real estate

Getting Started

What is a 360º virtual tour.

A 360º virtual tour on CloudPano is a marketing and sales tool to view and share a space in an immersive 360º environment. With a smartphone, the CloudPano viewer responds to your movement. This creates a responsive and immersive view of the property or interior space. Create your first 360º virtual tour in 5 minutes or less.

Add or Embed 360º Virtual Tours on any Website

(no app or plugin required).

When you publish a 360º virtual tour on CloudPano.com, you will automatically receive a code based link. You can embed your tour right onto your website. We host the tour, you show it off to the world.

Check out a live example

Cloudpano 360º virtual tour examples.

Explore some of our featured 360º tours from the CloudPano community

Florida Luxury 360º Virtual Tour Click to view this demo

New York VR Nursing Home Click to view this demo

Auto Dealership Click to view this demo

Luxury Residential Click to view this demo

AirBnB Rental Click to view this demo

Commercial Construction Click to view this demo

Enterprise Level Integrations

Boosted listing exposure with our exclusive 3rd party integration network

Your CloudPano 360º tours automatically integrate with realtor.com, Zillow, Apartments.com, Zumper, Hotpads, Trulia, Dealer.com and more!

If you are marketing real estate, you can embed your 360º tours on 3rd party listings and your website.

The CloudPano team is constantly innovating with industry leaders.

Simple 3D Tour Creation

Create your first tour in under five minutes.

Upload photos using a drag-and-drop interface. Click a single button to set an initial view for each scene. Add hotspots to navigate your tour.

Popular Features

Customize your logo

Set initial view

Re-order scenes

Share In Full 360º and VR

Share and display on any smart device out of the box.

Give meaningful experiences to your viewers. Built-in motion sensing capabilities and VR-goggle modes work right in the mobile browser. Reach your customer on any platform. Simply share your virtual tour with a single URL link.

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Customize Your Tour Branding

Add logos, embedded media, google analytics, and more.

Use linked hotspots to teleport between scenes. Add your logo and establish your brand. Embed video, raw HTML, chat bots - anything.

Customize Your Logo

Contact Information

Share on social media

Keep Your Custom URL

White-label your virtual tour

Use your own website domain.

Remove all references of CloudPano.com. Use your own logo and keep your website domain. Easily use your own URL. Add 360º virtual tours into your business and keep our name hidden.

Customize Your URL

Remove CloudPano Branding

Create Google Street View Virtual Tours

Business owners can upload 360º photos directly to Google Street View and keep their Google My Business listing up-to-date. When you create a Google Street View virtual tour on CloudPano, you integrate your 360º virtual tour with Google Maps. ‍ Boost local SEO and create a walkthrough experience inside your Google Maps and Google My Business listing.

Live 360º Video Chat

Our market-leading 360º video chat lets you hop into a 360º sales environment with one click. Share your screen and guide your participants through the CloudPano virtual tour. Quickly turn a 360º virtual tour prospect into an active and engaged lead thats ready to buy now .

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3D Dollhouse Floor Plans

Add immersive 3D dollhouse floor plans to your virtual tours. With a few clicksyou can create and customize 3D floor plans that connect and engage inside yourvirtual tour experience. If you are looking for 3D floor plan software, CloudPano is the perfectvirtual tour solution.

Add 3D floor plans to your virtual tours

Connect hotspots to 360º photos

Add 2D black and white or color floor plans

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The Perfect Software Toolkit For Virtual Tour Entrepreneurs

Start a local 360º virtual tour business, add virtual reality marketing to current business.

A Robust Software Solution To Power Your Virtual Tour Revenue

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Add or Embed Your Published 360º Virtual Tours Directly To Your Website or Blog (Wordpress Compatible)

Present Your 360º Tours In A Virtual Reality Headset

International Hosting On Local Server Networks (Speed Guaranteed)

CloudPano.com is a Virtual Tour Software built for entrepreneurs, photographers and real estate agents, brokers, car dealers, RV dealers, manufacturers and sales teams. You will be empowered to create world class 360º/VR virtual tours quickly, market at a high level AND keep your brand on the front of tour. If you are looking for a 360º virtual tour software built for the business owner - you are in the right place.

Simple Pricing

Three Published Projects Unlimited projects - swap published projects as needed
Unlimited scenes and photos per project
Scene Types Like 360 Photos, Spins, 360 Video, 2D Images, 2D Video
Add Hot Spots and Embed Media Share, embed, and display projects anywhere
Unlimited Published Projects
Whitelabel / Bring your own URL
Team Collaboration
Tour Privacy Settings
CloudPano Live in-tour Video Chat
Create Floor Plans and Dollhouse Tours
Google Street View Virtual Tours
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User testimonials.

"The technology is pretty amazing and the finished 3D tour is high definition. The tours played well on everything from a desktop to a cellphone. Highly recommended."

Donald Pierce

“ It's marketing like that this that makes you stick out amongst your competition ... and ultimately this moves property at a high level."

Carmello Pronesti

“ This technology changes the game. My customers are very excited about it. And I know when my customers are excited about it, I am going to make some more money . ”

Mark Mckinney

"360 tours are an easy way to upsell my clients on location. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to create a virtual tour on CloudPano.com."

Brian Berkowitz

“ CloudPano has a crisp and clean design . Plus the platform hosts the 360 virtual tours for me, so I can create tours quickly and get back to shooting."

Tony Thagard

I appreciate your team helping me out along the way and answering all questions that I have had so far. I am excited to continue to grow my business with the help of you and your team."

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Main Content

Tour the White House in 360 Degrees

Welcome to the White House 360 Virtual Tour! This immersive experience will bring you inside the halls of the White House and provide access to all the public rooms on the Ground and State Floors. It will also allow you to examine the rooms and objects even closer than you would in person.

For Students and Teachers

The below digital notebook was created by the White House Historical Association to assist students and teachers using “The White House 360 Virtual Tour” in their classrooms. Even if students are learning in a virtual, in-person, or hybrid format, these materials are accessible and will accompany them on their journey through these tours. The materials feature vocabulary, reflection questions, and other activities to encourage students to deepen understandings and create meaning in their exploration of the "People's House."

Planning a Trip to Japan?

Share your travel photos with us by hashtagging your images with #visitjapanjp

[Traveling Without Leaving Home] 360° Virtual Tours of Japan

COVID claustrophobia is getting to all of us. It’s still going to be a while before we can safely hop on a plane, but in the meantime, a virtual tour is the next best thing. Discover Japan’s highlights, including world-class museums and UNESCO World Heritage sites, and prime yourself for the adventures you can have when restrictions ease.

Temples and Shrines

Go on a spiritual pilgrimage to two legendary World Heritage sites, revered for their impressive architecture and picturesque natural settings.

Nara Prefecture – Todaiji Temple

Visit Todaiji Temple in Nara Prefecture from your armchair through this 360-degree virtual tour. The temple is one of Japan’s grandest, with beautiful architecture and expansive grounds. The temple was commissioned in the 8th century and served as the head temple for the Buddhist faith in Japan. Todaiji plays a major role in Japanese history and is a popular attraction for anyone exploring Japan’s ancient capital of Nara.

The virtual tour begins at the Great South Gate, an imposing wooden structure guarded by the fearsome “Ni-o (Two Kings) of Todaiji.” Follow the pathway to the Daibutsu-den, a giant hall that is one of the world's largest wooden structures. The scale of the hall is impressive despite being rebuilt two-thirds smaller in the Edo period (1603–1867). The hall houses an enormous statue of Buddha that dates to 752. Scroll left and right to see other Buddhist artworks including two golden bodhisattva sculptures and a heavenly guardian.

You can explore much of the spacious temple precincts on your virtual visit, and the high-quality images give you an excellent idea of the scale and beauty of Todaiji. However, something you can’t experience on the tour is Nara’s famous deer. When you visit in person, expect to meet wild deer roaming the grounds. They are regarded in Japan as messengers of the gods, and there are many in and around Nara Park .

Hiroshima Prefecture – Miyajima and Itsukushima-jinja Shrine

Virtually visit an island that was once considered so sacred that people weren’t permitted to live there. Miyajima , near Hiroshima City , is a revered Shinto site best known for its UNESCO World Heritage-listed Itsukushima-jinja Shrine and iconic torii gate. The gate, which appears to float on the water, is just one part of the impressive shrine complex you can explore on your virtual tour.

Begin with a bird’s eye view of the shrine grounds and zoom in on the section you want to see. Make sure to drag the map to find the “floating” gate, which is set off from the main shrine buildings. Each section is accompanied by a short English blurb and high-quality panoramic images. The site’s location is a large part of the appeal. Lofty Mt. Misen overlooks it, and some of the vermillion-lacquered shrine buildings sit on stilts in the Seto Inland Sea. You can get a closer view of all of these on the tour.

The Shrine complex is undergoing restoration work in advance of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, which are now due to be held in 2021.

Freely explore a stunning underground Natural Monument and an idyllic traditional village – without the crowds.

Gifu Prefecture – Shirakawa-go

Take a virtual stroll through one of Japan’s most charming traditional villages. Shirakawa-go , in the mountains in the remote Shogawakyo Valley , has more gassho-zukuri farmhouses than anywhere else in Japan. The name gassho-zukuri, meaning “praying hands,” comes from the distinctive shape of their steep thatched roofs.

The remarkable 19th-century houses, built without nails, are considered a feat of Japanese architecture. They were built to quickly shed snow and provided a large attic space for cultivating silkworms. This picturesque village is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, and many of the houses now function as museums.

The 360-degree virtual tour lets you wander among the houses and paddy fields in different seasons, which are lush and green in summer and thick with snow in winter. Let the tour whet your appetite for a real-life visit, when you can see the village lit up at night and bathe in the nearby onsen.

Okayama Prefecture – Makido Cave

Makido Cave is 450-meter-long limestone cavern formed over thousands of years by a steady drip of water. Thanks to this virtual tour, you can descend into the fantastical cave without even leaving your home.

Begin at the cave entrance before heading down to a world of stalactites, underground lakes, and dramatic rock formations. Virtually wander across bright red bridges and look out for interesting rock shapes, including a tall stack that resembles a five-story pagoda, and the “silver curtain”—a plunging wall of rock. The cave is illuminated, and you can opt to view the cave’s interior lit in different colors.

Visit in person and you can enjoy refreshing, year-round 15-degree temperatures. And one thing you can’t get from the virtual tour is the good luck you receive by throwing a coin in the spring pond.

Get an all-access pass to both the past and the future. Take a 3D walkthrough of two world-class exhibitions that explore where we’ve come from and where we’re going.

Tokyo – National Museum of Nature and Science

©Virtual Reality Innovation Organization

Japan’s National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo’s Ueno Park has opened its virtual doors to allow you to view a selection of its more than 25,000 exhibits in front of your computer screen. The wide-ranging exhibits cover everything from nature, history and people to some of Japan’s latest advances in technology.

The 3D virtual tour offers unlimited access to the museum’s artifacts in both the Global Pavillion and the Japan Pavillion with a user-friendly interface. Click and move around the museum’s multiple floors and view dinosaur skeletons, taxidermic animals, nature and organisms of the Japanese islands and a floor dedicated to progress in science and technology.

When you visit the museum in person, be sure to try out the hands-on experiments with light, magnetism and electricity.

Tokyo – Mori Art Museum

You could visit Mori Art Museum on every trip you ever make to Tokyo , and it would never be the same twice. This beautifully curated contemporary art museum in the heart of Tokyo has an astounding line-up of exhibitions. Its current show, “Future and the Arts: AI, Robotics, Cities, Life – How Humanity Will Live Tomorrow”, is a fitting exhibit for those wondering what the future holds.

Their 3D Walkthrough—available only until June 30th, 2020—transports you to the museum, allowing you to “wander” through the galleries and linger to read the signage, which is all in both English and Japanese. The current exhibition features more than 100 projects and works in categories including “New Possibilities of Cities,” “Lifestyle and Design Innovations,” and “Society and Humans in Transformation.” Contemplate how cities, human lifestyles, and society are likely to be transformed through cutting-edge developments in science and technology, including AI, biotechnology, robotics, and AR (augmented reality), as well as art, design, and architecture. This glimpse of what the future may hold might renew your hope for it.

When you visit in person, check out Mori Art Museum’s latest exhibitions and visit Tokyo City View, an observation deck overlooking the city. You’ll need a separate ticket, but the views are worth it.

We can’t travel now, but these six virtual tours should inspire you to plan your Japan itinerary for when we can. For more inspiration, visit https://www.japan.travel/experiences-in-japan/en/ .

About the author

Kristopher Spencer is an American writer based in Bangkok, Thailand. His trips to Japan have always left him wanting more and writing about the Land of the Rising Sun now is providing plenty of inspiration for his post-pandemic travel itinerary. An avid photographer, Kristopher recommends Japan’s bright, bustling cityscapes and stunning natural vistas alike for all shutterbugs and social media connoisseurs.

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Fullscreen 360 features 360-degree panoramas of iconic destinations around the Universe. A full screen, 360-degree image lets you virtually travel to some of the most beautiful sites in the world, and the ability to look in any direction gives you the feeling of standing at on Mars, in Machu Picchu, on top Mt. St. Helens, or any of the other destinations we feature. The beautifully detailed, full screen panoramic photos give travelers a perspective unlike any other form of photograph. Destination360 and its team is the inspiration behind Fullscreen 360.

The use of 360-degree virtual tours to promote mountain walking tourism: stimulus–organism–response model

Original Research
Published: 02 December 2021
Volume 24 , pages 85–107, ( 2022 )

Cite this article

Xiaohong Wu 1 &
Ivan Ka Wai Lai ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4865-1860 1

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Based on the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) theory, this study attempts to investigate how the use of 360-degree virtual mountain walking tours can motivate audiences’ intention to take a real walking in the mountains. The survey results from 320 samples after watching a 360-degree virtual video reveal the positive influence of vividness (stimulus) on presence, emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment (organism), leading to the intention to take mountain walking tourism (response). This study also examines the interrelationship between four organism variables to explain the underlying mechanism of 360-degree virtual travel experience in stimulating audiences’ visit intention. It shows how technology helps the development of nature-based tourism. It also offers implications for developers to develop influential 360-degree virtual tourism and destination marketers to promote mountain walking tourism.

Developing 360-degree stimuli for virtual tourism research: a five-step mixed measures procedure

Enhancing destination image through virtual reality technology: the role of tourists’ immersive experience

Investigating the impact of virtual tourism on travel intention during the post-COVID-19 era: evidence from China

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1 Introduction

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, outdoor walking, such as walking in the mountains, has become a big attraction for people to keep away from the crowds and enjoy nature (Clark 2020 ). Walking is an outdoor recreation activity in diverse tourism settings (Nordh et al. 2017 ). With slowness, walking enables more conscious engagement with the local environment, culture, and people (Kato and Progano 2017 ). For tourists, walking tourism meets the need of most tourists regardless of age, gender, and so on for physical and health activities as well as to provide emotional benefits (Zurawik 2020 ), such as relaxation, stress reduction, control, excitement, and freedom (Anable and Gatersleben 2005 ). For tourist destinations, walking tourism is a kind of sustainable tourism with relatively low investment. Regarding the benefits of walking tourism to both tourists and destinations, UNWTO has made great efforts to promote its development (UNWTO 2019 ). Subsequently, some researchers started to take research on walking tourism. For example, Vural Arslan et al. ( 2018 ) studied the factors impacting the walkability of the shopping street in the historic city centre of Bursa, Turkey. They identified that accessibility, comfort and use, traffic safety, crime security, and connectivity are the most influential factors of walking tourism in urban cities. The low-altitude mountain is suitable for developing walking tourism. Compared with walking in an urban environment, walking in natural environments offers more physical and mental benefits (Zurawik 2020 ). Mountainous scenery creates a pleasant walking environment for walkers, where they can closely watch the trees, flowers, birds, and insects. Mountain walking tourism in this study is defined as walking in the low-altitudes mountainous areas, which is a simple, low-cost, informal leisure outdoor activity for all ages. The COVID-19 pandemic has created high tourist demand for health and relaxation (Li et al. 2021 ). Mountain destinations provide good quality air (Arcaro et al. 2018 ), which is increasingly rare in the urbanised world. Mountains are also, at least temporarily, places to escape from uncomfortable climates (McCool 2002 ). Mountain walking is an ideal recreational outdoor activity for people during COVID-19 because it benefits walkers physically and mentally. It thus has excellent potential for development during this time. On the other hand, because 24% of the land surface is mountains, thus, there is a need to have a way to promote it (Río-Rama et al. 2019 ).

For promoting tourism, destination marketers have started to apply virtual reality (VR) as a marketing tool to show the environment of the destinations (Lo and Cheng 2020 ; Willems et al. 2019 ). VR provides users with visualising experience to explore the virtual world by responding to the visual, motion, and audio prompts. A 360-degree virtual video is a spherical video that makes people feel like participating in activities at the destination (Griffin et al. 2017 ). Therefore, researchers claimed that 360-degree virtual videos could be used to strengthen people’s awareness of a destination (Yung and Khoo-Lattimore 2017 ) and consequently motivate a real visitation (Jung et al. 2017 ). Furthermore, a 360-degree video is particularly useful for large-scale scenes and distant objects (Slater and Sanchez-Vives 2016 ). Therefore, it is possible that the experiences mediated by a 360-degree virtual mountain walking tour may enhance audiences’ intention to conduct walking in a mountain area in the real world. However, the question of how the use of 360-degree virtual tours can motivate audiences’ travel intentions is still under investigation.

VR is thought to convey a sense of presence in terms of vividness (i.e. the representational richness of a mediated environment) and interactivity (i.e. the extent to which users can participate in modifying the form and content of a mediated environment in real-time (Steuer 1992 ; Yeh et al. 2017 ). However, there are two types of VR. Since a 360-degree virtual tour provides limited interactivity, only vividness is considered for influencing a sense of presence in this study. Sightseeing in a virtual tour leads to a sense of presence which refers to a sense of ‘being there’ in the virtual environment (Steuer 1992 ). Emotional involvement is a type of experience that influences users' feelings of reality (Holsapple and Wu 2007 ). Some researchers stated that a flow state is also a type of experience that predicts users’ behaviours in a virtual tour (Willems et al. 2019 ). Furthermore, Huang et al. ( 2016 ) pointed out that enjoyment is a type of experience that drives people to visit the destination depicted in a 3D tourism environment. Although several studies have been taken to study how VR motivates potential audiences to visit a destination, no studies have considered how the presence of 360-degree virtual tours could affect audiences’ intention to take a real visit through emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment.

The stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) theory is a useful framework for understanding the relationships between environmental input (stimulus), emotional status (organism), and post-consumption behaviour (response) (Surovaya et al. 2020 ). It has been widely used to study the connections among inputs, processes, and outputs in various settings (Wu et al. 2020 ) and in the context of VR tourism marketing (e.g. Kim et al. 2020 ). Recently, Kim et al. ( 2020 ) extended the S–O–R model to test a theoretical framework that investigates users’ emotional and behavioural responses toward VR tourism. Their research demonstrated the relationship among authentic experience (stimulus), cognitive and affective responses (including enjoyment, emotional involvement, and flow state) (organism), and attachment and visit intention (response). However, they did not consider the significant role of presence, a powerful stimulus in affecting VR experience and shaping audiences’ behaviour. In addition, they ignored the possible links among emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment. They also did not test the direct effect of these three response factors on audiences’ behaviour.

To fill the research gap, this study aims to investigate, after audiences undergo a 360-degree virtual mountain walking tour, how the vividness of a 360-degree virtual tour influences the audiences’ sense of presence; how the sense of presence influences emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment; and then how these four responses influence audiences’ intention to take a real walking in the mountains. This study is embedded within the S–O–R framework that vividness is a stimulus; presence, emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment are organisms; and audiences’ intention to take mountain walking tourism is a response. This study contributes to VR tourism marketing research in clarifying the underlying mechanism of 360-degree virtual tour experiences in shaping audiences’ psychological, emotional, and behavioural responses. Furthermore, this study explores people’s emotional and psychological states in (virtual) mountain walking. It also shows how innovative technology helps the development of nature-based tourism. The results also provide insights for destination marketers to invest in edge-cutting technology to promote nature-based tourism and for virtual tour developers to improve their design in more influencing content.

2 Literature review

2.1 mountain walking tourism.

Walking is not just a physical movement but also is a form of exercise, a social activity, and a family memory (Karupiah and Bada 2018 ). It is a passive, pleasurable, and therefore a popular form of outdoor recreation (Kay and Moxham 1996 ). Given the growing interest in walking tourism, there is significant literature on urban walking tourism (Ram and Hall 2018 ) and natural walking tourism (Davies 2018 ) in Western countries.

Besides, the studies in urban walking tourism, researchers also studied mountain walking in terms of climbing, hiking, and Nordic walking in Western countries (Kling et al. 2020 ). Researchers usually discussed the benefits of taking mountain walking such as well-being (e.g. Zurawik 2020 ), sustainability issues such as senses of responsibility (e.g. Rickly and Vidon 2017 ) and sustainability perceptions (Bonadonna et al. 2019 ), and soft adventure motivation (e.g. Bichler and Peters 2021 ). Comparatively, the studies focused on marketing and promotion of mountain walking tourism were few, especially in Asian countries.

Mountain walking tourism is related to wellness tourism (Seraphin and Dosquet 2020 ). Low-altitude mountains are ideal for walking. Mountain walking tourism is suitable and accessible by almost all the sections of the tourism market. Mountain walking tourism is recognised as relaxing, leisure and sociable, low cost, capable of spontaneous participation individually or by groups of mixed-ability (e.g. kids and elder people). Therefore, it is meaningful research to investigate how to promote walking in the mountains.

2.2 360-Degree virtual tour

A virtual tour represents a real scenic spot and destination virtually; it aims to serve as a prelude to visiting or the extension of consumers’ previous experience (Kim and Hall 2019 ). It allows potential visitors to experience and feel a destination presented in the virtual environment (Huang et al. 2016 ). A 360-degree virtual video is a type of virtual tour. It is filmed in a real place that allows users to turn around at any angle and navigate the video by choosing any direction they wish to view. The visual images are supplemented with real audio so that audiences can receive rich sensory information to understand better the spatial, factual, and experiential aspects of a destination (Disztinger et al. 2017 ). By using a VR headset, users can experience the mediated environment. Such experience arouses audiences’ interest and impacts their behavioural intention (Flavián et al. 2020 ).

Currently, some researchers studied virtual tours as an effective destination promotion tool because it provides tourists with a pre-purchase ‘trial’ experience (Kim et al. 2020 ). On the other hand, some researchers studied virtual tours as a substitute for the actual site visit for someone (El-Said and Aziz 2021 ). This study supports the former, so it focuses on the study of virtual tours acting as a marketing tool to arouse users’ interest in mountain walking.

Empirical research has demonstrated that the interactive 3D tourism experience shapes users’ behaviour in a simulated virtual environment (Marchiori et al. 2018 ; Tussyadiah et al. 2018 ). However, few tourism studies have investigated users’ experience of a 360-degree virtual tour using a head-mounted display (HMD) to display the real tourist attraction (An et al. 2021 ). Since filmed 360-degree real images with synchronised audio represent the better environment of mountains. Furthermore, the photographer's moving pace can make the audiences have the feeling like walking on the mountain. Therefore, the mechanism of a 360-degree virtual video that generates audiences’ emotional and phycological states may vary from interactive 3D tourism. 360-degree video is the photographer’s dominant travel speed, and interactive 3D tourism is the user’s dominant. So, there is a need to investigate how 360-degree virtual videos could stimulate audiences’ intention to take walking on the real mountain.

2.3 Stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) theory

The S–O–R theory states that environmental aspects (stimulus) evoke individuals’ psychological states (organism), which, in turn, undergoes an internal process to shape their behavioural responses (respond) (Mehrabian and Russell 1974 ). According to the S–O–R model, the behavioural intention of a consumer is formed by the stimuli from the external environment as well as their internal psychology and physiology (Mehrabian and Russell 1974 ). Since environmental psychology is often used to explain the interaction between humans and the environment, the S–O–R theory is widely adopted in different contexts, such as marketing and tourism (Wu et al. 2020 ).

Recently, researchers used the S–O–R theory to explain the psychological process of a virtual tourism experience (e.g. An et al. 2021 ; Kim et al. 2020 ). For example, An et al. ( 2021 ) examined the influence of sense and quality of information on evoking flow and producing satisfaction and visit intention. Their findings confirmed that the psychological process through which the sense and quality of the information in virtual tours induce flow, which further leads to satisfaction and intention to visit. Thus, the S–O–R theory provides an appropriate framework for studying the relationship among virtual stimuli, participants’ emotional and behavioural responses in a virtual tour context. As a result, this study employs the S–O–R model to investigate how the technical aspect of 360-degree virtual tours stimulates audiences’ intention to conduct mountain walking tourism through psychological processes.

2.4 A sense of presence and vividness

Presence, also known as telepresence, refers to a subjective experience of being there in the technology-mediated environment (Slater 1999 ). Presence can be aroused by a medium in a virtual environment, such as the feeling of being in a mediated space, the interpersonal relationship perceived through mediated communication, and the psychological connections with others (Nowak and Biocca 2003 ). The sense of ‘being there’ is the most significant experiential dimension of the experience of viewing virtual tours (Steuer 1992 ).

Vividness is a driver of presence (Steuer 1992 ). Researchers found that vividness is the primary determinant of presence, as it is three times more influential than interactivity (Cheng et al. 2014 ). Vividness, similar to media richness, refers to the number (i.e. sensory breadth) and quantity and quality (i.e. sensory depth) of the message (Klein 2003 ). In VR research, Van Kerrebroeck et al. ( 2017 ) found that a high level of vividness leads to richer sensory representations, which results in a high sense of presence. In VR theme park research, Wei et al. ( 2019 ) found that vividness is one of the key drivers of a sense of presence in experiencing a VR rollercoaster. Therefore, vividness is considered as a ‘stimulus’, and a sense of presence is an ‘organism’. When the images provided by the 360-degree virtual walking tour are visually vivid, audiences may feel more engaged and ‘being there’ in the virtual environment. Thus, it is proposed that:

H1. The vividness of a 360-degree mountain walking tour has a positive impact on the audience’s sense of presence.

2.5 Emotional involvement and flow state

The virtual environments can attract feedback from tourists and produce a sense of involvement (Stamboulis and Skayannis 2003 ). Emotional involvement refers to ‘the degree to which an individual is emotionally engaged in a behaviour’ (Holsapple and Wu 2007 , p. 87). Since presence often involves sensory outputs such as visual, aural, or olfactory (Choi et al. 2016 ), such perceived appeal leads to the emotional involvement of users. Individuals who have a higher sense of presence when watching a 360-degree virtual mountain walking video may be emotionally involved in the virtual environment.

H2a. The sense of presence of a 360-degree mountain walking tour has a positive impact on the audiences’ emotional involvement of the 360-degree mountain walking.

Kim et al. ( 2017 ) defined the flow state in digital tourism technology as fascinated, immersed, deeply involved, and focused on the use of technology. When people experience flow in a virtual tour, they experience time distortion and feel that time passes faster than normal (Sherry 2004 ). Flow is considered as the phase of the organism in the context of the computer-mediated environment (Ali 2016 ) and the study of VR travel (An et al. 2021 ). Willems et al. ( 2019 ) confirmed that the sense of ‘being there’ perceived in VR positively impacts to flow and enjoyment in studying millennials. When watching a 360-degree virtual mountain walking video, individuals who have a higher sense of presence may experience a deeper flow in the virtual environment.

H2b. The sense of presence of a 360-degree mountain walking tour has a positive impact on the audiences’ flow state of the 360-degree mountain walking.

On the other hand, Kim and Ko’s ( 2019 ) study in VR spectatorship pointed out that sports fans’ involvement with sport positively impacts flow experience due to their enhancing engagement. Specifically, the audiences’ emotional involvement with the 360-degree mountain walking tour positively influences their concentration, leading to a flow experience.

H3a. The emotional involvement of a 360-degree mountain walking tour has a positive impact on the audiences’ flow state of the 360-degree mountain walking.

2.6 Enjoyment

Enjoyment is often seen as an important intrinsic motivation (Hew et al. 2018 ). Enjoyment in the computer-mediated environment refers to ‘the extent to which the activity of using a specific system is perceived to be enjoyed in its own right aside from any performance consequence resulting from system use’ (Venkatesh 2000 , p. 351). Tussyadiah et al. ( 2018 ) found that a sense of presence during VR experience positively impacts the enjoyment of VR experience in studying Hong Kong and U.K. tourists. Koufaris ( 2002 ) studied online consumer behaviour and stated that consumers’ emotional involvement with a product has a positive influence on enjoyment and concentration. Weibel and Wissmath’s ( 2011 ) study on computer games found that flow has a positive effect on enjoyment. When watching a 360-degree virtual mountain walking video, audiences may enjoy the virtual tour more if they experience a higher sense of presence, are more emotionally involved in the virtual tour, and are in a deeper flow state.

H2c. The sense of presence of a 360-degree mountain walking tour has a positive impact on the audiences’ enjoyment of the 360-degree mountain walking. H3b. The emotional involvement of a 360-degree mountain walking tour has a positive impact on the audiences’ enjoyment of the 360-degree mountain walking. H4a. The flow state of a 360-degree mountain walking tour has a positive impact on the audiences’ enjoyment of the 360-degree mountain walking.

2.7 Intention to take mountain walking

Skadberg and Kimmel ( 2004 ) suggested that flow experience positively affects customers’ understanding of a place displayed in a virtual environment when viewing a website, thus, in turn, affecting their intentions to visit. For emotional involvement, Kim et al. ( 2020 ) found that emotional involvement positively influences audiences’ intention to visit the destination shown in VR tourism. Marasco et al. ( 2018 ) empirically confirmed that emotional involvement enabled by HMD positively impacts tourists’ behavioural intentions to visit sites and attractions. For enjoyment, Tussyadiah et al. ( 2018 ) suggested that enjoyment plays an important role in VR tourism, resulting in the intention to real visit attractions displayed in VR. In this study, flow state, emotional involvement, and enjoyment are treated as the ‘organism’ factors of the audiences in the S–O–R framework, while the intention to take mountain walking is a ‘response’. Therefore, these three organism factors may influence audiences’ intention to take mountain walking.

H3c. The emotional involvement of a 360-degree mountain walking tour has a positive impact on the audiences’ intention to take mountain walking. H4b. The flow state of a 360-degree mountain walking tour has a positive impact on the audiences’ intention to take mountain walking. H5. The enjoyment of a 360-degree mountain walking tour has a positive impact on the audiences’ intention to take mountain walking.

Based on the hypotheses, an S–O–R research model is proposed in Fig. 1 . The vividness is the stimulus. Presence, emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment are organisms. The intention to take mountain walking is the response.

Proposed research model

3.1 The stimuli—the 360-degree virtual videos

Due to the strict restriction on tourism activity after the outbreak of COVID-19 (Chen et al. 2020 ) and perceived risks in cross-provincial travel (Abdullah et al. 2020 ), people in China prefer to travel within the province. Dinghu Mountain (Chinese: 鼎湖山) is located in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province, Greater Bay Area of China and is composed of more than ten low-altitude mountains. It is one of the four famous mountains in Guangdong province and a famous tourist attraction. Dinghu Mountain, known as ‘Emerald on the Tropic of Cancer’, is famous for its ancient trees, waterfalls, fresh air, various animals, and abundant plants species. The Dinghu Mountain National Nature Reserve, founded in 1956, is the first nature reserve in China. Dinghu Mountain is also regarded as the ‘gene repository’ and ‘living natural museum’ of South China biological species. In 1979, it became one of the first designated scientific research stations of UNESCO’s Man and Natural Biosphere Program. Dinghu Mountain is a popular tourist destination for people in the Greater Bay Area of China. Given its easy access, diverse tourism attractions, and comfortable environment, Dinghu Mountain is suitable for mountain walking. Therefore, Dinghu Mountain was chosen as the place for the study.

Unlike other VR tourism marketing studies, this study filmed 360-degree virtual videos rather than using existing VR videos downloaded from online video platforms. In order to provide respondents with a full virtual experience of mountain walking, the research team visited Dinghu Mountain in October 2020. It used an Insta360 One X camera to shoot five 360-degree virtual tour videos. In order to capture the real experience of mountain walking, the film crew tested three different paces and finally decided to use the slowest one. It is because the walking process should be casual and slow, so that audiences have enough time to experience the scenery next to them.

An et al. ( 2021 ) pointed out that the research based on a single VR tourism content limited the generalisation of the research results and called for the research based on various VR tourism contents, which provides different levels of types of technical and informational attributes of destination. Therefore, this study used five 360-degree virtual tour videos. These five 360-degree virtual tour videos displayed the walking of different landscapes of Dinghu Mountain in different lengths of time (ranging from 1 to 5 min). Participants were randomly assigned to watch one video. Through the use of various virtual contents, participants could have different virtual experiences. If there is only one source, respondents have similar experiences and may potentially place similar rates on the same question. Therefore, this setting reduces the bias from a single source of the 360-degree virtual video. The contents of the five 360-degree virtual videos are shown in Appendix .

3.2 Measurement items

The measurement items were derived from literature and modified for the study setting. Given the study context, three items of vividness were adopted from Kim and Ko ( 2019 ). Seven items of presence were adopted from Bogicevic et al. ( 2019 ). Moreover, three items of emotional involvement, four items of flow state, four items of enjoyment, and four items of the intention to take mounting walking were derived from Kim et al. ( 2020 ). Unlike Kim et al.’s ( 2020 ) study that measured audiences’ intention to visit the place shown in the tourism-related VR activity, this study measures the intention to take mountain walking where is not limited to Dinghu Mountain. So, items were revised as an example: I intend to take a walk in a mountain in the near future. Furthermore, Kim et al. ( 2020 ) measured the responses from using the tourism-related VR activity, and this study measures the experience from the 360-degree virtual tour. So, items were revised, as an example, from ‘Using the tourism-related VR activity is enjoyable for me’ to ‘Experiencing the 360-degree mountain walking virtual tour was enjoyable for me’. The list of measurement items was presented in Table 1 .

The questionnaire was comprised of three sections. In the first section, one screening question (Have you been to any mountain during the past three months?) was used to qualify the respondents. Only the respondents who answered ‘no’ to the screening question were qualified for the next section. The second section was to score 22 measurement items of the six constructs in the model through a seven-point-Likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The last section was the demographic background of the respondents. These measurable questions were originally written in English and were translated into Chinese by one translator who was proficient in both Chinese and English, then translated back into English by another professional translator to verify consistency. To ensure content validity, a pilot test with 30 samples was conducted in Macao in December 2020. Some amendments were made according to the results of the pilot test.

3.3 Sample collection

This study used a time-based systematic sampling method to collect data at fixed periodic intervals (every 15 min). As a type of probability sampling method, time-based systematic sampling is widely used in tourism studies (e.g. Bruwer et al. 2018 ; Lai 2020 ). In the absence of a list of all subjects (i.e. the sampling frame is not available), time-based systematic sampling can be effectively applied to obtain the desired sample size from a large population (Sayed and Ibrahim 2018 ). In addition, it reduces the potential bias of convenience samplings, such as interviewer-selection bias, unrepresentative samples, under-coverage bias, and non-response bias (Etikan et al. 2016 ).

A survey was taken in three cities of the Greater Bay Area of China, including Macao, Zhuhai, and Zhongshan from December 20, 2020, to January 10, 2021. Since shopping malls provided a comfortable environment for respondents to view the 360-degree virtual tour videos (Yang et al. 2021 ), four research assistants intercepted people in the shopping malls every 15 min. At the beginning of the survey, research assistants asked the respondents the screening question. They explained the necessary information of the research to participants who passed the screening question. Most of the invited people were very interested in the 360-degree virtual tour videos. However, some people refused because they did not have free time. The rejection rate was about 50%. Once the participants confirmed their understanding and willingness to participate, they were provided with a Xiaomi all-in-one VR headset and invited to view one 360-degree virtual tour video. Participants can move their heads and see any direction by wearing HMD during the previewing process. After viewing the video, participants were invited to fill out the questionnaire. Most participants showed great interest in watching the 360-degree virtual videos. They generally spent around 3–5 min watching the videos. Then, they took around 10 min to complete the questionnaire.

A total of 350 samples were collected. Due to incomplete or identical question scoring, thirty questionnaires were deleted. The remaining 320 valid data were used for data analysis. Table 2 contained the demographic background of the samples.

4.1 Sample profile

As presented in Table 2 , there were 54.4% female respondents and 45.6% males. The age of the respondents was between 18–30 (34.4%), 31–40 (30.9%), 41–50 (28.4%), 51–60 (3.8%), and above 60 (2.5%). Most of the respondents completed a university degree (35.9%) and held a diploma (32.2%). Regarding prior experiences, 54.7% of the respondents reported occasional VR experience, 37.5% had no VR experience, and 7.8% used VR frequently. More than half of the participants (56.6%) walked in the mountain occasionally, 34.1% walked in the mountain frequently, and 9.4% of respondents had no mountain walking experience.

4.2 Reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity

Table 1 presented the mean, standard deviation, and PLS factor loading of all the measurable items. Table 3 showed the values of reliability, validity, and correlation of the constructs. All the factor loadings were greater than 0.70 (range from 0.761 to 0.891), indicating all items were considered to have sufficient loading from the constructs (Hair et al. 2010 ). The values of Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability (CR) were above 0.70 (range from 0.812 to 0.921 and from 0.879 to 0.937, respectively) (Table 3 ), indicating the measurable scales were reliable (Hair et al. 2010 ). The values of average variance extracted (AVE) were greater than 0.50 (range from 0.645 to 0.774). Hence convergent validity was achieved (Hair et al. 2010 ). Table 3 also showed the result of the Fornell–Larcker criterion and Heterotrait–Monotrait Ratio (HTMT). The value of the square root of each AVE was greater than its construct correlations and the values of HTMT were lower than 0.85 (Hair et al. 2017 ), confirming the discriminant validity of the scales.

4.3 Hypothesis testing

Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was conducted to test the research model because PLS can deal with a small sample and has less restrictive assumptions on the normality of data (Hair et al. 2017 ). SmartPLS v.3.2.6 package (Ringle et al. 2015 ) was used and bootstrapping with 5000 samples was performed to assess the path coefficients.

Figure 2 presented the result of hypothesis testing. Hypothesis 1 stated the positive influence of vividness on presence. H1 was supported (β vividness→presence = 0.690, p < 0.001). Hypotheses 2a–c stated the positive influence of presence on emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment. The results indicated that presence has a significant influence on emotional involvement (β presence→emotional involvement = 0.488, p < 0.001), flow state (β presence→flow state = 0.470, p < 0.001), and enjoyment (β presence→enjoyment = 0.545, p < 0.001). Thus, H2a–c were supported. Hypotheses 3a–c stated emotional involvement has a positive influence on flow state, enjoyment, and intention, respectively. Hypotheses 3a–c were supported (β emotional involvement→flow sate = 0.164, p = 0.013; β emotional involvement→enjoyment = 0.130, p = 0.007; β emotional involvement→intention = 0.429, p < 0.001 respectively). In addition, flow state positively influences enjoyment (β flow sate→enjoyment = 0.158, p = 0.007) and intention (β flow state→intention = 0.267, p < 0.001), which supported H4a–b. Similarly, enjoyment has a significant influence on intention (β enjoyment→intention = 0.227, p < 0.001), supporting H5. Therefore, all hypotheses were supported. The variance explained (R-square) by presence, emotional involvement, flow state, enjoyment, and intention to take mountain walking were 0.477, 0.238, 0.323, 0.518, and 0.548, respectively.

Result of PLS-SEM

Insert Fig. 2

5 Conclusions and implications

5.1 conclusions.

This research focuses on using 360-degree virtual tours to promote audiences’ intention to conduct mountain walking tourism through developing and testing a theoretical framework for elaborating the relationships among vividness (stimulus), presence, emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment (organism), and intention to conduct mountain walking tourism (response) based on an extension of S–O–R theory. The results show that the vividness of a 360-degree virtual tour has a positive influence on audiences’ sense of presence, which is consistent with the literature that supports vividness as a key determinant of sense of presence (e.g. Wei et al. 2019 ). In addition, a virtual feeling of being walking in the mountain leads to emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment. It is in line with the literature supporting the critical role of presence in understanding VR experience (e.g. Choi et al. 2016 ; Tussyadiah et al. 2018 ; Willems et al. 2019 ) and explains the findings of previous research in how VR influences users’ behaviour intention (e.g. Kim et al. 2020 ; Tussyadiah et al. 2018 ). Furthermore, this study identifies that emotional involvement leads to a flow state and enjoyment. Furthermore, a flow state is also a vehicle for creating user’s enjoyment. Finally, emotional involvement shows the greatest impact on audiences’ intention to walk in a real mountain, followed by flow state and enjoyment.

5.2 Theoretical contributions

The result contributes to the literature of VR research in tourism marketing. Kim et al. ( 2020 ) considered emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment as the organism variables but did not include a sense of presence. However, researchers in VR research in tourism commonly agreed that presence is a key factor in influencing audiences’ experience in a VR environment (Tussyadiah et al. 2018 ). In Kim et al.’s ( 2020 ) study, they treated these three organism variables independently and did not test the relationship among them. However, in Weibel and Wissmath’s ( 2011 ) study, they found that flow state is an antecedent of enjoyment. In addition, Kim and Ko’s ( 2019 ) study in VR spectatorship also confirmed that involvement significantly impacts flow state due to enhancing engagement. Furthermore, many previous studies have confirmed that a sense of presence induced by VR has a positive effect on emotional involvement, enjoyment, and flow state (Huang et al. 2013 ; Willems et al. 2019 ). In order to explain how 360-degree virtual tours promote mountain walking tourism, this study reconstructs the S–O–R research model. This study considers vividness as the stimulus to investigate its consequences; a sense of presence, emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment as the organism variables to the 360-degree virtual video; and visit intention as the response to the 360-degree virtual video. The results of this study indicate the relational flow from VR presence to user behavioural intention via emotional state (emotional involvement and flow state), psychological state (enjoyment), and behavioural state (visit intention). Some researchers have used the S–O–R theory to explain the processes that influence tourists’ behaviours in the virtual environment. However, they only considered the organismic emotional state (e.g. positive emotions and positive surprise) in their research models (e.g. Surovaya et al. 2020 ). This study extends the applicability of the S–O–R theory by embedding both emotional state and psychological state as internal organismic states. In this study, the emotional state is placed on the ascending position of the psychological state. This structure helps to explain the internal organismic processes. By enhancing a sense of presence through a vivid 360-degree virtual tour, audiences are more likely to involve and experience a flow state, which further evokes enjoyment and ultimately leads to their intention to walk in a real mountain. This study greatly extends the findings of Kim et al. ( 2020 ), who only treated flow state, enjoyment, and emotional involvement as first-order factors of affective response. The results show that the S–O–R theory is an effective framework that can explain the linkages between the mediated environment, viewers’ emotional and psychological processes, and behavioural intentions in the 360-degree virtual tour context. This study supports the generalisability of using the S–O–R theory in studying VR research in tourism.

In addition, Kim et al. ( 2020 ) did not test the direct effect of emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment on the visit intention. They instead constructed a higher-order research model where these three organism factors (as the first-order factors) reflectively form the affective response (as the second-order factor). The factor loadings of emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment are 0.862, 0.807, and 0.904, respective. Therefore, Kim et al. ( 2020 ) told us that enjoyment has the greatest indirect effect on visit intention. However, this study indicates that emotional involvement has the greatest direct effect on the intention to take mountain walking. Kim et al. ( 2020 ) tested the visit intention (a place that audiences saw), and this study tests the intention to take mountain walking (a type of tourism). The respondents for Kim et al. ( 2020 ) study were audiences who had any experience with tourism-related VR activities in the past 12 months. This study examines the audiences who have a fresh experience after using a Xiaomi all-in-one VR headset to have a 360-degree virtual tour. Since HMD provides visual isolation from the surrounding, it may enhance audiences’ responses, especially the involvement. Thus, the effects of three organism factors in different research settings may vary. It raises questions for researchers further investigate (1) whether these three organism factors should formatively or reflectively form the affective response, (2) their effects under different tourism research settings, and (3) their effects under different types of VR equipment. This study points out the research gaps for future VR research in tourism.

The study also provides a new insight to bridge the innovative technology with the promotion of nature-based tourism. Existing literature focused on using VR to promote a specific destination (e.g. Kim et al. 2020 ). However, with the outbreak of COVID-19 and the widespread of the variant virus, long-distance travelling was ceased due to travel restrictions and border closures. By providing benefits to tourists, mountain walking tourism, as a type of walking tourism, deserves more research attention, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic (De Vos 2020 ). This study shows how the use of 360-degree virtual videos can promote mountain walking tourism. Thus, this study investigates tourists’ intention to go walking in the mountains instead of visiting only Dinghu Mountain. The results of the study support the possibilities of using 360-degree virtual tours to promote any kind of nature-based tourism. For developing mountain walking tourism, evaluating what visitors perceive during the trip is important. By using 360-degree virtual videos to simulate mountain walking, audiences can obtain an experience similar to real mountain walking when viewing the videos. This study simulates and explores visitors’ emotional and psychological states during mountain walking. After filling out the questionnaire, the interviewers have asked respondents’ experience with virtual mountain walking. They mentioned that the environment of the mountain landscape leads them to be completely involved in the walking pace. They felt that they slowly walked on the mountain path, enjoying the breeze, listening to the birds singing, and the sound of the running water made them intoxicated. People like to experience nature and wilderness. Thus, mountain walking provides opportunities for people to touch nature, so the respondents were happy with the virtual tour. However, fewer respondents provided a special argument that they would not go to Dinghu Mountain in case they have watched all the virtual videos, but they would visit other mountains. It is because they do not need to have a ‘second’ visit to Dinghu Mountain. So, some researchers argued that VR is a double-edged sword (Li and Chen 2019 ). However, this study empirically proves that 360-degree virtual tours can help to promote mountain walking tourism. Although audiences obtained the experience from virtual videos, they may go through similar emotional and psychological states during a real mountain walking. Therefore, the use of 360-degree virtual tours can not only promote mountain walking but also allow researchers and marketers to predict visitors’ emotional and psychological responses in experiencing real mountain walking. The study provides evidence to show how innovative technology helps the development of nature-based tourism.

5.3 Practical contributions

This study also provides meaningful practical implications for destination marketers, virtual tour developers, and managers of mountain parks. A well-designed virtual tour is a good way to present mountain walking products, including location, walkways, attributes, culture, and people. In addition, virtual tours provide the opportunity for potential tourists to ‘walk in a mountain’ by visiting virtually before the real visit. Therefore, for enhancing the sense of presence, destination marketers are suggested investing in the newest high-performance HMDs, such as VR-3 headset delivering 2880 × 2720 resolution per eye, to foster users to a vivid ‘feel’ of the mountain walking in a virtual tour.

For virtual tour developers, developing immersive 360-degree virtual tour content which induces presence is important. More appealing sensory devices, such as high-quality visual elements (e.g. green trees, bloom flowers, clean water, sun-rise, and mountain shrouded in mist), audio elements (e.g. sounds of birds, fish, water, rain, and tourists in the mountains), and/or different sensory stimulation (e.g. blowing wind), should be integrated into the mountain walking virtual tour. In addition, when shooting 360-degree virtual videos, the directors should design involving, entertaining, and enjoyable content.

In order to promote mountain walking, the general manager of the mountain parks should create a walking-friendly environment to enhance walkability. It is important to maintain walking tracks, rambling trails, toilets, and gazebos in good condition. In addition, referring to the feedback of audiences on the 360-degree virtual tourism experience, mountain park managers can manipulate various natural landscapes, smells, and sounds, which allow visitors to experience the natural environment. Planting lush trees and colourful flowers create an ecological circle favourable to the life of birds and insects. With the singing of birds and the calls of insects, tourists can immerse themselves in the beauty of nature to evoke their physical, emotional, and psychological pleasure. It matches audiences’ experiences in 360-degree virtual tours.

5.4 Limitations

Some limitations of this study should be addressed. First, all 360-degree virtual videos were filmed in a single tourist destination (Dinghu Mountain). Thus, the generalisation of the results may be limited. The future study may examine the influence of virtual tours captured from diverse tourism sites. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the samples were limited to the Greater Bay Area of China. Future studies may test the model in different regions and countries to generalise the results. Second, this study only considers presence, emotional involvement, flow state, and enjoyment as the organism to the 360-degree virtual video. Future studies can include more emotional and psychological measures. Also, researchers can include more antecedents of VR presence to construct a more comprehensive research model. Since audiences’ experience in virtual mountain walking should be different from the experience in real mountain walking, it is recommended to conduct further research to understand the emotional and psychological states of visitors in real mountain walking. Finally, this study only evaluated the use of 360-degree virtual tours in HMD. However, 360-degree virtual videos can be viewed on a computer screen. Further study is recommended to verify any difference between using these two types of devices.

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Wu, X., Lai, I.K.W. The use of 360-degree virtual tours to promote mountain walking tourism: stimulus–organism–response model. Inf Technol Tourism 24 , 85–107 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-021-00218-1

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How to Make a Virtual Tour

Last Updated: February 9, 2024 Tested

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd . Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 186,316 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow teaches you how to shoot and edit a 360-degree tour of a house. While you'll need a camera capable of shooting 360-degree panoramas, you can use a free website to piece together, host, and publish your video.

Recording Your Tour

You'll also need a tripod for the camera.

Step 2 Ensure that your camera works remotely.

If you end up installing an app on your smartphone, you may have to pair your phone with the camera via Bluetooth. Some cameras can also pair via Wi-Fi.

Keep in mind that you may have to take multiple shots within a few feet of each other if you plan on transitioning through a doorway. [1] X Research source
The service you'll use to piece together your footage allows a maximum of 25 photos.

Step 8 Move the photos from the camera to your computer.

The photos can usually be found in a "DCIM" folder on the camera or its SD card.
If you're using the camera's SD card, you may have to place the SD card in a USB adapter and then plug the adapter into one of your computer's USB ports.

Creating Your Tour

Enter an email address in the "Email" text box.
Enter a password in the "Password" text box.
Re-enter your password in the "Password confirmation" text box.
Click Create account .
Enter your email address and password, then click login .

Click Upload panoramas under either the "Spherical" or "Cylindrical" heading.
You can upload a maximum of 25 photos at 20 megabytes apiece.
Click Open .
Wait for the photos to finish uploading.

Step 7 Scroll down and click Go to the Hotspot Editor.

Click once the panorama.
Click an indicator shape (this is what a user will click to move to the next scene).
Click the "Select type of hotspot" text box, then click Transition in the drop-down menu.
Click the next scene's panorama in the "Select the destination panorama" section.
Scroll down and click Save .

Publishing the Tour

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Rachel Carolyn Ealy; Bryce Harold Einstein; Meghan Olivia Emery; Jason Lindsay Eskridge; Vania Monserrat Espinoza Guandulay; Caleb Scott Fanning; Ki Taylor Fanning; Julianna Marie Felt; Kiley Nicole Force (two degrees); Addison Grace Fout; Issair Franquez; Lauren Elizabeth Gaines (two degrees); Hallie Grace Garber (two degrees); Colton Trey Gentry ; Noah Garrett Gleason; Connor Christian Goins; Amiana Toizonique Grady ; Zachary Thomas Graham; Garrett Braydon Gray; Leah Nicole Gray; Anthony Conrad Green III; Seth Julian Green; Beth Morgan Gregory; Dillon Blake Haley; Trey Jordan Hampton; Madelyn Avery Harper (two degrees); Haley Brooke Harris; Gabriel James Harrison; Eric Slayden Hartless; Danner Lee Hill; Emily Marie Hill; Eric B Hill; Domenic Lamar Holland; Haydn Michael Hollin; Michael Russell Holmes; Raegan Kate Hooks; Cierra Aiyana Hudson; Jacob Elias Hudson; Emily Marie Huffstetler (three degrees); Lacey Victoria Elizabeth Hunter ; Omarr Tyrone Hurd Jr.; Alison Colleen Jackson; Caroline Margaret Johnson; Luke Rivers Johnson; Calista Elizabeth Jones; Cadance Grace Kent; Nathan Hunter Keough, Courtney Raelene Kidd; Emilia Rose Klinzing; Sara Cathryn Koonce ; Melanie Ann Kowalewski;

Jordan Byron Lacey; Realynn Faith Lanagan; Riley Elizabeth Layton; Bryce Mathew Leonhardt; Chloe Renea Lewis; Rachel B. Lively; Kyler William Long; Marique Tywaun Lucas; Grant Patrick Lunsford; Savannah Katlyn Mahery ; Brianna Siri Marcopulos; Kohnor Michael Martin; Inocencio Martinez Melendez; Kimberly Allison Maynard; Steven Cole McBrayer; Colin Jackson McCabe; Craig A McIlwraith; Leann Michelle McLemore; Jaquelin Muñoz Mejia; Emma Kay Mikles; Emily Dawn Miller; Alese Corinne Molina; Josue Alexander Monroy; Brooklyn James Muccillo; Bailey Christina Myers; Luke Issac Nelson; Colton Robert Novotny; Kathryn Lindsey O’Brien; Rosalinda Virginia Oceguera; Marshall Andrew Palmer; Andrea Estefanny Perez; Connor Douglas Pope; Precious Monique Pressley; Noah Randolph Putman; Kora Emily Queen; Makayla Alise Reed; Laura Elizabeth Reed ; Jennifer Catherine Rhodes (two degrees); Daryl Vincell Rice; Faith Alexis Richards; Dariela Lisbeth Rodriguez; Samir Francisco Rojas; Alina Michelle Rosati ; Benjamin Stuart Row; Grace Elizabeth Rubel; Connor Mitchell Rutledge;

Christian Michael Saindon; Darby Laurel Schiek; Brandon Kline Schlabach; Olivia Valentine Seale; Rachel Elizabeth Semos; Garrett Thomas Settles; Walker Logan Settles; Jalen Christopher Sharp; Amelia Noel Shelton; Marianna Rosalie Simmins; William Brock Skelton; Cade Evan Smith; Tillman Garrison Smith; Kelci Sharese Sparks; Carder Franklin Sprous; Benny Stone Stinnett III; Jessica Lashay Stockton; Megan Hope Strunk; Erynn Elizabeth Tauchen; George Bailey Teffeteller; Isaiah Lashon Terry; Corey Allen Thompson; Caleb Giffin Tucker; Daniel James Vankirk; Evelin Yaslin Vargas; Colby Glenn Vesser ; Jean Pierre Vidal; Daniel Jean Vilaire; Tia Talmage Walker; Holly Michelle Walker; Emily Breanne Wampler; Suzanna Maylee Warren; Kara Marina Warren; Ami Elizabeth Weaver; Tyler Christopher White; Brianna Keely White; Ava Rose Whitmire ; Max Christoph Wildgruber; Madison Mechelle Williams; Hila Catherine Williford; Courtney Annastasha Willis; Susannah Danielle Wilson; Emma Kay Winger; Kaitlin Marie Woodruff; Mackenzie Cade Wright; Alexis Caroline Young; Laurel Mae Young; Zoë Marie Zeller; and Austin James Zettle .

Thirty-one earn bachelor of science degrees

Logan Nathaniel Brasfield; Mary Sierra Hayden Broome; Arianna Brown (two degrees); Christian McGwire Carlton; Hailey Ann Cartt ; Matthew Collin Clark; Caroline Davis Coker; Hailey Michelle Cronk; Devin Ashley Dittenber; Colton Trey Gentry; Nathan H. Keough ; Brice Steven Klepfer; Sara Cathryn Koonce; Carmela Jean Lewis ; Joshua Taylor Lunsford; Josephine Ann McCullars; Delaney Elizabeth Muldoon; Thomas Jordan Musuras; Alayna Lin Myers ; Mackenzie Wendi Nicholas ; Esther Joy Proctor ; Emily Caroline Rogers; Corey Joe Russell; Audrey Grace Sanders; Autumn Ashley Seeders ; Mary Elizabeth Shore; Noah Jason Randall Sikes; Alexandria Brooke Smith; Alexander Glenn Boyd Sonner ; Timothy Alan Turner II; and Madeline Elizabeth Walker.

Four earn bachelor of music degrees

The following Maryville College graduates were awarded a bachelor of music degree or are expected to complete requirements for a degree later this year: Alicia Nicole Gray; Gavin Reid Lester; Jerry Ryne Simmerly; and Elaina Marybeth Wilson.

Five earn master of arts

For the second year in a row, this year’s Maryville College Commencement ceremony included master’s level candidates. The following Maryville College graduates were awarded a master of arts in teaching secondary STEM : Kaitlyn Faith May; Kevin Michael Meehan; Ryan Moog; Caleb Walker Turner; and James Ottis Webb.

Seventy-one graduate with honors

Seventy-one Maryville College graduates receiving diplomas on May 6 graduated with honors.

Those students completing their requirements for the bachelor’s degree with the distinction of cum laude included: Shanon Elizabeth Adame, Madeline Ruth Anderson (in both degree programs), Alonso Gonzalez Angel, Shelby Marie Armintrout Baldwin, Brice Thomas Bales, Mary Sierra Hayden Broome, Arianna Brown (in both degree programs), Isabella Vivianne Carroll, Matthew Collin Clark, Catelee Millicent Crow, Nélida Miranda Djassi, Connor Christian Goins, Gabriel James Harrison, Emily Marie Hill, Cierra Aiyana Hudson, Gavin Reid Lester, Carmela Jean Lewis, Joshua Taylor Lunsford, Savannah Katlyn Mahery, Brianna Siri Marcopulos, Steven Cole McBrayer, Alayna Lin Myers, Bailey Christina Myers, Kathryn Lindsey O’Brien, Rosalinda Virginia Oceguera, Connor Douglas Pope, Precious Monique Pressley, Laura Elizabeth Reed, Benjamin Stuart Row, Amelia Noel Shelton, Mary Elizabeth Shore, Noah Jason Randall Sikes, Alexander Glenn Boyd Sonner, Caleb Giffin Tucker, Madeline Elizabeth Walker and Austin James Zettle.

Those students completing their requirements for the bachelor’s degree with the distinction of magna cum laude included: Jenna Marie Blair, Grace Marie Brandl, Logan Nathaniel Brasfield, Katelyn Elizabeth Compton, Rachel Carolyn Ealy, Kiley Nicole Force (for both degrees), Lauren Elizabeth Gaines (in both degree programs), Hallie Grace Garber, Alicia Nicole Gray, Eric Slayden Hartless, Emily Marie Huffstetler (for all three degrees), Lacey Victoria Elizabeth Hunter, Emilia Rose Klinzing, Emily Dawn Miller, Jennifer Catherine Rhodes (in both degree programs), Emily Caroline Rogers, Alina Michelle Rosati, Connor Mitchell Rutledge, Jerry Ryne Simmerly, Alexandria Brooke Smith and Hila Catherine Williford.

Those students completing their requirements for the bachelor’s degree with the distinction of summa cum laude included: Zineb Aarab (in both degree programs), Hailey Ann Cartt, Austin Jay Dalton, Colton Trey Gentry (for both degree programs), Madeline Avery Harper (in both degree programs), Sara Cathryn Koonce (in both degree programs), Carder Franklin Sprous, Colby Glenn Vesser, Jean Pierre Vidal, Daniel Jean Vilaire, Holly Michelle Walker, Betty Kealey Brooks-White, Brianna Keely White and Ava Rose Whitmire.

More From Forbes

5 careers for the esfp entertainer myers-briggs personality type.

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ESFP types are known as entertainers and a common job type for them is a firefighter.

The ESFP personality type, also known as “the entertainer,” is a social butterfly, impulsive, fiery and high-spirited. They are exceptionally generous with their energy and time and are always uplifting and encouraging their peers. ESFP stands for extraverted, sensing, feeling, perceiving. ESFPs have high emotional intelligence which makes them excellent leaders. They thrive in laid-back sociable work environments that involves a lot of interaction with clients and work colleagues. Here are five careers for the ESFP personality type.

1. Occupational Therapist

An occupational therapist assesses a patient’s mental, physical and emotional state and develops a personal treatment plan to help them overcome any issues they may have. They also liase with other healthcare professionals to ensure patients receive adequate care. Occupational therapists can work in nursing homes, hospitals, mental health facilities, schools and home health services. Occupational therapy is the ideal career choice for an ESFP because of their ability to emotionally connect with their patients and their compassionate nature. To become an occupational therapist, you will need a master’s degree in occupational therapy and a state license. According to Indeed.com, once qualified, you can expect to earn $49.79 per hour as an occupational therapist.

2. Firefighter

Firefighters typically respond to fire related emergencies and work to extinguish fires and rescue those in danger. They also respond to car accidents and other medical emergencies. Firefighters educate the public on fire safety, and conduct fire prevention inspections in businesses and places where members of the public congregate in large numbers such as shopping malls. The ESFPs dedication to helping others and their desire to save lives and protect their communities makes them well-suited for a career in firefighting. The basic requirements to become a firefighter are a valid drivers license, a high-school diploma or a GED, and you will need to pass a physical ability test. Indeed.com suggests the average firefighter earns $54,022 per year.

3. Tour Guide

A tour guide takes local or foreign visitors on tours around their city or country. They take them to places such as famous landmarks, museums, historical sites and natural attractions. They explain the history and any interesting stories behind the locations visited. Tour guides also arrange accommodation, transportation and plan itineraries. Guiding people around a country requires spontaneity and creativity, qualities that ESFPs possess in abundance. These natural characteristics allows them to effortlessly cater to the interests and needs of their tour group. You will need a high-school diploma to become a tour guide. Although not a requirement, courses in subjects such as social studies, literature, political science, sociology, history, anthropology and geography will increase your chances of gaining employment as a tour guide. It is also important that you are extremely knowledgeable about the locations you take your visitors to. Tour guides, as indicated by Indeed.com, earn $35,179 per year.

4. Career Coach

A career coach helps individuals identify their career goals, research potential career paths, and develop a plan to achieve these goals. They assist with job search techniques, resume writing and interview preparation. ESFPs thrive as career coaches because of their enthusiasm and passion for life. Therefore, they can motivate and encourage their clients to pursue their dreams. A degree is not a requirement to become a career coach, having several years of experience in the field you wish to coach is enough to gain employment in this career. But most coaches hold a bachelor’s degree in a related field such as business, human resources, communications or English. You can expect to earn $19.22 per hour, according to Indeed.com, as a career coach.

The Best Mattress For Couples, Regardless Of Your Sleep Styles

Wwe smackdown results winners and grades on may 10 2024, the 8 best trampolines with insights from an industry expert, 5. physical therapist.

Physical therapists work alongside hospitals to evaluate and treat patients suffering from disabilities and recovering from illnesses and injuries. They develop treatment plans to alleviate pain and boost mobility. ESFPs make good physical therapists because their outgoing and high-spirited nature helps motivate patients to put their best efforts forward which accelerates healing. To become a physical therapist, you must earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy and get licensed by your state. According to Indeed.com, physical therapists earn $53.72 per year.

What Jobs Should An ESFP Avoid?

ESFPs thrive in jobs that allow them to express their personality and core strengths. Therefore, the following career paths are not suited to people with the ESFP personality type.

Administrative work

One of the greatest characteristics of the ESFP personality type is their passion for uplifting those around them. The ESFP type enjoys a career which encourages emotional support and practical advice while the ENTP type will identify to follow through their own priorities like an economist and the ESTJ type will focus on being law-abiding to their work environment like a business manager. When this translates into their career, it gives them a sense of purpose and fulfillment; therefore, it is essential that ESFPs seek careers that allow them to express the full extent of their vibrant and vivacious personality.

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The best virtual tours to explore the world from home

Oct 8, 2020 • 5 min read

Ceiling of Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. Check permissions for this image

The Sistine Chapel is just one wonder offering a virtual museum tour ©Rajesh Gathwala/500px

We live in an age of unprecedented access to digital technology – and with it, brand new ways of exploring the world around us.

While it's not quite the same as seeing, say, the Mona Lisa or Christ the Redeemer in person, some of the world’s most popular and remote destinations have created libraries of online images and video, as well as 360 degree virtual tours that let you virtually explore museums, galleries, world wonders and even national parks.

Here a just a few of the best digital tours that let you wander the world from wherever you may be social distancing.

A woma nin a pink technical fabric top and matching pants and a black cap with a brim walks past the orange buildings and clay roofs of the Choijin Lama Museum in Ulan Bator with a green camera sphere from Google Street View strapped to her back

See the seven wonders of the world

If there’s anything capable of whetting your appetite for world travel, it is the new seven wonders of the world: the Great Wall of China , the ancient city of Petra , the Taj Mahal , the Colosseum , Machu Picchu , Christ the Redeemer , and Chichen Itza . Thankfully there are impressive virtual tours of each from The New York Times , AirPano , Google , and Panoramas .

With modern technology, you can even see the last standing wonder of the ancient world— The Pyramids of Giza . There are a few other wonders that might not make it into to the top seven but are still worth a digital peek, like the Alhambra , Seville's La Giralda , and even Easter Island.

The Egyptian Antiquities room in the Lovure Museum is empty except for several statues of various sizes from Tanis, Karnak, and Thebes

Best virtual museum tours

In recent years, Google has partnered with over 2,5000 art museums to upload high-resolution versions of millions of pieces of art. Highlights include New York’s MoMA , DC’s National Gallery of Art , Chicago’s Art Institute , the Casa Battl ó, and Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum to name a few.

In addition, The Louvre offers a virtual tour , as do The Vatican Museums , many of the Smithsonian Museums , the Russian Museum , the top-rated British Museum , the Minneapolis Museum of Russian Art , and the Palace Museum in Beijing.

You may not be able to kiss the Blarney Stone right now, but you can tour the Blarney Castle from afar. You can also visit the Museum of Flight, the Museum of Science, the Museum of Natural History, the National Women's History Museum and Boston's History of Science Museum .

While museums are often an inherently visual experience, there's a lot to be learned from archives of past lectures and tours like the ones preserved online by Nashville's Frist Museum , the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Frick , and others.

You might also like: Broadway might be closed, but here’s how to stream the best performances from your home

Turquoise Pool in Yellowstone National Park surrounded by a contrasting blanket of fresh white snow

Explore national parks

While travel to National Parks is best avoided for the time being, you don't need to miss out on the scenery. Virtual Yosemite is absolutely stunning and one of the best, replete with audio. Both Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore offer virtual tours as well.

Google has similar 360 degree audio-visual tours of five select national parks, including Kenai Fjords, Hawai'i Volcanos , Carlsbad Caverns, Bryce Canyon , and Dry Tortugas, as well as 31 more on Google Earth . You can also get an up-close look at almost 4,000 pieces of artwork, artifacts, and other treasures related to the history and culture of the national parks, and view online exhibits .

A penguin looks at the viewer through the glass walls of a habitat at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Digital safaris

Wildlife is a big draw for travelers, whether it's sighting some of the Big Five in Africa, glimpsing whales in North America, or introducing your children to new animals in person on a family safari . But if you're forays into the bush are grounded for now, many zoos and aquariums have created digital access to their habitats.

You can easily watch several live webcams of some of the nation’s greatest zoos and aquariums, including the San Diego Zoo , Houston Zoo , Zoo Atlanta , the Tennessee Aquarium , and the Georgia Aquarium . Additionally you can see Canadian farm animals doing their thing , or you could watch Stella the Dog jump endlessly into huge piles of Maine leaves.

You may also like: These nine wildlife web cams offer access to your favorite animals

A view overlooking the Wotans Throne feature at the Grand Canyon

Virtual hiking

Thanks to panoramic video, you can get a really good idea of what a hike looks like well before you arrive at the trailhead. For example, you can experience all of the following top-rated hikes right now from your computer or tablet: Bryce Canyon , Grand Canyon , GR20 , Inca Trail , and the death-defying Angel's Landing . For even more great hikes, simply YouTube one of Lonely Planet’s top 10 treks or any other hike that suits your fancy. Bonus points if you follow along during a workout to enhance the realism.

Famous landmarks

You can visit many wonders of nature, including the Amazon Rainforest , Iguazu Falls , the Komodo Islands , or Table Mountain , using virtual tours. Or you can explore the Statue of Liberty , the Sahara Desert , Niagara Falls , or even a guided tour of the Eiffel Tower . For even more virtual tours, search your bucket list of adventures with AirPano , Google Earth , or YouTube .

Astronatur Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. looks at the Lunar Module Pilot during the 1969 moon landing

Travel to outer space

The moon hasn't made it to Lonely Planet's Best In Travel list (yet!), and even without self-isolation and shelter-in-place measures for COVID-19, many of us may never travel to space. But thanks to technology, now is as good of a time as any to do so virtually. Before blasting off, considering touring some of NASA’s offices first. Then relive the last lunar missions and moon walks in stunning HD. Or take a virtual tour of Mars with the help of Google.

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The 75 Best Virtual Museum Tours Around the World [Art, History, Science, and Technology]

Jarrod West

Senior Content Contributor

441 Published Articles 1 Edited Article

Countries Visited: 21 U.S. States Visited: 24

Keri Stooksbury

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Countries Visited: 47 U.S. States Visited: 28

The 75 Best Virtual Museum Tours Around the World [Art, History, Science, and Technology]

Google arts and culture, 50 art museums with virtual tours, 5 natural history museums with virtual tours, 10 science and technology museums with virtual tours, 10 history museums with virtual tours, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

You can now access collections from many of the world’s top museums without ever leaving home! We’ve put together an ultimate list of 75 world-class museums that offer virtual tours you can visit from the comfort of your couch.

Many of the virtual tours include exhibit walk-throughs and the ability to examine some of the world’s best paintings, sculptures, and other pieces up close and personal. These virtual tours are jam-packed with enough details to make you feel like you’re really visiting the museum. The experiences are sure to entertain the whole family, an art or history buff, or even those who want to imagine the joys of travel!

We’ve broken our list into 4 easy-to-review sections, including art, natural history, science and technology, and history museums. So whether you prefer to take in a painting at the Van Gogh Museum, check out an SR-71 Blackbird at the Museum of Flight, or gaze upon the Rosetta Stone, this list has it all!

Many of the virtual exhibits in this article are offered through a collaboration with Google Arts and Culture. If you’re not familiar, Google Arts and Culture is an online platform that showcases high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from more than 2,000 museums throughout the world. You can zoom in and out of images in great detail and view some of the best pieces of artwork ever created without leaving your couch.

The platform is available in 18 languages and has been praised internationally for increasing access to art to those who may have not had the opportunity otherwise. It’s available for web , iOS , and Android .

1. The Albertina Museum (Vienna, Austria)

Year Opened: 1805

The Albertina Museum features one of the most important European collections of international modern art and houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and 1 million old master prints. Hundreds of the works housed in the museum, like “Study for the Last Supper” by Da Vinci and “The Water Lily Pond” by Monet, can be viewed online thanks to a partnership with Google Arts and Culture.

To view the online exhibits, click here .

2. Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)

Year Opened: 1879

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the U.S., hosting approximately 1.5 million people annually. Its collection features more than 5,000 years of human expression from cultures around the world and contains more than 300,000 works of art in 11 curatorial departments.

The online tour allows you to view major pieces from the museum’s collection, such as “American Gothic,” “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” and “Nighthawks.” The site also offers projects to get creative at home, educator resources, and JourneyMaker, a digital tool that allows visitors to create unique, personalized tours of the museum.

To view the online tour, click here .

3. Benaki Museum (Athens, Greece)

Year Opened: 1930

Established in 1930 by Antonis Benakis in memory of his father Emmanuel Benakis, the Benaki Museum houses Greek works of art from prehistoric to modern times and an extensive collection of Asian art. It also hosts periodic exhibitions and maintains a state-of-the-art restoration and conservation workshop.

The entire museum can be viewed virtually in great detail.

To view the online virtual tour, click here .

4. The Broad (Los Angeles, California)

Year Opened: 2015

The Broad is a contemporary art museum named for philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. The Broad houses a nearly 2,000-piece collection of contemporary art, featuring 200 artists including works by Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol. Notable installations include Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Mirrored Room” (pictured above) and Ragnar Kjartansson’s expansive 9-screen video “The Visitors.”

The Broad has put together a series of YouTube videos to give you a first-hand look at the museum.

5. Centre Pompidou (Paris, France)

Year Opened : 1977

The Centre Pompidou, named after the president of France from 1969 to 1974, is the largest museum for modern and contemporary art in Europe and the second-largest in the world. The museum has more than 12,000 pieces of artwork on display, including works by Kandinsky, Dalí, and Valadon.

The Centre has dozens of videos available on its YouTube channel that provide walk-throughs of the museum and explanations of its most important works.

To view the video tours, click here .

6. The Dalí Theatre-Museum (Figueres, Spain)

Year Opened : 1974

Dedicated to the life and work of the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, the Dalí Theatre-Museum displays the single largest and most diverse collection of works by the artist. In addition to Dalí paintings from all decades of his career, there are Dalí sculptures, 3-dimensional collages, mechanical devices, and other curiosities from Dalí’s imagination. Through the website, guests can take a virtual tour in 360-degree of the entire museum.

To view the virtual tour, click here .

7. Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan)

Year Opened: 1885

With more than 100 galleries covering over 658,000 square feet, the Detroit Institute of Arts has one of the largest and most significant art collections in the U.S. Its collection features works spanning from ancient Egypt and Europe all the way to modern contemporary art.

The museum has put together “ At Home With DIA ” to offer school field trips from home, weekly film screenings, senior resources, and home projects. DIA also has a partnership with Google Arts and Culture to provide online exhibits including:

Frida Kahlo in Detroit
Ordinary People by Extraordinary Artists
Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry
Self Portrait on the Borderline between Mexico and the United States

8. Frick Collection (New York City, New York)

Year Opened: 1935

Located in the Henry Clay Frick House, the Frick Collection houses the art collection of industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The collection features some of the best-known paintings by major European artists, including Bellini, Rembrandt, and Vermeer, as well as numerous works of sculpture and porcelain.

The entire museum can be viewed virtually.

9. Galleria dell’Accademia (Florence, Italy)

Year Opened : 1784

The Galleria dell’Accademia, while small compared to other museums featured, is still the second most visited museum in Italy. Its command of visitors is in large part due to its display of perhaps the most famous sculpture in history — Michaelangelo’s statue of David.

You can view a short, video-guided tour of the museum, which includes 360-degree viewing, allowing you to get a close look at the museum’s offerings.

To view the video tour, click here .

10. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (Sante Fe, New Mexico)

Year Opened: 1997

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is dedicated to the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe and her contributions to American Modernism. The museum’s collection includes many of O’Keeffe’s key works, ranging from her innovative abstractions to her iconic large-format flower, skull, and landscape paintings, to paintings of architectural forms, rocks, shells, and trees. Initially, the collection was made of 140 O’Keeffe paintings, watercolors, pastels, and sculptures, but now includes nearly 1,200 objects.

The museum website offers creative activities, stories, and education about Georgia O’Keeffe’s life, along with several virtual exhibits available through Google Arts and Culture, including:

Georgia O’Keeffe
American Modernism
United States

11. Grand Palais (Paris, France)

Year Opened : 1900

The Grand Palais is a large historic site, exhibition hall, and museum dedicated to the organization of exhibitions, publishing books, art workshops, photographic agency, and hosting major fairs and events. The museum receives 2.5 million visitors each year. The partnership with Google Arts and Culture brings extensive online exhibits to life, from the construction of the building to the masterpieces that lie within it.

12. Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg, Russia)

Year Opened : 1764

The Hermitage Museum is the second-largest and eighth-most visited art museum in the world. The Hermitage has more than 60,000 pieces of artwork on display, including the “Peacock Clock” by James Cox, “Madonna Litta” by Leonardo Da Vinci, and works by Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and Antonio Canova.

The online tour is extremely comprehensive and allows you to virtually walk through all 6 buildings in the main complex, treasure gallery, and several exhibition projects.

13. High Museum of Art (Atlanta, Georgia)

Year Opened : 1905

The High Museum of Art offers over 15,000 works of art in its collection and is the leading art museum in the southeastern U.S. The museum focuses on 19th- and 20th-century American art, historic and contemporary decorative arts and design, European paintings, modern and contemporary art, photography, folk and self-taught art, and African art.

The museum’s partnership with Google Arts and Culture also offers online exhibits for viewing including:

Bill Traylor’s Drawings of People, Animals, and Events
How Iris van Herpen Transformed Fashion
Incredible, Innovative, and Unexpected Contemporary Furniture Designs
Photos From the Civil Rights Movement

14. The J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, California)

Year Opened: 1953

The J. Paul Getty Museum is made up of 2 campuses — the Getty Center and Getty Villa — that receive more than 2 million visitors per year. The Getty Center features pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts and photographs from the 1830s through present-day from all over the world. The Getty Villa displays art from Ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria.

The museum has put together online resources like art books, online exhibitions, podcasts, and videos, all viewable on its website .

It has also partnered with Google Arts and Culture to showcase online exhibits including:

18th Century Pastel Portraits
The Art of Three Faiths: Torah, Bible, Qur’an
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry
Getty Museum Acquisitions 2019
Heaven, Hell, and Dying Well

To view the online galleries, click here .

15. Kunsthaus Zürich (Zürich, Switzerland)

Year Opened : 1910

The Kunsthaus Zürich features one of Switzerland’s most important art collections from the 13th century to the present day. While the museum places an emphasis on Swiss artists, including Alberto Giacometti, you’ll also find work from the likes of Monet, Picasso, and Warhol.

The museum’s partnership with Google Arts and Culture has digitized several of the museum’s best collections for viewing.

16. La Galleria Nazionale (Rome, Italy)

Year Opened: 1883

La Galleria Nazionale displays about 1,100 paintings and sculptures from the 19th and 20th centuries — the largest collection in Italy. It features work from famous Italian artists including Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Alberto Burri, and foreign artists including Cézanne, Monet, Pollock, Rodin, and Van Gogh.

It has teamed up with Google to offer 16 virtual exhibits for online viewing.

17. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (Los Angeles, California)

Year Opened: 1910

LACMA is the largest art museum in the western U.S., attracts nearly a million visitors annually, and holds more than 150,000 works spanning the history of art from ancient times to the present.

The website (click LACMA @ Home ) includes exhibition walkthroughs, soundtracks and live recordings, online teaching resources, and courses.

To view the LACMA’s online virtual tour from Google Arts & Culture, click here .

18. Mauritshuis (The Hague, Netherlands)

Year Opened : 1822

The Mauritshuis is home to some of the best Dutch paintings from the Golden Age of Art. The museum consists of 854 works by artists like Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt Van Rijn, and Jan Steen. Famous works include “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (pictured above) and “View of Delft” by Vermeer, and “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp” by Rembrandt.

The museum has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to bring several of its best works to life for virtual viewing.

To view the Mauritshuis’ online exhibits, click here .

19. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City, New York)

Year Opened: 1870

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, also known as “The Met,” is the largest art museum in the U.S. and the fourth most visited museum in the world with more than 6 million visitors each year. The permanent collection contains more than 2 million works from classical antiquity and ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from nearly all of the European masters (including Monet’s Water Lillies), and an extensive collection of American and modern art. It also has extensive holdings of African, Asian, Oceanian, Byzantine, and Islamic art.

The museum has extensive different online exhibits available for viewing through Google and its own Art at Home website .

20. Musée du Louvre (Paris, France)

Year Opened: 1793

The Louvre Palace, which houses the museum, began as a fortress under Philip II in the 12th century to protect the city from English soldiers that were in Normandy. It wasn’t repurposed as a museum until 1793. Now, the Louvre is easily one of the most historic art museums in the world. Not only is the Louvre the largest art museum in the world at 782,910 square feet (72,735 square meters), but it also had 9.6 million visitors in 2019, making it the most visited museum in the world as well. Featured masterpieces include “Mona Lisa,” “Winged Victory of Samothrace,” “Venus de Milo,” and “Hammurabi’s Code.”

The Louvre has several virtual galleries on display, including:

The Advent of the Artist, including works from Delacroix, Rembrandt, and Tintoretto
Egyptian Antiquities, featuring collections from the Pharaonic period
Remains of the Louvre’s Moat — visitors can walk around the original perimeter moat and view the piers that supported the drawbridge dating back to 1190
Galerie d’Apollon, destroyed by fire in 1661 and recently rebuilt for viewing

To view the Louvre’s virtual tour page, click here .

21. Musée d’Orsay (Paris, France)

Year Opened: 1986

The Musée d’Orsay is housed in the former Gare d’Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. It is one of the largest art museums in Europe and had more than 3.6 million visitors in 2019. It houses the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world, including works by Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Seurat, Sisley, and Van Gogh.

The museum allows you to virtually walk through one of its popular galleries, featuring hundreds of paintings from French artists.

To view the Musée d’Orsay online gallery, click here .

22. Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid, Spain)

Year Opened : 1819

The Museo Nacional del Prado is considered to have one of the greatest collections of European art in the world and offers guests the single largest collection of Spanish art. The collection currently comprises around 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints, and 1,000 sculptures. Well-known works include “Las Meninas” by Diego Velázquez, “The Third of May 1808” by Francisco De Goya, and “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch.

The museum’s online gallery allows you to get a close look at over 10,000 different pieces of art. The Prado also offers a 1-hour live show on Instagram every morning at 4 a.m. EST.

To view the online gallery, click here .

23. Museo Frida Kahlo (Mexico City, Mexico)

Year Opened: 1958

The Frida Kahlo Museum, also known as the Blue House due to its blue walls, is a historic museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The building was Kahlo’s birthplace, the home where she grew up, lived with her husband Diego Rivera for many years, and where she later died in a room on the upper floor. The museum contains a collection of artwork by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and other artists, along with the couple’s Mexican folk art, pre-Hispanic artifacts, photographs, memorabilia, personal items, and more. Find out more in our guide to the best museums in Mexico City .

24. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid, Spain)

Year Opened: 1990

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, also called the Museo Reina Sofía, is one of the most popular art museums in the world. The museum includes large collections of Spain’s 2 most popular artists, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Famous works on display include “Guernica” and “Woman in Blue” by Picasso and “Cubist Self Portrait” by Dalí.

You can view collections of artwork at the Reina Sofía through its partnership with Google Arts and Culture.

25. Museu de Arte de São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil)

Year Opened: 1947

The Museu de Arte de São Paulo is Brazil’s first modern art museum. The museum is internationally recognized for its collection of European art, as it’s considered the finest museum in Latin America and all of the Southern Hemisphere. The museum primarily features Brazilian art, prints, and drawings, as well as smaller collections of African and Asian art, antiquities, decorative arts, and others, amounting to more than 8,000 pieces. MASP also has one of the largest art libraries in the country.

You can now take a virtual tour of online galleries the museum has to offer, including:

Art from Brazil until 1900
Art from Italy: Rafael to Titian
Art from France: from Delacroix to Cézanne
Art in Fashion
Histories of Madness: The Drawings of Juquery
Picture Gallery in Transformation

26. Museum of Broken Relationships (Los Angeles, California and Zagreb, Croatia)

Year Opened: 2010

The Museum of Broken Relationships is dedicated to failed love relationships. Its exhibits include personal objects left over from former lovers, accompanied by brief descriptions. The museum was founded by 2 Zagreb-based artists, film producer Olinka Vištica and sculptor Dražen Grubišić, after their 4-year relationship came to an end.

The virtual tour includes a close-up collection of dozens of the museum’s most interesting pieces.

27. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Boston, Massachusetts)

The 17th largest art museum in the world, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) hosts one of the most extensive art collections in the U.S. It houses over 8,000 paintings, surpassed only by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and exceeds 1 million visitors each year. Pieces by world-renowned artists like Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Monet are featured alongside sculptures, mummies, ceramics, and other artifacts from ancient civilizations.

There are currently 16 online exhibits available for viewing.

28. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Houston, Texas)

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) is one of the largest museums in the U.S., and its collection features over 64,000 works from 6 continents. The collection places emphasis on pre-Columbian and African gold, Renaissance and Baroque painting and sculpture, 19th- and 20th-century art, photography, and Latin American art. Read our guide to the best museums in Houston for more information.

The museum has 14 online exhibits available for viewing in collaboration with Google Arts and Culture.

29. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (New York City, New York)

Year Opened: 1929

Regarded as one of the largest and most influential museums of modern art in the world, MoMA’s art collection features an overview of modern and contemporary art, including works of architecture and design, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books, and artist’s books, film, and electronic media. MoMA’s holdings include more than 150,000 individual pieces including Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans” and Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” in addition to approximately 22,000 films and 4 million film stills.

MoMA’s website offers 86,000 works of art that can be viewed online, along with a partnership with Google Arts and Culture to create a virtual display of its Sophie Taeber-Arp exhibit.

To view the website’s collection, click here . To view the Google exhibit, click here .

30. National Gallery (London, England)

Year Opened : 1824

The National Gallery features more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900, including works such as “Sunflowers” by Van Gogh, “The Virgin on the Rocks” by Da Vinci, and “The Arnolfini Portrait” by Jan Van Eyck.

Its website offers a few virtual tours, showcasing many rooms in the museum, the Sainsbury Wing, and a Google Virtual tour.

31. National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.)

Year Opened: 1937

The National Gallery of Art and its attached Sculpture Garden are located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and are open to the public free of charge. The museum was privately established in 1937 for the American people by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress.

The National Gallery is widely considered to be one of the greatest museums in the U.S. It ranks second in total visitors of all American museums, 10th in the world, and features incredible pieces including Jackson Pollock’s “Number 1,” Leonardo da Vinci’s “Ginevra de’ Benci,” and Degas’ “Little Dancer Aged 14.”

The museum has put together a collection of educational resources on its website for teachers, families, and children. It also features online exhibits through Google Arts and Culture including:

American Fashion — highlights from 1740 to 1895
Johannes Vermeer — Dutch Baroque painter

To view the National Gallery of Art online collection page, click here .

32. National Gallery of Victoria (Victoria, Melbourne, Australia)

Year Opened: 1861

The National Gallery of Victoria is Australia’s oldest, largest, and most visited art museum. The museum offers a wide variety of international and Australian art in its collection, including paintings, drawings, photography, and sculptures.

The online tour includes walk-throughs of exhibits, including highlights from the NGV Triennial 2020 and Chinese Collection, as well as exhibits featuring Goya and KAWS.

33. National Museum of China (Beijing, China)

Resplendence of the Tang Dynasty National Museum of China

Year Opened : 2003

The National Museum of China covers Chinese history from 1.7 million years ago to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Notable works include the “Houmuwu” Rectangle Ding, a rectangular bronze sacrificial vessel made in the late Shang Dynasty, the heaviest piece of ancient bronze ware in the world, and a Han Dynasty jade burial suit laced with gold thread. It is one of the largest museums in the world, and the second most visited art museum in the world, just after the Louvre.

The museum has virtual exhibits available for 360-degree viewing including:

Resplendence of the Tang Dynasty
Sunken Silver

34. National Museum of Korea (Seoul, South Korea)

Year Opened : 1909

The National Museum of Korea is the top museum of Korean history and art and has been committed to various studies and research activities in the fields of archaeology, history, and art, continuously developing a variety of exhibitions and education programs.

The museum’s virtual tour provides a 3D walk-through of exhibits, including 1,000 years of Korean design and 500 years of the Joseon Dynasty.

35. National Museum, New Delhi (New Delhi, India)

Year Opened: 1949

The National Museum, New Delhi is one of the largest museums in India. The museum has around 200,000 works of art, both of Indian and foreign origin, including paintings, sculptures, jewelry, ancient texts, armor, and decorative arts ranging from the pre-historic era to modern works — covering over 5,000 years.

The museum has partnered with Google to bring its online exhibits to life, including:

Art of Caligraphy
Cadence and Counterpoint
Indian Bronzes
Nauras: The Many Arts of the Deccan
Pottery from Ancient Peru
Treasures of National Museum, India
Radha and Krishna in the Boat of Love

36. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul, South Korea)

Year Opened: 1969

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art was first established in 1969 as the only national art museum in South Korea, accommodating modern and contemporary art of Korea and international art of different time periods. The museum features over 7,000 pieces of artwork, including works of contemporary Korean artists such as Go Hui-dong, Ku Bon-ung, Park Su-geun, and Kim Whan-ki.

Google’s virtual tour takes you through 6 floors of contemporary art from Korea and all over the globe.

37. National Palace Museum (Taipei, Taiwan)

Garden of Compassion and Tranquility at National Palace Museum Taipei

Year Opened : 1965

The National Palace Museum has a collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks. The collection encompasses 8,000 years of history of Chinese art, including jade, paintings, bronzes, and porcelain that were formerly held in the Forbidden City of Peking.

The museum offers 360-degree virtual tours of many different exhibits.

To view the virtual tours, click here .

38. National Portrait Gallery (Washington, D.C.)

Year Opened : 1962

The National Portrait Gallery has a collection of over 21,000 works of art. The collection focuses on images of famous Americans and how they’ve shaped U.S. culture. A major attraction of the National Portrait Gallery’s collection is the Hall of Presidents, which contains portraits of nearly all American presidents. It is the largest and most complete collection in the world, except for the White House collection itself.

The museum has several collections featured on Google Arts and Culture, but also offers digital workshops, and distance learning resources for children and teachers.

To view the online resources, click here .

39. Pergamonmuseum (Berlin, Germany)

Pergamon Altar, view of the Gigantomachy frieze / north risalit

The Pergamonmuseum houses monumental buildings, such as the Pergamon Altar, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, and the Market Gate of Miletus reconstructed from the ruins found in Anatolia, as well as the Mshatta Facade. The museum is subdivided into the antiquity collection, the Middle East museum, and the museum of Islamic art. It is visited by over 1 million people every year.

The museum has dozens of structures and other artifacts that can be viewed online.

40. Picasso Museum (Barcelona, Spain)

Year Opened: 1963

The Picasso Museum, located in the heart of Barcelona’s Latin Quarter, is visited by millions every year. They come to marvel at the best works of Picasso, perhaps the most famous painter of all, but stay to marvel at the best-preserved medieval architecture in Barcelona. With 4,251 works by the painter exhibited, the museum has one of the most complete permanent collections of his works.

The online tour offers a large selection of Picasso’s finest works, as well as virtual tours of the museum’s beautiful courtyards.

41. Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Year Opened: 1798

The Rijksmuseum was founded in The Hague in 1798 and moved to Amsterdam in 1808, where it was first located in the Royal Palace. The current main building was designed by Pierre Cuypers and first opened in 1885. The museum has on display 8,000 objects of art and history from the years 1200 to 2000, and a total collection of 1 million objects. The museum features masterpieces including Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” and “The Jewish Bride,” plus works by Frans Hals and Johannes Vermeer, who are known to have been major contributors to the Golden Age of Dutch art.

Google offers a street view tour of some excellent art pieces located in the museum, and the museum has put together an entire virtual tour of all of the museum’s masterpieces viewable on its website.

To view the Google street view tour, click here . You can also view the museum’s From Home microsite and masterpieces tour .

42. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco, California)

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art SFMOMA

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is composed of over 33,000 works of art spread throughout 7 gallery floors and 45,000 square feet of space. Following a 3-year closure for expansion, the museum reopened in 2016 and is now one of San Francisco’s must-see destinations.

SFMOMA’s website is updated regularly with videos and articles regarding current exhibits, projects, and artist showcases and provides behind-the-scenes looks of the museum.

To view the museum’s multimedia features, click here .

Read our guide to the best museums in San Francisco to find out more.

43. Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Museums (Vatican City)

Year Opened: 1483

The Sistine Chapel, located inside of the Apostolic Palace (the official residence of the pope in Vatican City), is easily the most popular chapel in the world. The chapel is famous for its magnificent ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, and is considered to be one of the best artworks to come out of the Italian Renaissance. The primary panels of the ceiling showcase 9 scenes from the Book of Genesis, of which “The Creation of Adam” (pictured above) is the best known and most recognized.

Its website offers a virtual tour of the chapel’s most stunning sites, including the ability to marvel at Michelangelo’s ceiling from the comfort of your couch.

44. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York City, New York)

Year Opened: 1939

The Guggenheim Museum was established by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in 1939. It is the permanent home of a continuously expanding collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions throughout the year.

Google’s Street View feature lets you tour the Guggenheim’s famous spiral staircase and some of its art pieces. It also offers a handful of online collections on its website .

45. Tate Modern (London, England)

Year Opened: 2000

Tate Modern is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world, consisting of art dating from 1900 until today. The gallery receives over 5 million visitors a year, making it the sixth most visited art museum in the world and the most visited in the U.K.

The Tate Modern has published dozens of videos on its YouTube channel that give you an in-depth look at many of its exhibits, including the Andy Warhol exhibit and the Aubrey Beardsley exhibit.

To view the Tate Modern’s YouTube channel, click here .

46. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Madrid, Spain)

Year Opened: 1992

Located in Madrid, the Thyssen has over 1,600 paintings inside its walls and was once the second-largest private collection in the world after the British Royal Collection. It includes works from the Italian primitives, the English, Dutch, and German schools, Impressionists, Expressionists, and European and American paintings from the 20th century. It also features pieces from the continent’s most celebrated artists including Rembrandt and Dalí.

The virtual tour includes a detailed look at the permanent collection, along with exhibits including the Rembrandt and Impressionist galleries.

47. Tokyo National Museum (Tokyo, Japan)

Year Opened : 1872

The Tokyo National Museum is the oldest and largest art museum in Japan, and one of the largest art museums in the world. At the museum, you’ll find a collection of artwork and cultural objects from Asia, ancient and medieval Japanese art, and Asian art along the Silk Road.

The museum has teamed up with Google’s Arts and Culture to provide an inside look at what the museum has to offer.

48. Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy)

Year Opened: 1581

The Uffizi was designed by Giorgio Vasari for Cosimo I de’ Medici, whose family members were by far the largest patrons of art in Renaissance Italy. The museum now spans over 139,000 square feet with 101 different rooms that house its art pieces, including famous pieces such as “The Birth of Venus.” Over 2 million people visit the Uffizi each year, making it the most viewed art museum in Italy.

The museum has teamed up with Google to showcase online galleries including:

Piero di Cosimo, Perseus Freeing Andromeda
The Santa Trinita Maestà, Cimabue
The Creative Process Behind Federico Barocci’s Drawings
Drawings by Amico Aspertini and other Bolognese artists

49. Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Year Opened: 1973

The Van Gogh Museum is dedicated to perhaps one of the most famous artists of all time — Vincent Van Gogh. The museum contains the largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings in the world, including over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and over 750 personal letters. The museum has over 2 million visitors each year and is the 23rd most visited art museum in the world. Find out more in our review to the best museums in Amsterdam .

The museum has teamed up with Google to create online exhibits on Vincent Van Gogh’s love life and the books he loved to read. You can also visit the museum’s website for a selection of things to do for young children, including school lessons and coloring pages.

50. Victoria and Albert Museum (London, England)

Year Opened : 1852

The Victoria and Albert Museum collection spans 5,000 years of art from Europe, North America, Asia, and North Africa. The collection of ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewelry, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints and printmaking, drawings, and photographs is among the largest and most comprehensive in the world.

The virtual tour, in partnership with Google Arts and Culture, offers several online exhibits ranging from fashion to surrealism.

1. American Museum of Natural History (New York City, New York)

Year Opened : 1869

One of the largest natural history museums in the world, the American Museum of Natural History contains 34 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts.

The museum’s 360-degree virtual tours offer an up-close look at permanent exhibits, current exhibits, past exhibits, and research stations.

2. The British Museum (London, England)

Year Opened: 1759

The British Museum is one of the largest in the world and houses over 8 million works within its walls. Established in 1759, it was the first public national museum in the world. Visitors can tour the great court and view some of the most famous objects in history, like the Elgin Marbles of Greece and the Rosetta Stone of Egypt.

The Museum is the world’s largest indoor space on Google Street View and you can go on a virtual visit to more than 60 galleries.

The British Museum also has virtual galleries on display, including:

Prints and Drawings

To visit the British Museum’s virtual tour page, click here .

3. National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico City, Mexico)

National Museum of Anthropology Sun Stone

Year Opened: 1964

The National Museum of Anthropology is the largest and most visited museum in all of Mexico. The museum contains significant archaeological and anthropological artifacts from Mexico’s pre-Columbian heritage, such as the Stone of the Sun (or the Aztec calendar stone) and the Aztec Xochipilli statue.

The museum has made more than 100 items available for Google visitors to explore from home.

To view the museum’s online collection, click here .

4. National Museum of Natural History (Washington, D.C.)

Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History is the 11th most visited museum in the world and the most visited natural history museum in the world. With over 325,000 square feet of exhibition space, the museum’s collections contain over 145 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts — the largest natural history collection in the world. Highlights of the collection include the Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia Sapphire.

You can view all of these specimens from the comfort of your home as the museum has dozens of different online exhibits that can all be accessed on its website.

To view the museum’s virtual tour, click here .

5. Natural History Museum (London, England)

Year Opened: 1881

Undoubtably one of the best Museums in London , the Natural History Museum in London showcases 80 million life and earth science specimens of great historical and scientific value, even housing pieces collected by Charles Darwin. There are 5 categories within the museum: botany , entomology , mineralogy , paleontology , and zoology . Over 5 million people visit this museum each year, making it the most visited natural history museum in Europe.

One of the museum’s most prominent displays is the skeleton of an 82-foot long blue whale named Hope, which you can learn more about through a self-guided virtual tour, along with several other galleries.

1. London Science Museum (London, England)

Year Opened : 1857

The London Science Museum holds a collection of over 300,000 items, including famous items such as Stephenson’s Rocket, Puffing Billy (the oldest surviving steam locomotive), the first jet engine, some of the earliest remaining steam engines, and documentation of the first typewriter.

Thanks to Google Street View, guests can take a virtual tour of the entire museum, or watch curator gallery guides on the museum’s YouTube channel.

To view the virtual tour or videos, click here .

2. Museo Galileo (Florence, Italy)

Dedicated to the scientist and astronomer Galileo Galilei, the Museo Galilei is housed in an 11th-century palace known as the Palazzo Castellini. The museum has a collection of over 5,000 ancient scientific instruments dating back to the 13th century, and among its most notable items is the telescope Galileo used to discover the satellites of Jupiter.

Visitors from around the world have the opportunity to explore the inside of the museum and can access more than 1,000 permanent exhibition objects through the online catalog.

3. The Museum of Flight (Seattle, Washington)

Year Opened: 1965

The Museum of Flight is the largest private air and space museum in the world and attracts over 500,000 visitors every year. The museum has more than 150 aircraft in its collection, including the Lockheed Model 10-E Electra (the aircraft Amelia Earhart was piloting when she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean), Boeing 747s, and the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (pictured above).

The museum offers 360-degree tours that let you step inside dozens of these iconic aircraft.

4. The Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium (Brussels, Belgium)

Year Opened: 1846

The Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium is dedicated to natural history and is part of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. The dinosaur hall of the museum is the world’s largest museum hall completely dedicated to dinosaurs, and its most important pieces are 30 fossilized Iguanodon skeletons, which were discovered in 1878 in Bernissart.

It has partnered with Google to set up virtual exhibits for viewing, including:

360-degree guided tour
The Bernissart Iguanodons
From Salehanthropus to Homo Sapiens
Over 250 Years of Natural Sciences
Past, Present, Future: The Marvels of Evolution

To view the museum’s online exhibits, click here .

5. Museum of Science, Boston (Boston, Massachusetts)

Year Opened: 1830

The Museum of Science, Boston, receiving over 1.5 million visitors annually, is a museum and indoor zoo with more than 700 interactive exhibits and over 100 animals, many of which have been rescued and rehabilitated.

The museum offers a phenomenal virtual tour full of digital exhibits, videos, and audio presentations.

6. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (Washington, D.C.)

NASA Astronaut Edward White during first EVA performed during Gemini 4 flight

NASA, founded in 1958, was created by the federal government to develop the civilian space program, as well as to conduct aeronautics, space, and astrophysics research. Since its inception, NASA has been responsible for historic space missions including the Apollo moon-landing missions, the Skylab space station, and the space shuttle.

NASA has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to bring many online exhibits to life to showcase the beauty of space exploration.

7. National Air and Space Museum (Washington, D.C.)

Year Opened : 1946

The National Air and Space Museum is a center for the history and science of aviation, spaceflight, planetary science, terrestrial geology, and geophysics. It is the fifth most visited museum in the world (the second most visited in the U.S.), and contains the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, the Friendship 7 capsule, the Wright brothers’ Wright Flyer airplane, and Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis.

The virtual tour offers a 360-degree walk-through of the entire museum.

8. National Museum of Computing (Bletchley Park, England)

Year Opened: 2007

The National Museum of Computing is dedicated to collecting and restoring historic computer systems. The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of working historic computers dating back to the 1940s, including a rebuilt Mark 2 Colossus computer, alongside an exhibition of the most complex code-cracking activities performed at the Park.

In the 3D virtual tour, viewers can move around the galleries looking at the machines and their descriptions with the added bonus of hyperlinks to video and text explanations providing further detail and history of the exhibits.

9. National Museum of the United States Air Force (Riverside, Ohio)

Year Opened: 1923

Located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Riverside, Ohio, the National Museum of the United States Air Force is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world, with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display.

The virtual tour allows visitors to take a virtual, 360-degree, self-guided tour of the entire museum by navigating from gallery to gallery.

10. Oxford University’s History of Science Museum (Oxford, England)

Year Opened: 1683

Oxford’s History of Science Museum holds a leading collection of scientific instruments from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.

The museum, ever ahead of the times, has offered virtual tours since 1995. You’ll get to explore the fantastic exhibits and artifacts of some of the most important scientific discoveries in science history.

1. Acropolis Museum (Athens, Greece)

Year Opened : 2009

The Acropolis Museum is centered around the archaeological findings at the site of Athens’ most important structure — the Acropolis. The museum was built to house every artifact found on the rock and surrounding slopes, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece.

The museum has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to bring the museum to life virtually. Now you can view rock, marble, and sculptures certificates, all of which are thousands of years old, all from the comfort of your couch!

2. American Battlefield Trust Virtual Battlefield Tours

The American Battlefield Trust Virtual Battlefield Tours offers the incredible opportunity to experience 360-degree virtual tours of more than 20 American Revolution and Civil War battlefields. You can explore Gettysburg, with 15 different stops, each of which features icons that discuss in great detail the history and significance of the battle.

3. Anne Frank House (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Year Opened: 1957

What was once the house where Anne Frank went into hiding during WWII is now a museum dedicated to increasing awareness of Anne’s story and life in the attic. The Anne Frank House was established in cooperation with Anne Frank’s father, Otto Frank, and now welcomes over 1 million visitors from around the world each year.

The museum’s website offers a virtual reality tour of the annex, along with other educational resources about Anne’s life.

4. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum (Hyde Park, New York)

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library Museum

Year Opened: 1941

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum holds the records of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd U.S. president (1933 to 1945). The museum showcases the history behind FDR’s story, his presidency, New Deal policies, assassination attempt, and wartime decisions.

The 360-degree online tour gives you a close look at original documents, artifacts, and videos from FDR’s life.

5. National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington, D.C.)

Year Opened: 2003

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African-American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African-Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts.

The museum website offers more than 15 different online exhibits covering African American history and culture.

Check out its online virtual tour and digital resources guide .

6. National Museum of American History (Washington, D.C.)

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has more than 1.8 million objects that highlight the history of the U.S — including the original Star-Spangled Banner, Julia Child’s kitchen, Abraham Lincoln’s top hat, Indiana Jones’ fedora and whip, and more!

The museum offers about 100 online exhibits from its encyclopedic collections, each with a mix of photos, video, graphics, and text on topics ranging through the nation’s entire history.

7. National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Year Opened : 1866

The National Museum of Scotland is dedicated to Scottish antiquities, culture, and history. The museum contains artifacts from around the world, encompassing geology, archaeology, natural history, science, technology, art, and world cultures. Popular items from the collections include Dolly the Sheep, the Arthur’s Seat coffins, and the Cramond Lioness sculpture.

The Museum’s galleries have been captured digitally in partnership with Google Arts & Culture, along with a virtual walk-through thanks to Google Street View.

8. National Women’s History Museum (Alexandria, Virginia)

Year Opened: 1996

Founded in 1996 by Karen Staser, the National Women’s History Museum researches, collects, and exhibits the contributions of women to the social, cultural, economic, and political life of our nation in the context of world history.

Its website currently features 29 different online exhibits!

9. Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi’an at Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum (Xi’an, China)

Year Opened: 1974 (created third century B.C.)

The Terracotta Army at Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210 to 209 B.C. to protect the emperor in his afterlife. The sculptures include warriors, chariots, and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the 3 pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits near Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum.

The online experience allows you to get up close and personal with the sculptures in a full 360-degree experience!

To view the online virtual experience, click here .

10. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, D.C.)

Year Opened: 1980

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is the country’s official memorial to the Holocaust. It is located on the National Mall alongside other monuments dedicated to freedom. Each year, the museum encourages its 1.6 million visitors to promote human dignity, confront hatred, prevent genocide, and strengthen democratic values. The museum’s collection includes millions of archival documents, artifacts, photographs, footage, and a list of over 200,000 registered survivors and their families, among other historical items.

Its website offers a wide selection of educational resources, including a virtual tour, and is available in 16 languages.

There you have it — 75 amazing #MuseumsAtHome options filled with one-of-a-kind artifacts covering art, science, history, and natural history, all of which can be “visited” virtually while you lounge in your pajamas! So whether you’re a massive fan of art, looking for an educational experience for your children, or simply need a way to keep yourself entertained, you can’t go wrong with a virtual tour of any of these world-class museums.

Frequently Asked Questions

What museums have virtual tours.

There are dozens of museums worldwide offering virtual tours — we have 75 on this list alone! But some of our favorites are the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the British Museum!

How much do virtual tours cost?

Every single virtual tour included on our list is completely free of charge!

What is a virtual museum tour?

A virtual museum tour is, in essence, a simulation of what you might experience when visiting the museum in person. Virtual tours are usually comprised of a collection of videos, still images, 3D walkthroughs, and narration that help you feel as though you’re visiting the museum — without actually doing so!

How do you do a virtual tour?

Doing a virtual tour is easy! Often, the museum will have a dedicated website page allowing you to view all of their virtual resources on 1 page.

In the case of museums that have a 3D walkthrough, you can “walk” yourself through the museum by clicking from artwork to artwork, and exhibit to exhibit, as if you were actually visiting the museum in person!

Are virtual tours worth it?

Absolutely! If you’re currently not able to visit a museum in person, but want to experience all it has to offer, a virtual tour allows you to do just that — all from the comforts of your home!

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Giovanni Biggers will use MAPS degree to boost others

He focused on business and public policy in the UNC Graduate School’s flexible interdisciplinary program.

Giovanni Biggers sitting under the Old Well.

Giovanni Biggers ’22, ’24 (MA) looks forward to putting the skills and knowledge he gleaned as part of the first class of the  Master of Applied Professional Studies  program to good use. Biggers would like to work for — or create — an organization to help underprivileged kids find avenues to higher education.

“Going to public school in Baltimore, there was a serious lack of resources. The schools were worn down, and, as a student, you just didn’t feel like you had any access to higher education or career opportunities,” Biggers said.

Biggers came to UNC-Chapel Hill by way of hard work in the classroom and on the football field. He continued excelling in both areas, graduating in 2022 with an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts in management and society.

Biggers wanted to stay at UNC-Chapel Hill but was unsure about his path to graduate school. He thought that no graduate program matched his aspirations precisely — until he heard about MAPS, which met his specific post-graduate needs. He will receive his MAPS degree at the University’s Spring Commencement.

Launched by the UNC Graduate School in 2023, MAPS is a flexible interdisciplinary graduate program for students who find value in a customized graduate degree. At the program’s core are a series of courses in leadership and business fundamentals designed to provide students with essential professional skills. Students pick their own concentration and design a program of study to meet their career needs and interests.

Biggers realized that the MAPS program would allow him to take classes in business and in public policy, fulfilling his goals and interests.

The MAPS program also allows students the scheduling flexibility, and students can attend part- or full-time, completing their degrees in as little as 18 months. This part of the program also appealed to Biggers, as it has for other MAPS students involved in athletics or other time-consuming endeavors.

“The MAPS classes were challenging but rewarding, and I was able to learn things that were applicable to what I want to do,” Biggers said. “I built my course of studies on business and public policy classes, where I could learn what I wanted to learn and also build leadership skills.”

Biggers is an example of one type of student that the program was created for, said Laura Kuizin, MAPS director.

“Throughout his time working on his master’s degree, Giovanni has consistently demonstrated a commitment to his education and a genuine passion for learning,” Kuizin said. “Giovanni made the most out of his time in the MAPS program, utilizing the flexibility of the program to design a curriculum unique to his professional goals. As he prepares to graduate and begin the next phase of his journey, I have no doubt that Giovanni will continue to make a positive impact and I look forward to celebrating his future successes.”

Ahead of Spring Commencement, Carolina graduates celebrated their achievements at ceremonies around campus.

Graduate student poses for photo in front of UNC banner

Doctoral hooding speakers encourage curiosity

Encouraging a “culture of openness,” they charged graduates to stay collaborative and committed to service.

Student in graduation gown takes selfie in front of Old Well

Rewatch 2024 Spring Commencement and Doctoral Hooding

The University celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2024 at Doctoral Hooding and Spring Commencement ceremonies.

Lee Roberts in front of the Old Well with a graphic that says

Celebrating State Employee Recognition Week 2024

As North Carolina celebrates State Employee Recognition Week, Interim Chancellor Lee H. Roberts thanks Carolina employees for their work.

National Academy of Sciences elects 2 from Carolina

Sociology professor Arne Kalleberg and hepatitis researcher Dr. Stanley Lemon received the honor.

Eye clinic work led to perfect match

UNC School of Medicine graduate Dr. Tika Zbornik Thompson will soon begin a residency in ophthalmology at UNC Hospitals

Students tossing caps at Commencement at Kenan Stadium

Carolina celebrates the Class of 2024 under the lights

The 6,700-plus Tar Heel graduates received words of wisdom from astronaut Zena Cardman ’10, ’14 (MS) at a ceremony presided over by interim chancellor Lee H. Roberts.

Senior crafts fashion pathway

Juniper Rakhman Gerardi earned a fashion marketing certificate and interned in South Africa.

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