Discover the other side further and anew with VR at the Swiss Museum of Transport

Due to its continuing great success, the special exhibition "Neat - Gateway to the South" has been integrated into the permanent exhibition and the VR experience has been enriched by two attractions from Easter 2017.

In March 2016, the Responsive agency celebrated the opening of the special exhibition "Neat - Gateway to the South" with Ticino Turismo and invited guests at the Museum of Transport in Lucerne. In the presence of Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard and presenter Christa Rigozzi, one of the first public high-end virtual reality application "Discover the other side" was presented. People were impressed by the adventurous time travel as well as by the great views of the different places in Ticino.

After visitors take their seats in style on the discarded original SBB lounge car seats, they first experience the construction of the two Gotthard rail tunnels in VR by means of impressive 3D animations with 360° panoramic views. After the brief journey through time, visitors are then immersed in the wonderful landscapes and well-known highlights of Ticino. The appropriate audio effects and animations underline the intense experience.

Study proves: VR works as a marketing tool

The enthusiasm of young and old continued, so that the application has already been viewed over 30,000 times in the Museum of Transport alone and more than 2,000 times on the two mobile stations at events such as the Züri-Fäscht, the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, and Holiday Day in Lugano. Last year, the customer Ticino Turismo, in collaboration with "Webatelier.net Lab, The E-Tourism Lab of the Università della Svizzera italiana" (USI), also conducted a study on VR application as a marketing tool.

The study shows that Responsive's customized high-end application evokes positive memories and users feel emotionally addressed. They want to know more about the destination and visit the places they have already seen virtually. The most memorable scenes are those that show unusual perspectives, such as the view of Lake Lugano from a hot air balloon. The VR application therefore also gives visitors ideas of what they could experience in real life in Ticino. The VR application also triggers positive word-of-mouth for Ticino as well as for the VR experience. So, according to the study, VR as a storytelling tool works perfectly. And last but not least, Ticino is perceived as a trendy destination due to the VR experience.

Due to its success, the Swiss Museum of Transport has integrated the "Neat" theme into the permanent exhibition. From Easter 2017, visitors will also be able to immerse themselves in two new worlds. While riding the rack railroad into the mountain station on Monte Generoso, visitors will discover the new landmark "Fiore di Pietra" by Ticino star architect Mario Botta. You can also admire the new photo-realistic 360° panoramic view of Bellinzona from one of the towers of the Castel Grande.

Responsive, an agency specializing in online, mobile and VR applications, designed the entire VR presence for Ticino Turismo and designed, implemented the application in-house.

Responsible at Ticino Turismo: Elia Frapolli (Tourism Director), Manuela Nicoletti (Director of Marketing, Country Manager Switzerland), Luca Preto (Online Manager). Responsible at Responsive: Tuan Nguyen and Patrik Marty (both Managing Partners)