The Sustainability Innovations Pitch is part of this year’s Philippine
Innovation Month that plans to support projects that tackle one of
the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and aid in recovering from the
impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hijos Tours chose to present its travel box, one of its innovations in
response to the challenges faced by the tourism industry due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
“Even when the tourism
industry is hardly hit by the pandemic, we continue our mission of
supporting communities through our innovative services. We thought
that while our mobility is limited due to physical restrictions and
health protocols, we can still travel in the comforts of our homes
virtually. Thus, our team conceptualized a travel box that contains
products of various locales and that makes use of virtual reality
technology,” Mr. Raffy Antes, Hijos Tours Deputy Director said.
The travel box includes a
VR glass which you can use to view the 360° tour; souvenirs like
pins, ref magnets, post cards found in the locale; and food items
that is unique to the city. Each purchase will help the locals that
contributed to the making of the box, providing a source of income
from tourism amidst the pandemic.
Hijos Tours aims to build
and support communities by helping them showcase their heritage
stories and products, in line with CARD MRI’s goal of community
building. This provides opportunities for local communities as well
as for e-travelers to have a quality, virtual tour at the comfort of
their home.
“We hope to produce more
travel boxes to reach more communities in the future. Post COVID, we
would like to use the Travel Box as a gateway to the local
communities and give e-travelers a glimpse of what to expect when
they can physically tour the place. With this, we hope to feed the
minds and bodies of the Filipino people through these challenging
times,” Mr. Antes as he concluded Hijos’ plans for the future.
Hijos Tours is an
institution under CARD MRI that promotes local tourism that builds
tourism communities by engaging local sources, talents and skills
and presents its clients with impactful and currently relevant
experience. Currently, Hijos Tours offers virtual tours and online
classes related to history based on their tour packages.
