PROMOTION OF VIRTUAL TOURISM THROUGH GOOGLE ART PROJECTS
Virtual tourism is known to evoke experiences of moving through 3D space. It is also known that several virtual projects have been useful for various purposes. Google is a hub for several applications, projects and internet based features. One of them is the Google Art Project, established by Google in February, 2011. Although there has been research on several topics related to virtual tourism, there is still a gap when it comes to awareness created about Art Museums through Google, which has come about very recently. This study aims n o t o n l y at filling this gap but also understand the impact that this art project has created among its audiences. The research is an effort to understand how Google has promoted virtual tourism as well as art and if it has taken an effect into reality. This study will help recognize the dynamics and dimensions of the medium better. It is an attempt to understand if the project can transform the computer-arbitrated communication through Google Art Project. Another objective of the study is to find out people??s perception of the art pieces being as reliable as that, which is there in real time. The method employed to obtain findings is by means of survey, using questionnaire. The study establishes a relationship between those who are associated with art and paintings and those who are inspired to take a real-time tour. The findings of the survey have been interesting, where respondents preferred to take a real time tour after visiting the online version of the museum.