Sky Motion co-founder Soraya Sarwary describes how VR travel works.
Video / Grant Bradley / NZHerald
Soraya Sarwary and her fiance Sean Mascarenhas started a virtual reality travel business when they were stuck at home during the Covid lockdowns. Auckland University commerce graduate Sarwary explains how it works.
What is Sky Motion?
Sky Motion is an immersive content studio, creating a portfolio of premium travel experiences.By immersive, we mean 360-degree sights, surround sound, and even motion chairs to recreate the physical sensation of flying through the destination.
Where did you get the idea for the business?
Sean and I were raised in the beautiful Waitākere Ranges in Auckland, where we’ve grown to love our wild backyard of lush forests and black-sand beaches. After our own travel plans were cancelled in 2020 due to lockdown restrictions, we turned to our roots. Crafting virtual journeys in our own backyard, we brought a piece of our paradise to family and friends across the globe. It was our way of sharing the magic from afar.
Sean (who studied at Auckland University of Technology, where he completed his Honours in Electronic Engineering) and I are the directors of the company. Sean is the creative director, and I run more of the behind-the-scenes operations.
Destination marketing organisations and tourism businesses eager to highlight their unique story and attractions. We showcase their offerings through virtual experiences, to give potential visitors an unforgettable preview. Our approach not only places these tourism businesses at the forefront of travellers’ minds but also distinguishes them in a competitive market.
How hard was it to establish a business during the pandemic?
Surprisingly, it played to our strengths. With travel grounded, people craved virtual adventures, and we were ready to deliver. This was when we were also selected for Lightning Lab’s Tourism Accelerator - born out of the Covid-19 recovery efforts, which addressed pressing tourism challenges and championed a sustainable tourism sector moving forward.
How strongly has demand bounced back?
The pent-up travel demand due to the pandemic has caused a lot of people to seek out new destinations they’ve never visited before. We’ve seen a huge uptick in demand for destinations off the beaten path, away from tourist hotspots, so we’re aiming to give them a taste of these unfamiliar, lesser-known regions.
You allow people to experience travel at home. Will that discourage them from taking a trip?
Not at all! You can think of our three to five-minute experiences as appetisers, not the main course. They’re immersive previews, enticing travellers to explore further and helping them choose their next destination. Plus, we’re opening the world of travel to those who can’t physically journey, like residents in rest homes. It’s about expanding, not replacing, real-world travel experiences.
Soraya Sarwary and Sean Mascarenhas of virtual reality business Sky Motion. Photo / Brady Dyer
Virtual reality is growing at a rapid pace. What started out as a technology primarily used for gaming has now expanded far beyond that. Especially now with Meta selling over 20 million VR headsets and new entrants such as Apple coming to the market, with their Vision Pro headset due for release soon. The demand for immersive content for these devices is bigger than ever before.
What is the hardest part of establishing a small tech business?
Tech tantrums and production puzzles. We’re at the forefront of innovation, and stitching together footage from eight separate cameras to create those 360-degree vistas is no small feat. Add in the intricate layers of sound and motion effects, and you’ve got a complex recipe for groundbreaking experiences. It’s definitely been the hardest yet most rewarding part of establishing a small tech business.
Do you think you’ll get rich?
Rich in adventure and impact? Absolutely, but if money was our main motivator, the business wouldn’t last! We’re motivated by the value we deliver to tourism businesses and the end traveller. Money just enables us to deliver better, even higher-quality productions.
Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.
