Notre Dame, Street Viewed / Photo: Author Virtual tourism of the world’s most famous landmarks just got a whole lot easier. I’M IN THE MARKET for a house. Problem is, ever since I made the decision I’ve been thousands of miles from my target market. Enter Google Street View . All I have to do is plug in the address from a realtor listing and it’s like I’m standing in front of the property. What a sweet tool. I’ve applied Street View to traveling as well. Scoping city streets, hostel addresses, and attractions before a trip helps me get an idea of where I want to go and where I don’t, and imparts a sense of familiarity to my surroundings once I actually make it there. Now, news is out that Google has partnered with UNESCO, the arm of the UN responsible for designating and protecting World Heritage Sites , to produce Street View experiences of some of the most famous sites around the world. Nineteen ground-level, 360-degree World Heritage views have already been released, featuring primarily European landmarks, and more are in the works. This video explains: Expect an uptick in “virtual tourism” as a result of the partnership, but I bet UNESCO sees an increase in in-the-flesh visitors to these sites as well. Community Connection How long do you think it’ll take Google to make it to these Overlooked World Heritage Sites ?

Read the original here UNESCO World Heritage Meets Google Street View