The European Travel Commission has just launched a brand new version of its website, www.visiteurope.com. New navigational tools encourage searching not only by regions and themes, but also by particular interests. A flight search engine and a currency converter are both available, and a new fun section has been added where travelers can blog, post photos and share their own information and experiences before, during and after their journeys in Europe.
The new design divides the site into three interrelated sections: Discover, Plan and Share. Discover Europe takes the visitor to 17 different regions of Europe, with pop-up boxes that pinpoint the countries in the region, from the Adriatic to the Alps. The Carpathians, for example, include Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine, while Islands and Archipelagoes cover Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and United Kingdom. There are 15 more regional ways to discover Europe, with inspirational content and links to each country’s tourism website.
The “themes” section allows search by activities and interests, covering, for example, outdoor, leisure and cultural pursuits, from biking to winter sports, cuisine to wellness and spa, and festivals to UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Plan your trip provides tools and tips to help consumers organize their journeys, and Share your experience allows visitors to upload their own experiences and read about others’, as well as to access photos, videos and social networks
ETC chairman Jean-Philippe Pérol believes that the new and improved site has "made it easier to see how Europe is a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts," calling the online gathering a "cocktail party in cyberspace, open to Europhiles everywhere, that will deepen and broaden Americans ongoing love affair with Europe.”
