Voyages of Discovery launch new Antarctic website

**Ally** · 07-31-2007, 08:18 AM

Destination cruise line Voyages of Discovery has created a new website, Antarctica Discovery | Journals, video, live maps, blogs, amateur photography and information from Antarctica that is dedicated to Antarctica.

The site responds to the increasing popularity of user generated websites and networking whilst updating the image of Antarctica and how it is perceived as a destination by those who visit.

Passengers, crew and onboard lecturers are able to upload their own photos, video clips and journals detailing their unique experiences.

There is a strong focus on people, landscapes and wildlife and the vast array of original and previously unseen images portray a vivid and contemporary image of the continent as it exists today, not hundreds of years ago.

One of the site's useful innovations is the ability for places, journals and photos to be pinpointed onto an interactive Antarctica satellite map.

This provides an even greater depth of understanding and illustration to the content provided, where users can not only read a journal, but also see the exact place it was written.

Voyages of Discovery Managing Director, David Yellow, states: "It's all too easy for travel companies to portray Antarctica as the last great pioneering destination on earth, with obvious connections to past explorers used to make a common link. We feel as a company that it is time to update this image.

The truth is that Antarctica is "on the radar" of many more people than even 5 years ago. The continent has a high profile in the west and it is not just viewed as a pioneering destination anymore.

However, the Antarctica we see today is still the most beautiful place on the planet. It is still wild, with nature still very much in charge and it is still more dramatic than any other landscape. This website has been built to allow our passengers, crew, lecturers and other people involved with us to tell their story and present an updated image of this beautiful continent."

The website has a number of other features which demonstrate Voyages of Discovery's fresh approach to promoting destinations. These include detailed location summaries, biographies of contributors, photo and caption galleries, video players, and tools for sending images and page links to other people that may be interested, enhancing the community feeling.

Yellow adds: "Voyages of Discovery is committed to responsible tourism and bringing an experience of a lifetime to our passengers, letting them witness first-hand the power of nature. This website, in short, is dedicated to those experiences, a true reflection of Antarctica that will constantly update itself. As a leader in discovery travel, we are very excited to have created a website that communicates the true notion of discovery."