| August's WETA Award winner is... |
| Intercity Coachlines |
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An attractive and extremely functional site, Intercity Coachlines seem to have covered everything a would-be coach traveller might need to know.
Not only is there ample information on a wide variety of coach pass products, routes and coach stops but also a detailed FAQ and full service timetable. The" information" page is comprehensive and should answer most questions about reporting and departure times, luggage (carry on and larger items such as bicycles), comfort stops and more. Best of all, is that pretty much all of the site's content can be accessed via the main page due to a well though out hierarchical menu system. A small point here about such menus. Whilst this menu (written in JavaScript) seems to function well across different browsers (Explorer and Netscape) and platforms (Mac OS and Windows) similar menus we've had the misfortune to use, have not always achieved this! As is usual with WETA winning sites, there is little to criticise. The judges did however make a comment about the lack of a means to book online, referring the visitor instead to an email address or telephone number for the "coach bookings contact centre". Still, we're sure that their "award winning contact centre" will be able to help and, there is mention that an online payment facility will be introduced shortly. Presumably this will allow visitors to book, as well as pay, via the website. Once again, we're pleased to see a tourism operator look at their business from a visitor's perspective. We believe a visitor's vacation starts the moment planning commences. This is the best time to create a great first impression of a tourism product and/or, the destination as a whole. |