Briefly reflect on lessons learnt from this practical:
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a. Update your Blog with magical pictures of your Dream Holiday destinations.
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My Dream Holiday destination is Thailand, its not really a Dream because I practically spend my holidays every year in Thailand. -___- But nevertheless, here goes the pictures of the places in Thailand that I would like to visit (or visit again)...
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Chiang Mai Night Safari, Chiang Mai Province
Chiang Mai Night Safari, Chiang Mai Province
Its the 3rd Nocturnal Zoo in the World and its 2 times larger than Singapore's very own Night Safari. And some say, its the most beautiful Night Safari in the World. Its the current place I would like to visit right now in Thailand!.
Central World Plaza, Bangkok.
Its the largest mall in Thailand, 2nd largest mall in Southeast Asia, and the 3rd largest mall in the World. Can I shop till I drop?.
Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, Chiang Mai Province.
Chiang Mai is known for having a cool climate since its located in the hilly North, I think it will be very relaxing to walk along the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar when its especially chilly. And who doesn't like Night Bazaars? With stalls selling colourful trinkets and what nots blending in with the striking neon lights and the bargaining echoes in the air..
Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok.
This is the MOTHER OF ALL OUTDOOR MARKETS. Chatuchak Weekend Market is the largest outdoor market in the world with more than 15, 000 stores occupying an area of about 1.13 km square. They sell literally anything, from your usual food, clothes, books, furniture to even endangered animal species! However like its name suggests, it only opens on the weekends..
Yaowarat Road, Chinatown, Bangkok.
Yaowarat Road oozes an authentic Chinatown feel, unlike other Chinatowns around the World like in Singapore and Malaysia, where their Chinatowns are filled with touristy stalls selling souvenirs. Yaowarat Road is famous for its street hawkers that line along the busy road and the many neon bill boards that jostle with each other for attention.
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Maya Bay, Ko Phi Phi Leh, Krabi Province.
This famous beach was made famous by the novel and the movie based it, both titled "The Beach". The novel depicts this beach as a Utopian paradise. From the picture alone, who are we to deny? Clear turquoise waters with fine white sand surrounded by majestic limestone cliffs. However, both the novel and the movie has made the place too popular, resulting in over crowding..
Koh Nang Yuan, Koh Tao, Surat Thani Province.
This is my favourite place in Thailand as it is very relaxing and paradise-like. A beach connects the 3 islands and its like the main artery of Koh Nang Yuan. Tourists can relax on the beach, climb to the view point on the hill, snorkel in the shallow waters or just do nothing!.
Long Neck Karen Hill Tribe, Mae Hong Son Province.
Many of the tourists whom visit the Karen Hill Tribe for the sole purpose of seeing the Long Neck women say that they thought they were visiting the zoo due to tourist gimmicks with headlines like "See the Long Neck women now". However, they are actually helping these women. Many of these Karen Hill Tribe villagers actually reside in their native country, Myanmar, but due to the ongoing conflicts of the government, they are forced to take refuge in Thailand. So, actually they are considered as refugees and can only make a living by farming or selling handmade handicrafts to tourists whom visit them..
b. Which evaluation criteria did you used to evaluate the multimedia websites for your dream holiday? Why?
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Firstly, the website that I have chosen is http://www.tourismthailand.org.sg/ Its the official Tourism Thailand website for Singapore.
Initial impressions: I like the website a lot! Especially its choice of colours. The colours were not too glaring and blended well with each other, which made it pleasing for my eyes. I particularly liked the pink coloured silhouettes of the Thai temple structures. I thought that it was pretty cool. The collage pictures of Thailand gave the website a more livelier feel and attracted me to further carry on exploring the website..
Purpose: There is no aims or an "About Us" page mentioned in the website, however, ain't Tourism websites all about promoting/advertising their country to attract Tourists to visit?
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Coverage: The website is very comprehensive and covers most well known destinations in Thailand, however some destinations are not mentioned at all. I felt that there were too little related images to complement the destinations that the website mentioned about. The website also has a mini bulletin on the main page which mentions about the major events that are happening in which parts of Thailand soon and what promotions and discounts are going on. There are also various active external links with free e-Magazines to download, Thailand in 72 hours (Damn cool slogan) and other Thailand Tourism related websites.
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Authority and Accuracy: The website is managed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Royal Thai Embassy of Singapore. As they are official organizations, therefore I can trust the authority and accuracy of the information on the websites.
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Currency: The information on the website is up to date with the latest events listed and even a weather widget to display the weather conditions in Bangkok today.
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Accessibility: There is no need to register or to log in to use the website, therefore the website is easily accessible. Furthermore, there are external links to download e-Brochures and e-magazines for free.
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Presentation and Arrangement/Usability: The presentation and the arrangement of the website is very pleasing to the eyes and neat. Navigation are at the top, while current information is centered and external links on the right. The website is very user-friendly and does not contain any pointless advertisements.
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c. Why did you choose to go to your Dream Holiday destination?
Because Thailand is not just Amazing,
its Amazing Thailand, Amazing Value. 100 Thai Baht is about 4 Singapore Dollars. And a meal from a Street Hawker just costs less than 20 Baht, which is less than 1 Singapore Dollar!
