The UK & Ireland branch of Yahoo has established a deal with Sony; as a result, “a one-of-a-kind travel resource” known as Destination Handycam has been launched.

As you probably guessed from its name, the site is intended to promote the Sony Handycam.  It may also help Yahoo, and tourism (and tourists) in Europe, because, as stated in a press release, “the microsite blends Yahoo! Maps functionality with professional and user-generated content to create a unique travel guide highlighting all of Europe’s most exciting and exclusive summer holiday destinations.”

Would-be participants are encouraged to upload their own travel videos – this will build up the Destination Handycam site (though it’s come preloaded with some professional videos), and also allow those participants a chance at winning various prizes (which include weekend vacations in Europe or a yacht trip in the South Pacific).

 To be honest, there’s not a whole lot else to the site – the six main navigation tabs are “Home,” “The contest,” “Meet our travellers,” “Rules,” “Handycam,” and “Upload” – and it’s a pretty obvious marketing effort.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, as users stand to benefit from it.

As for how long the Destination Handycam promotion will last, the final weekly contest will end on August 3, and the overall winner will be announced on August 17.  According to that “Rules” section, “Entrants must be 18 or over and a resident of the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Denmark or Norway.”