Published on January 25, 2010
EDITOR’S NOTES
Deadline approaching in Canadian competition
The 13th annual Northern Lights Awards for Excellence in Travel Journalism and Photography is open to magazines, newspaper, or independent journalists, as well as internet contributors. Entries in both English and French are welcomed. Awards of $600, $400, and $200 US, respectively, will be given at Canada Media Marketplace ‘10 in San Francisco April 13 after judging by Missouri School of Journalism faculty members. With a Feb. 16 deadline for entries, see http://www.canadamediamarket.org/exhibitors/northern_rules.asp or http://www.canadamediamarket.org/images/northern_entry.pdf. . .
The sixth annual Symposium for Professional Wine Writers at Meadowood Napa Valley will be held Feb. 16-19. Registration for the four-day program costs $475. See www.winewriterssymposium.org . . .
Travel journalists who register in advance may attend...
Trade Day at The New York Times Travel Show, slated for the Javits Center in Manhattan on Friday, Feb. 26. Attending members of the American Society of Journalists & Authors (ASJA) are invited to attend special travel writing seminars prior to the opening of the enormous trade show floor, which will host 500 vendors . . .
Other key events slated for early spring are the ASJA annual meeting, including a kickoff day open to members only April 23, and the U.S. Travel Association’s International PowWow, slated for Orlando May 15-19 . . .
Don’t toss those used guidebooks: sell them on GuideGecko.com. A publishing platform and travel bookstore, GuideGecko offers more than 2600 guides on 169 countries and 270 cities and regions around the world. All well-known series, from Lonely Planet to Rough Guides, are available, along with such unconventional titles as Hedonist’s Guides and Trailblazer. The Singapore-based firm also invites casual writers, bloggers, and authors to publish and sell their own guides. Publishing is free and authors earn 50-75 per cent on every copy sold. To learn more, contact founder and managing director Daniel Quadt (Tel. 65 94555974, media@guidegecko.com) . . .
Although Arizona’s state parks draw 2.3 million visitors and generate $266 million per year, a multi-billion-dollar deficit in the state’s budget has forced the closure of many of them. Included are the famed Tombstone Courthouse and Yuma Territorial Prison. Eight parks are already closed, with 13 more to join them by June, leaving only nine open – and providing the State Parks Board can come up with $3 million to keep those operating . . .
Some good news from Arizona: the first phase of paving Diamond Bar Road, the infamous route to Grand Canyon West, has been completed. The Hualapai Tribe, with cooperation from Mohave County Public Works, resconstructed and paved 4.5 miles – nearly one-third – of the previously-unpaved 14-mile stretch. The price tag of $7.5 million was paid for by the tribe . . .
Best American Destinations, formerly contracted as Destination Grand Canyon, has been awarded a three-year agreement to handle marketing and PR efforts for Grand Canyon West, Hualapai Lodge, Hualapai Ranch, and Hualapai River Runners. Colin Daviau is the public relations contact (Tel. 702-889-9378, pr@bestamericandestinations.com) . . .
Amy Rossetti has left Wynn/Encore for a new position as director of public relations at The Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino, 4285 Polaris Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89103 (Tel. 702-314-3262, Cell 702-371-8966, Amy.rossetti@cosmolv.com). . . .
The Rollaboard luggage used by George Clooney’s character in Up in the Air was created by Travelpro, winner of the 2009 Leading Edge Award from Executive Travel Magazine for “best carry-on case.” The brand of choice for flight crews and frequent travelers, Travelpro worked with Paramount Pictures in a joint marketing program that featured a consumer sweepstakes that featured a trip for two to Hollywood, along with Travelpro luggage. To learn more, contact Farrah Shoukry-Calderon, Howard R. Miller Communications (Tel. 305-573-0882, farrah@gohrmc.com) . . .
Brookstone’s Dash Hardside Carry-On Suitcase, priced at $79.95m weighs less than eight pounds, features multi-direction wheels that pivot and spin, comes in six colors, and fits in conventional airplane overhead compartments. The same firm produces a Sona Pillow, designed by a neurologist, designed to stop snoring and minor sleep apnea. To learn more, contact Kristina Lynch, TARA Ink, Suite 703, 1666 Kennedy Causeway, Miami Beach, FL 33141 (Tel. 305-864-3434 x153, Fax 305-864-3432, kristina@taraink.com) . . .
Looking for a Quikee on vacation? This $6 product allows travelers to brush their teeth in their airplane seats without need of a water, a brush, or a sink. A drop of Quikee gel on the tongue, wiped over the teeth, eliminates stains, plaque, and bad breath. One of several products produced by Supersmiule, a line of smile-whitening offerings from Dr. Irwin Smigel, Quikee is also contained in a $22.50 Supersmile Travel Pack approved by the TSA for plane travel. Also in the pack is powdered mouth rinse, toothpaste, and whitening gum. Fans of the brand include Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Ivanka Trump, according to publicist Lindsay Boos, 5W Public Relations, 7th floor, 1120 Sixth Avenue, NY, NY 10036 (Tel. 212-584-4271 or 212-999-5585, lboos@5wpr.com) . . .
The first luxury boutique hotel in Cusco has become the first Peruvian property to join the prestigious Relais & Chateaux collection. The 11th South American hotel so honored, the Inkaterra La Casona once served as a Spanish colonial manor house built over an ancient Inca complex. Reopened in 2008, it offers 11 suites that are both rustic and lavish plus authentic Peruvian decor and amenities and impeccable service. There are 475 Relais & Chateaux properties in 57 countries. To learn more about Inkaterra La Casona, see www.inkaterra.com or contact their New York-based publicists, Geoffrey Weill Associates . . .
Live Luggage has given a new look and new life to its innovative cases: it’s produced the world’s first power-assisted suitcase, launched after six years of research and development. The Classic PA case and Hybrid Pa Bag feature patented flat motor technology in their wheels. They power up when the built-in sensors in the handle detect a gradient or curb. Live Luggage has also decided to give customers color choices, with the anti-gravity handle available in red, pink, white, black, or the original yellow. Contact press rep Clive Hemsley (clive.hemsley@liveluggage.com, Tel. +44 1491 636 393) or see www.liveluggage.com . . .
Journalists looking for extra money and extra exposure are encouraged to contact Jami Lin, an award-winning author and authority on such topics as lifestyle, women, wellness, spirituality, parent/family, business and marketing, plus home/garden and office-productivity design. Lin and the freelancer will co-create headlines and pitch strategies, while Lin will provide content, targeted contacts, and distribution (through Vocus database/distribution service). Lin will also maximum journalists’ exposure by posting articles (with links to journalists) on her site and interactive blog and directing traffic through social media and SEO marketing strategies as well as through her database of 16,000 names. Contact her at earthdesignmedia@gmail.com or call 941-276-8689 . . .
PRESS REPS: Mention in this column is free. Send brief blurbs, plus contact information, to The Wayfarer, 10 Ballard Place, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410-3601 ( dan@natja.org or Fax 201-791-3349).
