NATJA - North American Travel Journalists Association

Winter 2008
Vol 16 Issue 1
 

The WAYFARER

NORTH AMERICAN TRAVEL JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION

531 Main Street #902, El Segundo, CA 90245. Published bimonthly except March and August. Fax  201-791-3349. E.mail dan@natja.org. Elizabeth Beshear, publisher. Dan Schlossberg, editor-in-chief. NATJA encourages input from both members and others in the travel/hospitality industry but reserves the right to edit material for brevity, clarity, and good taste.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

  • CONFERENCE REGISTRATION STARTS IN MARCH
  • JUDGES NAME 50 WINNERS IN NATJA AWARDS
  • LIST OF PRIZES CHOSEN BY WINNERS
  • NATJA NEEDS NEW PRIZES FOR '08 AWARDS
  • TRIPS FOR MEMBERS
  • EDITOR'S NOTES
  • THE PREZ BOX
  • CARLA'S CORNER

    • ____________________________________________

    Oklahoma City conference registration opens in March

Registration for NATJA's 2008 national conference is less than two months away.

The sixth annual conference, featuring keynote speaker Pauline Frommer, will be held in Oklahoma City June 24-27, with a much-anticipated media marketplace slated for Thursday, June 26. Most participants will arrive on Tuesday and spend three nights in town, then join post-conference FAM trips. Pre-FAMs will also be offered.

The event will follow the format usually so successful in previous years: morning seminars, afternoon sightseeing, and evening social events. The professional development itinerary includes a panel of inflight editors featuring Randy Johnson of United's Hemispheres and Michael Buller of Continental.

Sightseeing options in the Sooner State range from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to the National Softball Hall of Fame, the Gymnastics Hall of Fame, the 45th Infantry Division Museum, and the Express Ranches Clydesdale Center.

There's an art museum, a firefighters museum, a heritage center, and a memorial to the victims of the 1995 federal building bombing.

Oklahoma City even has a water taxi, which plies the waters of a canal that snakes its way through the middle of town. The one-mile circuit consumes about 40 minutes but provides a myriad of photo opportunities. Six water taxis traverse a two-block urban canyon dotted with shops, bistros, restaurants, and nightclubs -- hardly what an unknowing visitor would expect in Oklahoma City.

A cowboy town with unwanted bad press from both natural causes (tornadoes) and man-made (domestic terrorism), Oklahoma City has more than 500,000 residents, making it the largest city on the Great Plains and the 29th largest in the country.

A one-time stockyard capital that boomed again with the discovery of oil (including a source under the State Capitol building) and the later arrival of the interstate highway system, Oklahoma City recaptured some lost residents by building a new ballpark and new library, redoing its civic center and convention center, and creating the Bricktown entertainment district as the jewel in the downtown crown.

Famous sons like Will Rogers and Mickey Mantle wouldn't recognize their hometown. The airport is named for the former and a street adjacent to the Triple-A ballpark is named for the latter. There's also a Mickey Mantle Steakhouse visible from the water taxi.

Locals can't agree on the city's most famous attraction, though the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum would be a strong contender. There's also an Omniplex Science Museum in Kirkpatrick Center, a zoo with numerous natural habitats, and a downtown park (the Myriad Botanical Gardens) with a tropical conservatory called the Crystal Bridge. The park has waterfalls, fountains, and a lake, all ample backdrops for a free summer concert series and a myriad of festivals.

Also appealing to the eye is the Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center, new home for the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and the world's biggest collection of Chihuly glass.

Sports teams and concerts bring crowds to the downtown Ford Center, while the Civic Center Music Hall offers opera, ballet, and Broadway, plus other concert venues.

Shows and concerts also come to the Stage Center for the Performing Arts, Lyric Theater, and Jewel Box Theater. Kids will like Six Flags Frontier City and White Water Bay, a water park.

Crowds come to AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, where the young RedHawks hope to become Texas Rangers, and the annual NCAA Women's College World Series, played at the Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium. The World Cup of Softball is played there too.

Although Oklahoma City has never had a big-league team of its own, it had a temporary NBA franchise after Hurricane Katrina made the New Orleans Hornets homeless in 2005. The team spent two years in the Ford Center, which has also hosted NHL exhibition games, before the franchise returned to Louisiana.

It will be easier to get around town after a long-delayed light-rail system is built but a "heritage" rail line, now being rebuilt, will link Bricktown and the Adventure District in the northeastern part of town.

Transportation has always been a big deal in Oklahoma City, which was such a major stop on Route 66 that Nat King Cole sang about it in his 1946 song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66." The art deco train station that used to welcome a stream of steam engines downtown still stands but the old trolley lines are gone. That could change, if the downtown streetcar system finally gets the funding it needs.

There was no trouble getting funding for the Oklahoma City National Memorial, in the northern part of downtown, and the adjacent Memorial Museum, located in a neighboring building damaged in the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Also on the site is the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism.

Visitors to the solemn site can walk alone with their thoughts on trails that line Lake Hefner, Lake Overholser, Lake Stanley Draper, the downtown canal, or the Oklahoma River.

Both out-of-towners and locals need to keep an eye on the sky; Oklahoma City gets more tornadoes than any city in the country, with peak activity usually occurring from late March through August. The city's climate is typically dry and hot, however.

Things have been hot all year in the capital of Oklahoma, currently celebrating the Centennial of its 1907 admission to the Union.

Previous venues for NATJA events were Newport, RI (2003), Chicago (2004), Santa Fe (2005), Stowe, VT (2006), and Little Rock (2007).

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THE PREZ BOX                         

by Dan Schlossberg

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How to Welcome the New Year

The Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, which calls itself Sonoma Country, wins the holiday-card-of-the-year award. The front features eight different quotes, all in different fonts and typefaces, that are FAM-trip cliches:

  • "I want to change rooms"
  • "I only get two hours at the spa?"
  • "You misspelled my name"
  • "It is always this sunny?"
  • "Do you have this in HD?"
  • "Are those the only photos you have?"
  • "That's the wrong website!"
  • "Will this FAM ever end?"

Inside, the card says "SEASONS GREETINGS FROM WHINE COUNTRY! Thanks for a great year. Looking forward to 2008."

Obviously, PR director Tim Zahner and assistant Keri Hanson have learned to laugh at themselves -- a great attribute for a publicist forced to cope with cantankerous writers.

Sonoma County claims to be "America's premier wine, spa & coastal destination." It says so right on the card. Let's hope other suppliers, PR reps, CVBs, and state tourism bureaus also learn to lighten up. It would make the New Year happier and healthier for all of us.

[Contact info: Tim Zahner, Director of Public Relations and Communications, Sonoma Country, #106, 420 Aviation Blvd., Santa Rosa, CA 95403 (Tel. 800-576-6662, Fax 707-539-7252, tzahner@SonomaCounty.com.]

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

Compiling a Wish List in January is easy; carrying it through December is difficult.

That being said, here's a personal list of things to strive for in 2008 [and beyond]:

  • Be kind to editors - they are overwhelmed and overworked too and have many people to keep happy, including their bosses, their staffs, and their freelancers
  • Be kind to members - with competitive organizations also seeking the hard-earned dollars of travel journalists, all of us at NATJA promise to be more communicative, better informed, and willing to listen not only to new ideas but to constructive criticism
  • Be kind to critics - although ignoring unwarranted attacks isn't easy, the best path to success is to keep doing positive things for NATJA and continue building it into an organization that wins respect in the travel journalism community, especially from non-members and suppliers
  • Be more patient - getting instant answers to questions is often impossible because of time demands on others
  • Be more tolerant - because of the tightening economy, getting prominent resorts to donate three-night comps to the NATJA awards competition is hard, but convincing them to provide gift certificates with proper expiration dates (often eight months in advance) is harder - and frustrating when good certificates arrive with invalid information and require replacement

HOW TO FIX CONGESTION

"Congestion pricing" has been suggested as a traffic remedy by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for cars and by U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters for planes. There's only one problem with the idea: it's not the right answer. It will also prove devastating to those who travel for a living - including travel journalists.

Drivers are already been squeezed dry by the oil cartel, not to mention states and agencies straining to escape enormous fiscal deficits: the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is raising tolls on the George Washington Bridge to $8, while New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine plans to hike tolls on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike 800 per cent over the next 75 years.

When the Connecticut Turnpike paid for itself a few years ago, the Nutmeg State lifted its tolls, correctly reasoning they existed mainly to pay the salaries of the toll-takers. Too bad the neighboring states didn't adopt the same strategy.

Corzine could have hiked taxes on tobacco and alcohol, thus reducing sales and abuse of those troublesome products, or could have opted for boosting the income tax or sales tax. He could have also eliminated "enterprise zones," inner cities where only half the tax is charged.

Airlines, also facing financial crises mainly triggered by runaway fuel costs, are virtually certain to pass along any FAA-imposed hikes on their customers. When in doubt, might as well slam the poor consumer, who has no way to fight back or recoup additional intrusions on his income.

The FAA, anxious to break up the bottleneck that grips northeast airports almost daily, is trying to get carriers to space out their flights over 24 hours rather than grouping them in the morning and evening. But the real root of the matter is the proliferation of small, regional jets -- invariably at the expense of larger ones now working on their tans in the Arizona desert.

If airlines would bring back the larger planes while also reducing the number of flights, they could serve the same number of passengers (bigger planes have more seats) and reduce delays at the same time (fewer planes means fewer delays).

It's a mathematical fact of life that small planes take up just as much room (and time) as larger ones. The more small planes that fly, the larger the number of likely delays.

Maybe Russian-born comedian Yakov Smirnoff can solve the transportation bottleneck.

"Only in America," he says, "can pizza get to your house faster than the ambulance can."

THINGS WE'D LIKE TO SEE

After spending years urging cities and states to adopt smokefree public places, it's obvious that persistence pays off. That being said, here are some other things we'd like to see immediately if not sooner in the world of travel:

  • Airlines making it mandatory for flight attendants to add the following line to their opening spiel about seatbelts: "...and for the health and safety of all of us on this plane, please remember to cover your mouth when sneezing, coughing, or clearing your throat."
  • Airlines expediting the boarding process by assigning families with children to the back sections of planes, near the lavatories, and thereby expediting the boarding process and reducing the likelihood of restless children running up and down the aisles and annoying adult travelers
  • Airlines realizing that massive delays are caused primarily by the proliferation of small regional jets and reacting by recalling mothballed fleets of larger planes from the desert - thus serving greater numbers of people with fewer flights
  • States joining the 21st century - faced with overwhelming scientific evidence, coupled with popular demand, why haven't all U.S. states and territories, plus the recalcitrant Atlantic City casinos, enacted permanent smoking bans?
  • Less emphasis on what is "politically correct" and more emphasis on what is historically accurate, not to mention preferred - i.e. Native-Americans living on South Dakota reservations, for example, widely prefer to be known as Indians.
  • Peace no matter what - virtually every problem on the planet is steeped in such religious and/or racial intolerance that it threatens our future.

Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is president and co-founder of the North American Travel Journalists Association. Write dan@natja.org.

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Sierra Madre sole repeater in 5-Star Awards voting

Members of NATJA named only one repeat winner in the annual 5-Star Awards, given to suppliers in the travel industry.

The Sierra Madre Express, a Tucson-based firm that runs tours into Mexico's Copper Canyon, kept its title as the Best Rail Tour Company.

In the voting for Best Airline, however, JetBlue narrowly missed an unprecedented sixth straight award. Voters selected Atlanta-based AirTran instead.

Two former winners also returned to the top of their class: Four Seasons won as Best Hotel Group and the New York-based Hawkins International PR took Best Travel PR Firm.

First-time winners included the Arizona Biltmore as best hotel, Casablanca Inn of St. Augustine as Best Inn or B&B, and Qantas as Best Foreign Airline, just ahead of defending champion Virgin Atlantic.

Florida scored again when Visit Florida, the statewide tourism promotional group, was named the most media-friendly state tourism bureau, and Enid Atwater of the Palm Beach County CVB was named Best Friend to Travel Journalists.

Philadelphia scored twice, winning for most media-friendly CVB and for best attraction (National Constitution Center).

Colorado won for most hospitable state, edging Maine and Hawaii, while Canada snagged a prize with Vancouver's selection as Best International Destination. Cunard's new Queen Victoria was named Best Cruise Ship, Avis edged Alamo and Enterprise as Best Car Rental Firm, and McCormick & Schmick's won as Best Restaurant Chain.

A Boston-based company, Durgan Travel Services, was named Best Tour Operator.

The complete list of winners:

Best domestic airline: AirTran

Best foreign airline: Qantas

Best cruise line or ship: Queen Victoria (Cunard)

Best rail tour company: Sierra Madre Express

Best car rental firm: Avis

Best individual hotel: Arizona Biltmore

Best hotel group: Four Seasons

Best inn or B&B: Casablanca Inn (St. Augustine)

Best North American destination: Las Vegas

Best international destination: Vancouver, B.C.

Best tour operator: Durgan Travel Services

Most hospitable city: Denver

Most hospitable state: Hawaii

Most media-friendly CVB: Washington, D.C.

Most media-friendly state tourism bureau: Visit Florida

Best attraction: National Constitution Center (Philadelphia)

Best new attraction: National World War I Museum (Kansas City)

Best restaurant chain: McCormick & Schmick's

Best travel PR firm:  Hawkins International PR

Best friend to travel journalists: Enid Atwater (Palm Beach County)

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NATJA needs prizes for '08 annual awards

Now that the 50 winners of last year's NATJA travel journalism awards have received their prizes, the search is on for 2008 donations.

A plethora of free publicity will be the reward for hotels, resorts, airlines, cruise lines, and rail tour companies that supply non-cash prizes for the 2008 awards competition. That publicity will include prominent mention in NATJA print, broadcast, and internet outlets as well as the publications, broadcast venues, and/or hometown newspapers of winners .

The competition, open to all travel writers, authors, and broadcasters worldwide, produced more than 1,000 entries over the last two years.

Although grand prizes have considerably greater value, most first prizes are space-available, three-night stays for two people sharing luxury accommodations, valid only during the following calendar year (Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2009). Gift certificates marked "valid one year from date of issue" cannot be accepted unless the date of issue is listed as Dec. 31, 2008. That is because winners will not receive prizes and accompanying certificates of excellence until the end of this year, after judges tally the Top 10 prize preferences of first-prize winners.

Potential sponsors are invited to submit a Gift Certificate, e.mail, or letter detailing their prize so that it may be announced in the Summer issue of The Wayfarer (or sooner online). That issue will also contain the official application form for journalists. Entries are accepted from July 1-October 1.

Prize donors should send confirming e.mails by April 1 (followed by gift certificates detailing the prize) to NATJA Awards, 10 Ballard Place, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410-3601 (Fax 201- 791-3349, e.mail dan@natja.org).

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Novogrod, Schensul dominate awards; judges name 50 winners  in 2007 contest

Veteran travel editors Nancy Novogrod and Jill Schensul were the big winners in the 2007 NATJA Travel Journalism Awards. Both took a grand prize and a first prize as journalists plus a second first prize as editors of products deemed best in their class by the nine-judge panel.

Travel Leisure, which Novogrod edits, was named Best Travel Magazine, while Schensul's The Record of Hackensack, NJ was cited for hosting the Best Newspaper Travel Section.

Two other grand prizes were shared by multiple authors: writers of the "Three Perfect Days" series in United's inflight Hemispheres (edited by Randy Johnson) and MTV Road Trips USA, a Frommer's guidebook with 10 authors.

The only person to win two first prizes this year was Elaine Glusac, who won in both the leisure activity and local lifestyle categories.

Articles, books, broadcast tapes, press releases, and press kits were submitted in 38 categories, including four designated for destination travel (newspaper articles about domestic destinations, newspaper articles about international destinations, magazine articles about domestic destinations, and magazine articles about international destinations) and 11 for Public Relations/Publications Categories. Judges were allowed to award multiple first prizes in any category but did not have to award prizes in every category.

Most of the 46 first prizes were complimentary three-night stays donated by leading hotels and resorts. All selected Winners, Runner-Up and Honorable Mention participants in all categories received NATJA Award Certificates. In keeping with established custom, judges distributed prizes after winners listed their Top 10 prize preferences. Ties were broken by giving preference to NATJA members and multiple winners (the competition is open to all journalists worldwide, although NATJA members in good standing pay half the $50 entry fee).

Officers and trustees of  the Garden State Journalists Association (formerly the Working Press Association of New Jersey), directed by GSJA president Jim Prior, sifted more than 500 entries.

The 16th annual competition produced entries from virtually every top travel magazine, newspaper, internet site, and publisher. The complete list of winners, including runners-up and honorable mentions, may be found at http://www.natja.org./

            Grand prize and first prize winners of 2007 NATJA awards:

(4) Grand Prizes

1. Nancy Novogrod, Travel Leisure, "100 Greatest Trips."

2. Jill Schensul, "Space Cadets," The Record (Hackensack, NJ)

3. "Three Perfect Days," series in Hemispheres Magazine (inflight magazine of United Airlines, Randy Johnson, editor). (a) Kauai: an Island of Hawaii, by Rita Ariyoshi, photos by Todd Pearson; (b) In Rome, Italy, by Tom Mueller, photos by Andrea Pistolesi; and © in Hong Kong, by Robin Lynam, photos by Dave Lauridsen.

4. MTV Road Trips USA, 10 authors, Frommer's (travel guidebook).

(46) First Prizes

Destination Travel: Domestic (Newspaper)

First Place- Tom Uhlenbrock, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "North to Alaska."

First Place- Peter Johansen, Ottawa Citizen, "American Idyll."

Destination Travel: Domestic (Magazine)

First Place- Dave G. Houser, Destination, "Unlocking Key West.

First Place- John Paul Newport, T L Golf, "Golf in the (Northeast) Kingdom."

First Place- Kay Grant, Valley Life Quarterly, "LA's Two Getty Museums."

Destination Travel: International (Newspaper)

First Place- Ellen Creager, Detroit Free Press, "Oh, Holyland."

First Place- George Burden, The Medical Post, "48-hour Flirtation with Lisbon."

First Place- Karisa King, San Antonio Express-News, "Conquering Kilimanjaro" (photography by Lisa Krantz)

Destination Travel: International (Magazine)

First Place-David Noyes,"The New Silk Road," Lifestyle Travel

First Place-Margie Goldsmith,"Up the Hill in Morocco," Distinction Magazine.

Bylined Column (Print)

First Place-Keith Bellows, National Geographic Traveler, "Traveling by Design."

Local Lifestyle

First Place- Elaine Glusac, "Barbados, The Longevity Plan," Islands Magazine.

First Place- Cleo Paskal, "How to Marry a Viking," Canadian Geographic Travel.

First Place- Peter Johansen, "The Garage That Does Million Dollar Tuneups," The Toronto Star.

Leisure Activity

First Place- Elaine Glusac, "Butterflying in Southern Texas and Lower Rio Grande Valley," Escape Travel page of The New York Times.

Series

First Place- Tracy L. Barnett, San Antonio Express-News (with freelance photographer Altug Sami Icilensu),
"The Other Gulf Coast," a 12-day, 1,900-mile exploration by car in Mexico 

First Place- Linda Fasteson (photos by Roger Fasteson),"Northern Isles Adventure," Explore Magazine.

Sports in Conjunction with Travel

First Place- Glen Petrie, "Camping on the White Continent," The Globe and Mail

First Place- Jonathan Green, "Three Peaks Challenge," Hemispheres.

Resorts

First Place- Tim Leffel, "A Spa Built for Two," Travel World International Magazine.

First Place- Christopher Petkanas,"Indian Safari," Travel and Leisure.

Cruises

First Place- Bob Morris, "Royal Waves," Virtuoso Life.

First Place- Jackie Hutcherson,"Mediterranean Sea Cruise," St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Personality Profile

First Place- Amy Rosen, "Insulin Was Born in London," National Post.

First Place- Barbara Wayman,"Princess Diana's London," Home & Away.

Historical Travel

First Place-Carol Perehudoff, "Wild and Wonderful Experiences" Toronto Star

Senior Travel

First Place-Pam Hobbs, "Shadowing the Queen of Crime," Good Times Magazine.

Family Travel

First Place- Caitlin Flanagan, Travel Leisure, "How Do You Dude?"

First Place- Kate Pocock, Family Outlook Magazine, "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch."

Culinary Travel

First Place- John Seabrook, "Sicily, Old and New," Travel Leisure.

First Place- Brad Johnson, "Basque in Glory," Modern Luxury Magazine.

First Place- John Mariani, "The Other Italy," Virtuoso Life.

Best Travel Article Written For Internet

First Place- Peter Rose, "Autumn in the Alps," SoGoNow.com

First Place- Amy Rosen, "How to Build an Igloo," Perceptive Travel.

Best Travel Broadcast

First Place- Bryan Scofield, "Cruisin' California - Solvang"

Best Travel Book

First Place- Richard Bangs, "Adventures With Purpose," Howard Cohen, Menasha Ridge Press

First Place- Nancy Novogrod, "World's Greatest Hotels, Resorts & Spas," Travel Leisure.

Best Travel Guide

First Place- Pauline Frommer's London, Frommer's (John Wiley & Sons)

Business & Trade Press

General Trade Story

First Place-Anne Burke, "The Cutting Edge," Travel Age West

First Place- Arnie Weissmann, "Marketing Dubai," Travel Weekly

Tips & Advice

First Place- Sarah Pascarella, "Top 10 Safety Trips for Solo Travelers," SmarterTravel.com

Photography

Overall Excellence

First Place- Gail Mooney, "Nutcracker," NYC Ballet Magazine.

First Place- Stuart Dee, "Carnival," Skyward (Japan Airlines inflight)

Best Cover Photo

First Place- Douglas Peebles, Spirit of Aloha (Aloha Airlines magazine.)

Landscape, Sunset, Mountain or Ocean View

First Place- David Noyes, "Where the Desert Meets the Mountains," Lifestyle & Travel.

Architecture and/or Facility

First Place- Christian Blok, "Desert Oasis," Home Spa.

Public Relations/Publication Categories

Overall Excellence: Doug MacKenzie, Greater Phoenix CVB, for The Greater Phoenix press kit within which is what looks like a ballpoint pen with a laser pointer on its end. Unscrew the pen's mid-section to find a 512-megabyte USB flash drive that contains the latest media kit, including full-color photos, press releases, links, a PDF of its Arts & Culture brochure and a myriad of other options.

Public Relations & Advertising

Press Release

First Place- Pamela Johnston, Vegas.Com, "Tales from the Vegas.com Call Center."

Brochure, Program, Books, Newsletter

First Place- Niki in the Garden, Art Catalogue, Chicago Office of Tourism, submitted by Joyce Roeton Scrivner.

First Place- Park City Vacation Planner, Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, Utah, submitted by Craig McCarthy.

Best Overall Press Kit

First Place- Heather Bryant, Seattle CVB, Seattle Press Kit

First Place- Judith A. Bijlani,, Laguna Beach Visitors Press Kit.

Best CVB/Tourist Bureau Web Site

First Place- Mexico Tourism Board, Burson-Marsteller, Miami, Florida, for the Mexico Tourist Board, "Transforming Chichen-Itza from Virtual Wonder to World Wonder."

Editorial Excellence

Best Newspaper Travel Section

First Place- The Record, Hackensack, NJ, "Antartica: Exploring The Bottom of the World," Jill Schensul.

Best Travel Magazine

First Place- Travel Leisure, Sept. 2007, Nancy Novogrod, editor.

First Place-National Geographic Traveler, Oct. 2007, Keith Bellows, editor

First Place- Virtuoso Life, Sept./Oct. 2007, Elaine Srnka, editor.

Best Online Travel Magazine

First Place- Carole Herdegen, TravelQuest with Carole Herdegen, http://www.travelsite.com/

Best Domestic Newspaper Article

First Place-Tracy Louthain, Director of Public Relations, Beaches of South Walton, for Beaches of South Walton's Autumn Tides event highlighted in Atlanta Journal-Constitution under byline of Paula Crouch Thrasherbr

Best Domestic Magazine Article

First Place- "Best Little City in America - Austin, Texas," by Carl Hoffman, National Geographic Traveler, submitted by Keith Bellows.

Best International Magazine Article

First Place- James Cusick, Travel Leisure Golf, "Lochs Landings."

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WHAT WINNERS PICKED

Judges distributed prizes after winners listed their Top 10 choices by ballot. Ties were broken by giving preference to NATJA members and/or multiple winners. Most winners received one of their top five selections.

The following prize gift certificates have been distributed:

GRAND PRIZES                  


*1. Sierra Madre Express train trip (7 nights)

Jill Schensul


2. Guam (10 nights with air)

TBA


3. Tourism Ireland (5 nights with air)

Randy Johnson


4. Idyllwild, Calif. (6 nights)

Kathleen Warnock

FIRST PRIZES

1. Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix

Kenneth Shapiro


2. Atlantic City Casino Package

Kay Grant


3. The Beacon House, Sea Girt, NJ

Peter Johansen


4. Bedandbreakfast.com

Sarah Pascarella


5. Breakwater Inn, Kennebunkport, ME

Gail Mooney-Kelly


*6. Casablanca Inn, St. Augustine, Fla.

TBA 

7. CasaBlanca Hotel Casino, Mesquite, NV

Tim Leffel


8. Costa Mesa, CA

Richard Bangs


*9.Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY

Elaine Glusac


10. Denver Weekend

Dave G. Houser


*11. Fairmont Newfoundland

Tracy Barnett


12. Fairmont Algonquin, New Brunswick

Linda Fasteson


13. FireLight Bed and Breakfast, Williams, AZ (Grand Canyon area)


*14. Glenwood Springs, CO

John Paul Newport


15. Great Wolf Lodge, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Bryan Scofield


16. Hadsten House B&B, Solvang, CA

TBA


*17. Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa

Stuart Dee

18. Hotel Balzac, Paris (MOST POPULAR!)

James Cusick


*19. Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans

Bob Morris


*20. Hyatt Regency Tamaya, Santa Ana Pueblo, NM

Ellen Creager


*21. Inn on the Alameda, Santa Fe

Kate Pocock


*22. Kandahar: the Lodge at Big Mountain, Kallispell, MT

David Noyes


23. Lake of the Ozarks, MO


24. Linekin Bay Resort, Boothbay Harbor, ME

George Burden


*25. Maine Windjammer Cruise

Peter I. Rose


26. Middlebury Inn, Middlebury, VT

Arnie Weisman


*27. Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT

TBA


*28. Monterey County, CA

TBA


*29. Newport (RI) Weekend

Anne Burke


*30. North of Boston

Glen Petrie


31. Oasis Resort Casino, Mesquite, NV

TBA


32. Pacific Palisades Kimpton Hotel, Vancouver, B.C.

Douglas Peeples


33. Palm Beach Gardens Marriott

Cleo Paskal


34. Reunion Resort & Club, Orlando

Margie Goldsmith


*35. Ritz-Carlton Sarasota

Lisa Krantz


*36. Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando, FL

TBA


37. St. Kitts Marriott Resort & Royal Beach Casino

Tom Uhlenbrock


38. San Francisco Dine-Around

TBA


*39. San Mateo County, CA

Karisa King


40. Sooke Harbour House, Victoria, B.C.

Amy Rosen


41. Stowe, VT

Jonathan Green


42. USA Vacation Homes, Orlando, FL

TBA


43. Valley Forge

Jason Cochran

44. USVI: Pavilions & Pools Hotel, St. Thomas

Jackie Hutcherson


45. Virginia Beach

TBA


46. Wyndham Palm Springs

Brad A. Johnson


(*) past sponsor

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TRIPS FOR MEMBERS

Forget frigid temps; try warm-weather escape

BALTIMORE - New to the city's restaurant scene is Rocket to Venus, a sci-fi style eatery that borrows a page from the ‘50s. The quirky menmu consists of small plates, sandwiches, salads, and a few entrees. See http://www.rockettovenus.com/ or contact Anthony Tornetta, travel media manager, Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association, 12th floor, 100 Light St., Baltimore, MD 21202 (Tel. 800-343-3468, atornetta@baltimore.org).

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS - This 60-island archipelago, between the Atlantic and the Caribbean east of Puerto Rico, claims to be the sailing capital of the world as well as a land that time forgot. The combination of mountainous terrain, lush vegetation, and intimate resorts makes the islands an attractive winter escape for travel journalists. Contact the British Virgin Islands Press Office (Tel. 866-491-8155, BVIpressoffice@zimmerman.com or info@bvitourism.com).

CALIFORNIA - Pelican Hill Golf Club, less than a year old, and the adjacent Resort at Pelican Hill share 504 acres in the Southern California coastal setting near Newport. The 204-room resort features a circular pool inspired by Rome's Coliseum and, not surprisingly, an Italian restaurant. To know more, contact Edward Placidi or Marian Gerlich, P&G Communications (Tel. 818-786-8687, Pgworld@aol.com).

FLORIDA - The second annual "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" workshop will be held at the St. Francis Inn in St. Augustine Feb. 4-8. Named for the 1979 book, the workshop is not only for professional artists but also for novices who want to draw. The St. Francis, founded in 1791, is the largest inn in the nation's oldest city. To learn more, contact press rep Leigh Cort (Tel. 904-806-3613, leighc@aug.com).

GRENADA - The Prickly Bay Waterside development, opened late in 2007, sits at the water's edge of the Zlance aux Epines peninsula in the southern end of Grenada. The luxury resort will feature 21st century amenities coupled with Caribbean lifestyle, including a marina. More info is available from Melissa Lukis (Tel. 973-627-8180, mailto:lukis@rfcp.com). or the Grenada Board of Tourism (http://www.grenadagrenadines.com./

HAWAII - Many millions were spent in the makeovers of the Wyland Waikiki, Hawaii's first artist-inspired property, and the Outrigger Reef on the Beach in Waikiki. At the same time, ATA has expanded its route system to the mainland, making it the air carrier with more nonstops to the Hawaii Islands than any other. Further details are available from Rhegan Liwanag-Luat, McNeil Wilson Communications, Suite 950, 1001 Bishop St., Honolulu, HA 96813 (Tel. 808-539-3424, Fax 808-521-7163, rhegan@mcneilwilson.com).

HISTORIC HOTELS OF AMERICA - New members include the Brazilian Court in Palm Beach; the Newagen Seaside Inn of Southport, Me.; Philadelphia's Independence Park Hotel; Williamburg (Va.) Lodgel Hawthorn Hotel & Suites at the Governor Dinwiddie, Portsmouth, Va.; the Hotel Fauchere of Milford, Pa.; Warwick Melrose Hotel of Dallas; Tazewell Hotel & Suites, Norfolk, Va.; Lancaster (Pa.) Arts Hotel; Jefferson Clinton Hotel of Syracuse, NY; the Holbrooke Hotel of Grass Valley, Calif.; and Bedford Springs (Pa.) Resort. Press rep remains Mary Billingsley, National Trust Historic Hotels (Tel. 202-588-6061, pr@historichotels.org).

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Surf's Up at Huntington Beach, which may not offer Baywatch babes but has something even better: monthly dashshund races! Since 1993, the four-legged living wieners run a 22-yard course in Old World Village. Toys and food at the finish line convince the critters to run. There's also a Wavecrest Beach Cruiser Meet in March and a Duck-a-Thon and Festival in May, plus beach bonfires along 8.5 miles of sand. For a look-see, contact the always-wonderful press representative Wendy Haase (Tel. 714-969-3492, wendy@surfcityusa.com or see www.surfcityusa/media).

LOS ANGELES - Fresh from a top-to-bottom renovation is the Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club in suburban Redondo Beach. Five suites containing 700 square feet overhang the Pacific, while the cuisine has been updated to something called "New American gourmet comfort food." To find out what that is, contact the always-helpful Maris Somerville, Somerville Associates (Tel. 310-207-5663, maris@somervillepr.com).

MAINE - Because the peak summer season is so short, it's never too early to make Maine visit arrangements. Rafting season lasts May-October and wilderness rivers always  popular. The Kennebec, first made famous as Benedict Arnold's doomed route to capture Quebec, and the Penobscot, with the largest continuous stretch of whitewater in the East, are rafter meccas. To learn more, contact Wende Gray (Tel. 877-275-3363, wende@graymktg.com, http://www.raftmaine.com)./

MARRIOTT MEXICO & MORE - Take your pick: Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts is a nine-resort group with luxurious amenities and tropical surroundings. Locations range from Cancun to Curacao, Aruba, Puerto Vallarta, St. Kitts, and St. Thomas. To arrange a scouting trip, contact Jennifer Sparrow, Laura Davidson Public Relations, 11th floor, 72 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10016 (Tel. 212-696-0660, Fax 212-696-9804, jsparrow@ldpr.com) . . .

MEXICO PRESS TRIP -- Six travel writers on assignment are invited to join one of three FAM trips to Rosarito Beach, 18 miles south of the U.S. border on Baja's Gold Coast. The setting for the films Titanic and Master and Commander, the area has a Puerto Nuevo lobster village, shopping bargains, and an attractive seaside setting. The spa capital of Baja is also home to many artists and artisans. Writers may bring guests who pay their own expenses (other than shared accommodations at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, where Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe were among celebrity guests). Trip dates are April 25-28, July 16-19, and Oct. 20-23. To learn more, contact Ron Raposa [ronraposa@hotmail.com].

NANTUCKET WINE FESTIVAL -- The 12th annual event is set for May 14-18. World-renowned winemakers, chefs, and celebrities will converge on the White Elephant Hotel on Nantucket Harbor. More than 150 wineries will be represented, according to press rep Marlo Fogelman of marlo marketing/communications, 3d floor, 667 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116 (Tel. 617-375-9700 or 617-375-9797, mfogelman@marlomc.com).

NEW JERSEY - Martin Coryell House B&B is an 1864 Federal-style structure with six rooms, including three suites, in historic Lambertville, on the Jersey side of the Delaware River. To learn more, call Mary or Rich Freedman (Tel. 866-397-8981, http://www.martincoryellhouse.com./

PUERTO RICO - The 570-room Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino, part of the LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels, is the only hotel to overlook both the Atlantic Ocean and the Condado Lagoon. The hotel features the island's largest casino plus proximity to the airport (15 minutes away). Its PR agency also represents the 382-room El San Juan Hotel & Casino and the 985-room El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa. Contact Allyn Magrino or Anita Cotter, Susan Magrino Agency (Tel. 212-957-3005, allyn@smapr.com) or Anne Hersley-Hankins, LXR Luxury Resorts (Tel. 561-447-3370, Ahersley@luxuryresorts.com).

 PALAU -- The sixth annual Shark Week will be held in Palau from March 27-April 3. The adrenalin-packed event, sponsored by the Micronesian Shark Foundation, gives shark-lovers a chance to dive amid hundreds of grey reef sharks that migrate to the waters of Palau to mate between February and April. Shark-themed seminars and activities are conducted at the dive shop. To learn more, contact info@fishnfins.com , info@msfpalau.org or the new Palau press rep, Molly Blaisdell, Hook, Line & Thinker, P.O. Box 6625, Moraga, CA 94570 (Tel. 925-631-7971, Cell 925-300-7252, mocahill@aol.com, www.hooklineandthinker.net). 

 QUEBEC CITY - Now that the city is celebrating its 400th anniversary, journalists are expected to report en masse. Many activities will be held at Espace 400, a performance venue in the Old Port, and a multimedia show will be projected nightly on the port's grain elevators. With only 13,000 hotel rooms, space could be tight once the weather warms. Press rep is Richartd Seguin, Quebec City Tourism, 399 rue Saint-Joseph Est, Quebec, Canada G1K 8E2 (Tel. 418-641-6654 x5421, richard.seguin@quebecregion.com).

ST. LOUIS - Four Seasons, always a great brand name, has come to St. Louis in a downtown hotel just steps from Busch Stadium and the Laclede Landing entertainment district. The 200-room property, which fronts the Gateway Arch and Mississippi River, is a less than a stone's throw from Lumiere Place, a 19-story glass-and-steel tower, and its casino. Contact PR director, Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, 999 N. Second St., St. Louis, MO 63102 (Tel. 314-881-5800, Fax 314-881-5700, www.fourseasons.com/stlouis/preview).

ST. LUCIA - One of the Windward Islands in the West Indies' Lesser Antilles, St. Lucia is the middle of the eastern Caribbean archipelago. It is known for its natural beauty and diverse attractions, including a tropical rainforest, drive-in volcano, coastline fishing villages, and May jazz festival. There's a story here because new hotels are opening every year: a 232-room Westin opened as the centerpiece of the 554-acre Le Paradis last year; the 275-room Ritz-Carlton St. Lucia on Half Moon Bay opens next year; and the 360-acre, 200-room Raffles Hotel & Resorts has a 2010 launch date. To learn more, contact Nancy DiTunnariello, Nancy J. Friedman PR (Tel. 212-229-1500, Dnancy@njfpr.com). 

SAN FRANCISCO - What do a 1912 Rambler, a 1918 Packard, a 1924 Yellowstone bus, and a 1929 Model A Woodie have in common? They're all 10-passenger touring cars fueled by propane and used by Mr. Toad's Tours, which offers trips that range from 75 minutes to two-and-a-half hours. The irreverent tours cover all the landmarks and run all daytime or after dark. Press rep Charles Lundquist loves visiting writers. Contact him at 650-401-7708 or Charlie@mrtoadstours.com.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - The Monterey Bay Sanctuary interpretive center has opened 100 yards away from the mouth of Santa Cruz Harbor. The center provides a hands-on educational experience about the Monterey Bay Sanctuary. For further information, contact Christina Glynn, communcations director, Santa Cruz County Conference & Visitors Council, 1211 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (Tel. 831-429-7281 x112, cglynn@santacruz.org).

WHISTLER, B.C. - Before this Western Canada ski resort hosts the 2010 Winter Olympics, travel journalists should come and explore. Did you know, for example, that Whistler Blackcomb boasts the longest ski season in North America? Diehards last right through July. There's also an annual film festival in November. Nita Lake Lodge, with 77 suites, and The Mountain Club, a casual fine dining restaurant, just opened. Press rep is Darlene Small, Tourism Whistler (Tel. 604-938-2794, dsmall@tourismwhistler.com).

WILLIAMSBURG: Development Counsellors International (DCI) has been named the agency of record for the Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance(http://www.visitwilliamsburg.com/). To learn what's new for 2008, contact Karyl Leigh Barnes, DCI, 10th floor, 215 Park Avenue South, NY, NY 10003 (Tel. 212-725-0707, Fax 212-213-3827,karyl.barnes@dc-intl.com).                                                                                                    

PR REPS: Mention in this column is free. Send one-paragraph blurbs containing complete contact information to dan@natja.org or fax 201-791-3349.  

TRIP TIPS

New England Hiking Holidays, entering its 24th year, has unveiled a 2008 itinerary with guided inn-to-inn hikes in 22 states plus countries in North America and Europe. New for this year are five-day trips to Death Valley in California and three-day weekends at Woodstock Inn in Vermont. Travel writers are invited to apply for complimentary trips. Contact the delightful Clare Grabher, president, New England Hiking Holidays, P.O. Box 1648, North Conway, NH 03860 (Tel. 800-869-0949 or see www.nehikingholidays.com). 

ExpressJet, a spinoff of Continental Express, has launched service to Oklahoma City, home of the 2008 NATJA conference, from various West Coast, Southwest, and Midwest cities. The carrier, which features 100 free channels of XM Satellite Radio, serves Los Angeles/Ontario, Fresno, Sacramento, San Antonio, New Orleans, Louisville, Jacksonville, El Paso, Austin, Corpus Christi, Omaha, Tulsa, Kansas City, Spokane, Boise, Tucson, Raleigh/Durham, Birmingham, and Albuquerque, among other spots. To make flight arrangements, contact Corporate Communications, ExpressJet (Tel. 832-353-3333, express.press@expressjet.com).

The 2008 Spoleto Festival USA features 45 productions, 140 performances, and artists and ensembles from around the world during its run from May 23-June 8. To cover the Charleston-based festival, contact Paula Edwards, Spoleto Festival USA, P.O. Box 157, Charleston, SC 29402-0157 (Tel. 843-720-1137, Fax 843-723-6383, paulaedwards@spoletousa.org).

Toronto is big on movies, with a Jewish Film Festival in May and an International Film Festival (the second-largest film festival in the world) in September. For details, contact Helen Lovekin, media relations coordinator, Ontario Tourism (Tel. 416-314-7555, helen.lovekin@ontario.ca).

The newest B&B on Maryland's Eastern Shore is Maria's Love Point Bed & Breakfast, a 27-acre riverfront property at 1710 Love Point Road, Stevensville, Md. 21666 Contact Maria or Edward Peffly (Tel. 410-643-5054, pefflyma@aol.com).

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CARLA'S CORNER                              

by Carla Marie Rupp

Why not try life-giving communication tips?

For us, communication is everything.

But what is it?

I asked several travel writers what they think it means.

"It's opening up and sharing," says Carolyn Boshnyak of Castle Rock, Colo., "and it has to be two-way. Both of you have to want it. It often takes a commitment."

In our communications, we can celebrate the joy of life in our work and in our interpersonal connections.

Susan Eberman of Bedford, Ind. believes communications in our work can be fun, positive, and take us away from what she calls "the me-first society." According to Eberman, we should try to consider other people's needs too.

For most people, reading about a trip they're planning is as relaxing as the actual trip. Planning for the trip can be as much fun as being there, says Eberman. "Reading our travel articles should be as much as their taking the trip. We can contribute to our readers' fun by accentuating the positive-and highlighting inspirational people. That's what I like to do."

This talk about communication and new ways of re-thinking it led me to the internet. I came across 10 things we can do to contribute to internal, interpersonal, and organizational peace. These ideas come from the Center for Nonviolent Communication, created by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg.

They are:

  • Spend some time each day quietly reflecting on how we would like to relate to ourselves and others.
  • Remember that all human beings have the same needs.
  • Check our intention to see if we are as interested in others getting their needs met as our own.
  • When asking someone to do something, check first to see if we are making a request or a demand.
  • Instead of saying what we don't want someone to do, say what we do want the person to do.
  • Instead of saying what we want someone to be, say what action we'd like the person to take that we hope will help the person to be that way.
  • Before agreeing or disagreeing with anyone's opinions, try to tune in to what the person is feeling and needing.
  • Instead of saying "No," saying what need of ours prevents us from saying "Yes."
  • If we are feeling upset, think about what need of ours is not being met, and what we could do to meet it, instead of thinking about what's wrong with others or ourselves.
  • Finally, instead of praising someone who did something we like, express our gratitude by telling the person what need of ours that action met.

For other lists (needs, feelings, etc.), see http://www.cnvc.org/.

Long-time NATJA member Carla Marie Rupp is a freelance journalist living in Lower Manhattan. Her e.mail is carla@visarun.com.

EDITOR'S NOTES

Entries for the 2008 Northern Lights Awards for Excellence in Travel Journalism and Photography must be postmarked by Feb. 11. After winners are picked by the Carleton University Dept. Of Journalism, they will receive their awards during the Canada Media Marketplace April 8 in Beverly Hills. The 11th annual program, an initiative of the Canadian Tourism Commission, is open to magazines, newspapers, freelancers, and internet reporters in North America, with both French and English entries permitted. Prizes carry cash awards of $600, $400, and $200 U.S. For more info, contact Susan Baumgartner, Northern Lights Media Awards, PMB 171, 208 E. 51st St., NY, NY 10022 (Tel. 212-355-6025, northernlights@canadamediamarket.org) or see http://www.canadamediamarketplace.org/ exhibitors/northern_rules

asp. . .

"When Baseball Went to War," featuring 100 artifacts and photographs relating to baseball in the Second World War, is on display through March 31 at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Call 504-527-6012 or check http://www.nationalww2museum.org./ . .

NATJA president Dan Schlossberg has a story on "The Changing Face of Spring Training" in the February issue of United's Hemispheres and a profile of Nationals Park, a 41,000-seat baseball stadium opening in Washington March 30, in US Airways Magazine . .

Writers headed to Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, and New Mexico will encounter strong new anti-smoking laws, while Tennessee considers several smokefree bills - one of them sponsored by Gov. Bredesen. The Maryland law takes effect on Feb. 1 . . .

The saxophone Bill Clinton played on Inauguration Night has been donated by the Clinton Presidential Library & Museum in Little Rock to the National Jazz Museum in Kansas City.

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TRAVEL WITH KAL

Kal London's column will resume in the Spring 2008 issue. His e.mail address is london1021@aol.com.