Sunday 27 September 2009

Press Trip: TRIBE, The Village Market Hotel, Nairobi, Africa


TRIBE – The Village Market Hotel, is proud to invite you for a press tour that showcases the urban beauty and wonder of Nairobi, Kenya.

This isn’t just the normal opportunity to see just the abundant game that has made Africa world renowned, but this trip offers a new angle – showing you the cities, people and nightlife that makes Africa a true wonder.

All participants will stay at TRIBE – The Village Market Hotel – Africa’s newest luxurious boutique hotel. The hotel is located in the heart of Nairobi’s sophisticated Gigiri district, adjacent to The Village Market, the region’s best shopping destination. Comprised of 137 rooms, a popular grill restaurant, gym, complimentary wireless internet access, a business center and meeting rooms, a wellness spa, individualized travel services and a well-versed concierge; Tribe meets and exceeds the needs of travelers of all types, and has become Nairobi’s top luxury hotel.

What's Included?
Members of the press trip will experience the true beauty of Nairobi, including:
  • Nairobi National Park
  • Karen Blixen Museum (author of Out of Africa)
  • Nairobi's Central Business District
  • Nairobi’s music scene (Nairobi is the centre of the Kenyan music scene)
  • Culinary dinners
  • Nightlife
  • Airfare and all press-tour activities will be hosted if permitted by your publication.
  • Availability is limited. If you would like to participate, please provide a letter of assignment and/or two recent clips for consideration by September 30, 2009. Tribe will be requesting Virgin Atlantic for air tickets as Virgin flies directly from London to Nairobi.

Itinerary activities are subject to change, and unfortunately we cannot accommodate guests of journalists.

Select members of the press will also have the opportunity to go on safari, with Uncharted Outposts, one of the nation's oldest and most respected safari and travel specialists.

If these group trip dates do not fit your schedule, we are arranging individual press trips throughout the year for qualified journalists.

TRIBE – The Village Market Hotel, Nairobi Kenya: http://www.africanpridehotels.com/tribe-the-village-market-hotel.html

For more information, please contact:
Anna Wacks
Ballantines PR
anna@ballantinespr.com
505-216-0889
505-699-0577 cell



Tuesday 22 September 2009

NileGuide needs Local Experts! New Model!

Help build the leading online travel planning website! Nile Guide is looking for web-savvy, social media-loving travel writers to add unique local expert advice and content to the destinations on NileGuide. In this position you will be responsible for shaping your destination’s content on the site and using social media to drive savvy travel planners to your destination on NileGuide. Your work will help NileGuide create the best travel content and travel planning tools on the web.

NileGuide: “All you need to plan your perfect trip.”

NileGuide is the only travel planning website where travelers can plan their complete trip all in one place. NileGuide combines guidebook information, personalized searching for things to see and do, places to stay, integrated booking with one step price comparisons and the ability to organize all this information into a professional quality personalized guide book users can print or download to their iPhone using our new ‘Guide To Go’ app.

For most travelers, the most challenging part of planning a trip is quickly and easily finding the most pertinent travel information. At NileGuide, travelers will find exclusive tips and suggestions, learn about local neighborhoods and personalized searches using travel interests like arts, outdoors, history as well travel styles such as romantic and kid friendly. The result is that users can easily create their own “perfect trips” which means they both save time and, more importantly, have more rewarding travel experiences.

The Local Expert Role

This is a great opportunity for anyone with professional writing experience and a passion for where they live. You will have the opportunity to tell the world what makes your destination great and reap the rewards from doing so. Local Experts will receive a monthly retainer plus traffic and performance-based bonuses. The higher the quality of the content you create, the more money you can make. Activities will vary from reviewing the state of current points of interest, to writing descriptions of points of interests, to adding photos, blogging, using Twitter, and more.

As a NileGuide Local Expert, you must:

Love to use your stellar writing skills. A big part of the job is writing about your destination, whether it’s a description about something to do or a restaurant, or a blog post about an upcoming festival.

Have a high level of enthusiasm and insider knowledge about your destination

Be responsive, reliable, and highly detail-oriented

Be excited about learning SEO and applying it to your work

Be tech savvy: comfortable with Excel, social media, general web use, and more

Be an entrepreneurial self-starter needing little direct management

Be outgoing: involvement in creating a social presence online in forums, Twitter, the blogosphere, etc. is the key to Local Expert success.

Live in the destination you are writing for, and plan to be there for at least one to two additional years. We want someone who can make a commitment to NileGuide.

Have an excellent command of written English.

Have a College or University degree.

Compensation:

Local Experts will receive a monthly retainer of $250 for regular edits, new content, blogging, and social media outreach for the first three months. Bonuses will be awarded based upon traffic increases and exceptional work. After three months, performance will be assessed and Local Experts will move to a traffic-based payment structure. Our expectation is that Local Experts will have the opportunity, through the quality of their content, to earn far more money than current work-for-hire rates.

How to Apply:

Please email your resume, a cover letter explaining why you would make a fantastic local expert, and a 200-word description of your destination to Victoria@nileguide.com. Links to applicable clips are appreciated. Please put "application for local expert " in the subject of the email. We will respond to qualified candidates only.



Thursday 17 September 2009

U.S-based Business Publisher Seek Reporters (Singapore)

BNA, a U.S.-based news publisher, seeks reporter in the Singapore to feed our growing need for international news coverage.

These freelance positions will cover news for BNA's full range of topics, including international trade, environment, banking, foreign investment, securities, electronic commerce, and other areas relating to business and government. Spot news stories to be filed on a daily basis, along with regular filing of longer analytical pieces. Reporters will be expected to work independently to lead coverage from their base city, while also providing regional coverage as needed.

Qualifications required include writing on daily deadline for U.S.- based publications, proven knowledge of national government and local businesses, ability to write clearly and concisely about complex topics, and a proven nose for news. Ideal candidates will have room in their freelance portfolio for at least three or more assignments per week.

These freelance positions offers a competitive pay rate commensurate with experience.

BNA is a private, employee-owned news company based in Washington, D.C., with more than 100 publications covering government news that affects business. Please see our web site for more company info.

For consideration, submit a cover letter, resumé, and no more than five published hard news clips to job-hn3e6-1376241329@craigslist.org

Monday 14 September 2009

Press Trip: Huka Retreats in New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji

Widness & Company Public Relations represents The Huka Retreats, parent company of Huka Lodge, New Zealand’s premier luxury lodge; Grande Provence Wine Estate in Franschhoek, South Africa (winning awards for its Grande Provence label); and Dolphin Island, a private island retreat in Fiji.

If you are visiting any of these destinations, you can contact them to inquire about special press rates and complimentary stays (based on assignment).

Contacts
Rebecca Widness
Founder, Widness & Company Public Relations
116 West 23rd Street, Suite 500, New York, NY 10011, USA.
+1 (646) 375-2239
Email info@widnesspr.com or rebecca@widness-co-pr.com
http://www.widnesspr.com/
* Please write Fiji, New Zealand or South Africa in the subject line of the email. Please also state the publication you will be writing for and the date of travel.

Saturday 12 September 2009

Press Trip: Arizona Rocks, USA

AZ Communications Group is seeking writers with assignments for a media tour in northern Arizona. The tour will feature the ARIZONA ROCKS region of Hopi, Page, the Navajo Nation, and Williams.

What's Included?
Participants fly into Phoenix on Saturday September, 19. Air transportation from major cities to and from Phoenix, transfers in Arizona, meals, attractions and lodging are provided by the hosts of Hopi, Page, Williams, and the Navajo Nation.

Contact:
Telephone: +1 (480) 897-3331 Email: mediatours@azcomgroup.com Email with credentials and story commitments. Space is limited to 8 only.

Intinery

Tour of Walpi Village
Walpi Village has been continuously inhabited for more than 1,100 years. Walpi stands above the valley at 300 feet, surrounded by awesome vistas of the sky and distant horizons. On the tour you will learn about the history of the first community “founded” at First Mesa, Walpi Village, which dates back to about 900 A.D. The village of Walpi is a living village where the homes are passed down through matrilineal clan lineage. Just as it has been over the centuries, there is no electricity or running water in the old village of Walpi. You will witness life as it has been lived over the centuries and you will also learn about the contemporary life of the First Mesa Villages which includes economic development and cultural preservation. You will find artisans selling their hand-crafted items, which may be purchased directly from the artist during your tour at reasonable prices.

Dawa Park
Dawa Park is one of the most culturally significant sites in the American southwest. Dawa Park is tucked into a 200 foot tall red rock ridge line that reveals between 12,000 and 15,000 petroglyphs that date back to the Anasazai ancestors of the current day Hopi. There are petroglyphs on the walls of Dawa Park that are not found in any other location.

Explore Navajo Interactive Museum
The Explore Navajo Interactive Museum approximates the journey Navajos take through life. Four monumental directional symbols divide the Museum into four quadrants. Traveling clockwise, you will enter the east and move to the south, west and north where in each quadrant you are introduced to the land, language, history, culture and ceremonial life of the Navajo. The museum features a traditional Navajo Hogan (home) and Navajo stories of creation. Your Navajo escort will help you understand the exhibits of Navajo culture, traditions, family systems and more.

Overnight at the Legacy Inn & Suites
The Moenkopi Legacy Inn and Suites will be the first hotel to be built on Hopi tribal land in 50 years. The idea to build a hotel was the inspiration of the Elders of the Upper Village of Moenkopi. It was their vision that their Village should be a place of welcome and gathering for visitors to the land of the Hopi.

Shonto
Shonto is located in the northwestern portion of the Navajo Nation. Shonto extends across two states (Arizona and Utah) and three counties (Coconino and Navajo Counties in Arizona and San Juan County in Utah.) Present-day Shonto Chapter was added to the Nation in several sections between 1882 and 1965. Shonto was recognized as a community around 1900. It became a chapter of the Navajo Nation in 1958. While in Shonto we will be visiting the Shonto Trading Post which was founded, on the site which it still occupies, in 1915, by John Wetherill and Joe Lee.

Navajo National Monument
Navajo National Monument allows visitors to step back in time and experience the two largest ruins in Arizona- Betatakin and Kiet Seel. These ruins were left from the ancient ones who lived there more than 900 years ago. These beautifully preserved ruins can be seen from the Betatakin Overlook, which also has a modern visitor center and replicas of ancient hogans and sweat lodges on the grounds.

Monument Valley Tribal Park
One of the centerpieces of beauty on Navajoland-and one of the world's most recognized landscapes- is Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Beautiful red sandstones push skyward from the vast expanse of desert floor, creating a striking set of formations that stand together against an umbrella of blue skies. This enchanting earthscape is so inspiring and magnificent that it is one of the most photographed sites in America-and has become synonymous with our vision of the great southwest.

Lake Powell and Antelope Point Marina
It's like no other place on earth. With spectacular red rock towers, blue-green water, beaches of rosy sand, and night skies shimmering with stars. This area is a mecca for outdoor sports, on and around spectacular Lake Powell. View the scenery from the most spectacular vantage point – on the lake. You will be hosted by Antelope Point Marina for lunch and an on-the-lake tour of Lake Powell. You will explore several canyons and experience the wonderful lake that is world famous for its beauty and exceptional fishing.

Antelope Canyon Tour
Antelope Canyon Tours specializes in tours showcasing the beautiful slot canyons of Page/Lake Powell. Guests experience the canyons through the eyes of the Native American. The mysterious beauty of Antelope Canyon awaits the adventurous traveler who seeks to discover one of the most spectacular attractions in Page/Lake Powell. Awe-inspiring sculpture provides inspiration for amateur and professional photographers alike in a masterpiece of color.

Afternoon Cruise on Lake Powell
Experience the beautiful waters of Lake Powell. Explore exquisite rock canyons rising around you as you tour Lake Powell on this boat trip provided by Antelope Point Marina. View the scenery from the most spectacular vantage point – on the lake.

Overnight on Houseboats provided by Antelope Point Marina
With its striking architecture, generous use of glass, and southwest design elements, Marina Village adds to the magnificence of its backdrop, while paying homage to Native American culture and the surrounding environment. The result? A Marina unlike any other!

Antelope Point Marina offers those wishing to experience this world-famous playground "up close and personal" a variety of luxury houseboats, watercrafts and water toys for rent. Custom houseboats, exclusively built by Forever Houseboats, varying in size from 59' feet to 75' feet. The houseboats come completely equipped: each with flat screen TV's, DVD/CD players, satellite TV, plush indoor-outdoor living areas, state-of-the-art kitchens, private staterooms, canopied decks, waterslide, gas barbecues and wet bars. Some models include top-deck hot tubs.

Colorado River Float Trip
This incredible trip, hosted by Colorado River Discovery, departs from the base of the Glen Canyon Dam which towers 583 above the Colorado River. It's like no other place on earth with spectacular towering red rock canyon walls, blue-green water, and beaches of rosy sand. You will experience one of the most dramatic stretches of river found in the western United States on this smooth water trip aboard a motorized pontoon raft. The 15 mile trip takes out at the historic Lees Ferry landing.

Horseshoe Point
Horseshoe Point is one of the most unique formations in the west. Mother Nature has carved a horseshoe shape river around a sandstone tower. Located downstream from Glen Canyon Dam in the Colorado River this is a site that you don’t want to miss when you are visiting Lake Powell.
Powell Museum
The Powell Museum pays homage to the great explorer Major John Wesley Powell. Within the Museum, you can see sketches, photos, and other memorabilia of Powell’s epic Colorado River voyages in 1869 and 1871, along with unique collections of Native American and pioneer artifacts. Other exhibits focus on the geology of the canyons cut by the Colorado and the history and development of Page.

Grand Canyon Tour
Tour the rim of the majestic Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is perhaps one of the most spectacular examples of erosion, it is estimated to have taken 3-6 million years to form and erosion still continues today, with the river, rain, snow, heat and frost enhancing the rock formations that are already present. In some areas the Grand Canyon is up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep. Over 5 million people from all over the world come to take in the spectacular sights and beauty of the Grand Canyon each year.

Board the Grand Canyon Railway to Williams
The Railroad was originally built to transport ore in the Wild West from the Anita mines, 45 miles north of Williams in the late 1800s. Prospectors flocked to Grand Canyon Country with dreams of riches. Today, Grand Canyon Railway provides a historic and fun journey to the canyon with the help of authentic western characters who bring the Old West to life.

Historic Williams Route 66 Experience
Explore the historic downtown district of Williams. Main Street is the original “Mother Road” just as it was in the beginning. The heritage of Route 66 is preserved and vibrant with hotels, motor-hotels, restaurants, and shops that retain the original character of the Mother Road.

Sunday 6 September 2009

World Summit on Adventure Travel Oct 19-22 in Quebec, Canada

Media Invited to Attend World Summit on Adventure Travel Oct 19-22 in Quebec, Canada.

The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) invites media delegates to the 6th Annual Adventure Travel World Summit to be held October 19-22, 2009 at the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu in Charlevoix, Québec, Canada (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com). The trade-only Summit is adventure, eco and sustainable tourism's gathering of the year attracting top-level executives, tour operators, media, tourism trade professionals and destination specialists worldwide. ATTA's Summit is a must-attend for journalists seeking insights into the latest hot-button issues, topics, trends, debates and more for the adventure travel market. Media delegates may also take advantage of a variety of free Pre-Summit adventures in Québec October 16-18.

Media registration info:
www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com/press.htm.

Contact:
Chris Doyle
Tel: +1 (916) 847.0261
Email: cdoyle@adventuretravel.biz





Friday 4 September 2009

Seeks Travel Writers Support!

World Famous Finalist Christina Santos seeks travel writers support this week!

Christina Santos is hiking the grueling 500 mile Camino de Santiago while desperately trying to accrue hundreds of travel blog followers.

The 25-year-old California-native and writer/blogger for TangoDiva.com is in Northern Spain now and just learned she is a TOP 10 FINALIST in the Entirely World Famous in New Zealand competition. She's up against two other people for the top spot and if she wins, she will embark on an all-expenses-paid three month journey through the South Pacific islands.

Her self made travel video submission is why she is a potential winner.

Christina's deadline to have the most people following her blog is noon Tuesday, Sept. 8 in New Zealand (that's Monday, Sept. 7 at 5 p.m. in California).

While she's exploring the country, Christina will post blogs in a pro-tourism effort for New Zealand and for Entirely Kiwi, the company organizing the competition.

Christina's blog is at http://entirelyworldfamouschristina.blogspot.com/.

As a fellow solo traveler - please vote/follow Christina- and help her live her dream!



Wednesday 2 September 2009

Press Trip: Bryson City, North Carolina, USA.

WatershedCabins.com would like to extend an invitation to qualified journalists to experience their luxury lodging accommodations located in the Great Smoky Mountains in Bryson City, North Carolina.

An easy, drivable destination from most major cities in the southeast - 3 hours or less from Atlanta, Charlotte, Chattanooga and Knoxville. 5 hours or less from Raleigh and Nashville. Excellent customer service and upscale cabins have made this vacation company one of the most valuable mountain adventure getaways for travelers at this time.

Watershed offers a wide variety of cabins ranging from the 1 bedroom Treehouse unit (units in a 4-plex building, each with private deck and hot tub) to a 5-bedroom lodge that will sleep 15 or more people. The modern, luxurious décor sets Watershed cabins apart from the rest. Guests may find amenities such as, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, surround-sound systems, 600 thread count Egyptian cotton linens, down comforters, pillow-top mattresses and every single unit has a hot tub that stays piping hot 12 months a year --not your typical sparse cabin rental in the woods. Customer service is important as well so we are available to guests 24 hours a day.

The breathtaking, rugged mountain environment is more mountainous than the north Georgia mountains, and considered an unspoiled beauty compared to the more developed areas of a Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN type. A wonderful destination for a wide variety of activities including whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River (an excellent beginner-level river), hiking on the Appalachian Trail and other area trails, water sports on Fontana Lake, excellent fly fishing, trout, and family activities like a trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville (only 1 hour away) or a ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The 75th anniversary celebration of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also under way as of March 2009. With more than 8 million annual visitors, it is the country's most popular national park and a long time favorite for SouthEast travelers.

Who Can Apply?
Professional travel or lifestyle writers on assignment to experience the cabins, their surroundings, mountain adventures and upon advanced notice/request, a guided tour of several cabins and the surrounding area. Travel and business feature articles, outdoor adventures feature articles, family travel, economic travel, second home stories, log cabin decor. National and regional magazines, in-flight magazines, major market monthlies, SE weeklies and dailies

To be considered for individual press visits, you must be a professional travel or lifestyle writer, reporter or TV/Radio journalist with a signed letter of proof of assignment from a regional or national publication.

What's Included?
Watershed will cover a 2-Day, 1-Night stay for those traveling within the state and 2-Night, 3-Day stay for those out of state. Accommodations will be arranged dependant upon availability, season and other additional factors. Heavily discounted media rates available upon request for journalists/publications that can not accept comp accommodations. Please visit www.WatershedCabins.com for further details on cabins, company information, mountain/outdoor activities, area events and festivals, and more.

Contact:
Valerie Failla Mosley
valerie@360media.net
Please put Watershed Media Visit in subject to avoid junk mailbox delivery.



Tuesday 1 September 2009

Luxury Writers Needed

Looking for writers in select cities around the world, who have a deep knowledge of the luxury city scene.

Cities we are currently looking for writers in: Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Miami, Orlando, San Francisco, Atlantic City, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Paris, London, Madrid, Milan. New cities will be added shortly. If you do not see your city and would like to apply, feel free to contact us and ask if we will be adding it.

WHAT YOU GET:
We are looking for individuals who are interested in possibly representing us at launch parties, local events and more. These are fun events centered around the luxury world, so naturally that is a major perk of the job.

-As a writer you get exposure on our site - we are the top luxury site online & receive millions of visitors per month.

-Establish a profile and build your portfolio or promote your blog/book or business through your byline. -- if we like you, we might even take it a step further and help you promote your business in other ways, such as making you the local expert.

-PAY: Payment will be determined based on performance and our evaluation of how successful a working relationship would be.

WHAT WE WANT:
A handful of articles per month on luxury news in your city. Including, but not limited to:
-New Restaurant Openings
-New 5-Star Hotels Opening/Renovations
-Celebrity Sightings
-Events & Launch Parties
-Reviews on Nightlife, Attractions, Dining etc.
-Where to shop and why
-top lists (top luxury bars, top luxury services etc.)

QUALIFICATIONS
-Very strong writing skills
-A Talent for knowing who, what and where is hot right now in your city.
-A commitment to write a few articles per month
-A Voice, personality and authority.
-The ability to represent a luxury company well.

Do not apply if you do not have an understanding of the luxury lifestyle.