International Travel Writer Award Winners Announced

Four international travel journalists recently captured top honors in the 2012 International Pow Wow Travel Writer Awards competition. The awards were announced on April 23 during a media reception at the 2012 International Pow Wow (IPW) convention in Los Angeles. 

Best International Pow Wow Host City (San Francisco) Article — Gary Dickson, editor at large for New Zealand’s bimonthly Let’s Travel magazine, took top honours in this category. Dickson who associates every city he visits with a song, jumped at the chance to explore San Francisco via the Magic Bus Tour, a 90-minute journey focusing on the city’s musical history. His article, “Flowers in My Hair,” highlights this aspect of San Francisco’s quirky personality.

Best U.S. Travel Destination Article — For the first time, two winners were chosen for this category. Reporter Alicia Boy won for her story “Una Aventura Invernal” (A Winter Adventure), which appeared in Mexico’s Bon Voyage — Excelsior. The article focused on the experience of ice fishing in the Great Lakes of Minnesota and detailed Boy’s understanding of what fishing is all about: friendship, relaxation, and having the right equipment. 

Also honoured in the Best U.S. Travel Destination Article category was reporter Marco Berchi of Italy. His award-winning story “Dal cielo — Se gli States sono da prendere al volo” (From the sky — take flight in the States) was published by La Repubblica Viaggi newspaper. Berchi’s story detailed his experience with the emerging concept of “air cruising,” a new style of group tour that trades roads for sky.

Best Trade Publication — “USA News” was chosen to receive the award for Best Trade Publication. Reporter Milton Gonzalez authors this monthly column, which appears in the Mexican travel trade publication Publitur. Gonzalez created the column, whose sole purpose is to educate Mexican travel agents on the highlights of various U.S. destinations, allowing them to better inform their clients on these experiences and travel options.

Sponsored by the U.S. Travel Association and CityPASS, the 2012 International Pow Wow Travel Writer Awards received more than 100 entries from travel journalists and editors who attended IPW 2012. Each of the winning writers received $1,000 and an award certificate.

During their evaluation of the entries, the judges looked for articles that featured original ideas and exceptional storytelling skills, as well as prose that would inspire readers to travel to the United States.

The U.S. Travel Association is a national, nonprofit organisation representing all components of the travel industry that generates $1.8 trillion in economic output and supports 14 million jobs. U.S. Travel’s mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States. For more information, visit www.ustravel.org.

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