| In this newsletter you will find: – how to vote for the BGTW International Tourism Awards; – information on the BGTW Annual Gala Awards Dinner; – request for details of Malta coverage: – invitation to a Book Launch and Talk; – New Members’ Discounts from DELL; and much, much more … Thank You for Entering and Nominating The deadlines for entering your best work in the BGTW Members’ Excellence Awards (MEA), and nominating tourism projects in the BGTW International Tourism Awards (ITA), have now passed. A huge thank you to the many members who have taken part this year. You can now vote for your favourite tourism projects (see below). The list of finalists will be published at the start of September. In the meantime, all the MEA entries are being sent out to our cohort of around 30 or so judges in the UK, in the Australian Society of Travel Writers (ASTW) and in the SATW (Society of American Travel Writers). The judging process is, as you might imagine, quite a lengthy task and we will be announcing the list of finalists at the start of October. Talking of the ASTW, Jocelyn Pride, a member of the ASTW board, is asking if any BGTW members would like join the judging panel for the ASTW awards. The process begins on 4 September with a window of four weeks to complete the task. She thanks the BGTW members who have already volunteered. If you’re interested, email her at [email protected] Stuart Render. Awards Director (and Joint Chair). AWARDS It’s time for you to vote for the ITAs All the nominations for the BGTW International Tourism Awards have been verified and it’s now time for you to vote for the tourism projects you feel should win. To cast your vote simply log on to the members’ area of the Guild website (bgtw.org) then click on the ITA link in the menu down the right-hand-side of the members’ home page. Note: Do NOT click on the ‘Awards’ tab at the top of the screen as these tabs only link to the public areas of the website. Once on the ITA voting page simply follow the instructions. You can vote for your top three tourism projects in each category. Simply read the words provided by each nominating member, check the project website if you wish to, then vote away. The deadline for voting in 23.59hrs (UK time) on Sunday 27 August. Stuart Render. Awards Director (and Joint Chair). Please Inform Us of Your Coverage of Malta In return for their generous hosting of members in March, our friends at Visit Malta and Finn Partners are keen to understand what coverage members who travelled to the island have been able to secure. We need to know about content you’ve already had published or broadcast, as well as content that you’ve submitted but hasn’t appeared yet. If you’ve already let us have details then you don’t need to tell us again, unless there’s new content of course. Send your updates through to Joint Chair Stuart Render at [email protected]. Finn will be comparing the delegate list with the feedback we receive and either they or us may also be making direct contact with members if needed to follow this up. Thank you. BGTW ANNUAL GALA AWARDS DINNER (AGAD) 2023  We are glad to announce that this year’s BGTW Annual Gala Awards Dinner (AGAD) promises to be a spectacular event at Middle Temple Hall in London on 5 November (6pm to 11pm). There may be no fireworks, but thanks to the wonderful support of Explore Charleston and Discover South Carolina, who have generously sponsored the event, we have managed to heavily subsidise members’ tickets for what promises to be the travel event of the year. Members tickets are £95 and member-plus-one tickets are £140 (both including VAT). The actual pre-subsidised cost is more than £300 per head. Tickets (£199 plus VAT) to our industry friends will be going on sale in two weeks. So, to secure your ticket make sure to beat the rush. The event will include a Champagne reception, three-course sit down dinner, announcement of the BGTW award winners, music and surprise entertainment. To purchase a ticket, email [email protected]. Unconscious Bias Keynote TALK & BOOK LAUNCH  Buki Mosaku has kindly invited members of the BGTW to attend his Unconscious Bias Talk on 13 September. This will coincide with the launch of his book, I Don’t Understand, Navigating Unconscious Bias in the Workplace. Buki has cracked the code for calling out unconscious workplace bias to stop it in its tracks. The basic premise is simple: Traditional corporate training solutions tend to follow the counterproductive model of Guilty Perpetrator v Hapless Victim. Buki will explain why this approach is unproductive and counter intuitive. Even better, he will present a more effective model to navigating ALL workplace bias and show audiences How to Think, What to Say, When to Say it and the Way to Say it, so that you can put career stifling and conflict generating workplace bias behind you, your colleagues and team once and for all. As a leading business consultant Buki has worked with global industry giants including: Shell, BNP Paribas, M&S, Goldman Sachs, American Express, Aon, HSBC and more. Up to 60 BGTW members can attend the event, which will include food and beverages at The City of London Club which will start from 5.30pm to 6pm. Please note there is a dress code of jacket, collared shirt, smart trousers, dress or skirt are required at all times – though presumably not trousers and skirt simultaneously. Ties are preferred though not required. Email: [email protected] ANTOR v BGTW Debate 12 October 2023 Topic of Debate: “The influence of CHAT GBT and Artificial Intelligence on Travel Writing, Travel Photography and PR – Should we be Concerned?” We are looking for members who would be happy to join our panel for this debate. Anyone interested please contact Valery – [email protected]. MEMBERS BENEFITS Dell Discount As many members know, the BGTW has secured discounts with DELL for BGTW members. Some of the latest discounts include: Renowned and sustainable business laptop – Latitude, was 8% now 12%. Creative powerhouse – Precision, was 8% now 12% Optiplex desktops – was 8% now 12% Award winning XPS – was 8% now 10% As always, the new member discounts can be used on top of sale prices. Discounts avail till 3 November. Details of how you apply for these can be found at Benefits – BGTW. INDUSTRY / MEMBER NEWS / AWARDS 2023 AITO Travel Writer of the Year (TWOTY) awards AITO, The Specialist Travel Association, (www.aito.com), is excited to announce that entry is now open for the 2023 AITO Travel Writer of the Year (TWOTY) awards (closing date 31 August 2023).This year, AITO will be accepting articles written over a 12-month period from 1 July 2022 through to 30 June 2023. Deadline for entries is 31 August 2023. Please submit entries here: Travel Writer of The Year Awards 2023 Entry Form. BGTW ON SOCIAL MEDIA We’re always up for sharing your work, events, news, projects etc. Social media is managed by a small team. If you’re not being followed by the BGTW, email us. Twitter: Tag @travwriters in your tweet/photo if you want us to see/share. You can also follow fellow members on this BGTW members list. Instagram posts: Select ‘Tag people’ then tag @travwriters. You can use the #bgtw hashtag or tag@ us in post copy/comments, but they’re harder to track. Tagging IN the pic guarantees we see it. Stories/Reels: Use the ‘@mention’ function to tag us. Facebook: We can promote your work/news on our public Facebook page. Send links via FB Messenger to that account. LinkedIn: You can ‘@’ British Guild of Travel Writers in posts and we’ll like/share/comment when possible/appropriate. British Guild of Travel Writers |
By: Mark Bibby Jackson
Editor, Freelance Journalist, Travel Writer
Mark Bibby Jackson is an experienced travel writer based in the UK who has set up the website Travel Begins at 40, as well as London Begins at 40 and Cambodia Begins at 40. In addition to specialising in over-40 travel, he also focuses on food, cultural and sustainable / regenerative travel. He has recently graduated in Climate-Friendly Travel from the ITS in Malta, and writes for eXist, the Climate Friendly newsletter produced by SUNx Malta, which he established and edited. He also specialises in Southeast Asia, having lived in the region for a decade, setting up AsiaLIFE Cambodia, ASEAN Forum and AsiaLIFE Thailand magazines. He is now the Chair of Destination Mekong. He has written for a number of publications in South East Asia including the Phnom Penh Post and Myanmar Times, as well as TNT Magazine, Low Season Traveller and Charitable Travel in the UK. He is the Diector of Communicatiins for the BGTW.