In:House #30

Posted on in Announcements by Sarah Rodrigues

In this newsletter:

Intro from Chris

PLEASE NOTE: The new website build has begun and this newsletter contains very important information regarding members profiles on this website below that all members should read.

The AGM and beyond…

“AGMs are never exciting, but I found Monday to be weirdly useful and informative.” Pinch me! Did someone really say that? In all honesty it was a good day. Big thanks to Dan, who not only found us a really good venue with proper facilities to share the meeting with members remotely, but also organised an enjoyable social event in the evening – a chance to just relax together.

During the day we ran through plans for the modernisation, rebranding and new website; the conventions; this year’s Gala Dinner; this year’s awards, and the 65th anniversary celebrations. We also outlined our plans for the year and a lot more. 

The draft minutes of the day will be available soon(ish) for those who missed the day, so I won’t bother going through everything, but the conclusion was that it was “An eye-opening day BGTW-wise!”

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New member profiles / major Connect changes

IMPORTANT (Action Required by ALL Members): New Member Profiles/Portfolios are now LIVE 

The old BGTW Connect Database is now retired, replaced by the more advanced ‘Find a Member’ profile system. This provides members complete, individual profile pages, the ability to manage their own profile (rather than emailing us requesting updates), and the targeted search is far more useful for those who commission – but only if your profiles are fully updated. See an example of the new profile pages here. 

If you added expertise and new profile info during the audit, we have manually input this for you alongside copying the basic connect info. However, there are various new features (including recent trips and work example links), so we advise all members to log in and update their profiles. We suggest watching this video and/or reading this instruction page to understand the system and how to optimise your profile for the new search functionality. Then, update your profile on this link: https://dev.bgtw.org/account/. 

It’s especially vital that all members set their phone/email privacy settings BEFORE 17th April; after this, members’ email addresses will be displayed on their profiles unless opted out. 

I’ve customised this system in-house (separate from the new website; launching in the summer) to have greater control, and will be seeking members’ feedback to improve and expand it over time. It will be promoted to the industry alongside the new website, specifically letting those who commission know it’s a great tool for finding and commissioning travel media experts. If you have any issues or questions (that aren’t answered on this link) please email daniel.clarke@bgtw.org

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Conventions update: Sri Lanka and China

All Conventions – please can we ask that you DO NOT contact these destinations directly about the status of your application or the details of the trip. Doing so is causing confusion and creating extra work, both of which slow the process down. You will be updated as soon as we have news. 

Please also do not chase Charlotte with questions on application status or the itineraries. As soon as we have details or updates then she or the Board will be in touch with you. If you need specific information relating to your commission(s) then we’ll endeavour to get this for you. If it’s not easy getting answers from tourists boards which are used to putting together basic press trips, rather than in-depth curated itineraries, but we are fighting your corner. Thank you.

Sri Lanka – 13th to 23rd May 2025

UPDATE – We now have the three itineraries available (phew). A few small changes have been requested and these are being incorporated. 

All submitted applications have now been approved. Please prepare a copy of the bio-page of your passport. This will be needed, along with your itinerary preference and preferred flight shortly and we will be requesting these next week.

If you have not applied because you hadn’t seen the itineraries, but now want to, please do this immediately. There are still a few places left but these will be closed on Friday 4th April (no extension beyond this date). There are also a couple of places available for photographers/broadcasters who cannot secure coverage until after the trip. Contact Charlotte for an application form.

Three itineraries are available: Heritage & Culture; Adventure & Nature; Road Less Travelled These can be found in the Sri Lanka folder of the Documents Library on the members’ home page. A fourth itinerary will be added if we receive more applications. Please check these itineraries and decide which you prefer. We will be in contact shortly to confirm this. 

Flights – There will be two flights available on 12th May, arriving on 13th May. This first day in Sri Lanka is a National Holiday. The tourist board is hosting us in a beach resort on arrival so that we can all relax and recover from the journey, before the itineraries start. 

1. Sri Lankan Airlines at 12.35 hrs Heathrow – 04.25 hrs Colombo

2. Sri Lankan Airlines at 21.30 hrs Heathrow – 12.45 hrs Colombo

We’re aware that the TraveMedia awards are on 12th May. If you are nominated and also coming to Sri Lanka please contact Charlotte to let her know. Sri Lanka will try to secure you a place to travel out on 13th May if possible.

We’re also arranging a fascinating insight into the country’s approach to  ‘sustainability’ on 13th May.. Mr Hiran Cooray is Chairman of Jetwing Symphony/Lighthouse Hotel PLC. He is one of the key drivers of sustainability and conservation in Sri Lanka and it is quite a coup to be able to get him to join us. Don’t miss it! 

China – 9th to 16th June 2025

We are now close to an itinerary for the first trip to Changsha in Hunan Province. This itinerary will focus on traditional aspects of Chinese life and will include the Changsha Cultural Festival.

Dates for the other two trips are expected within the next week or two, along with provisional itineraries. Dennis Hu is currently in China finalising these.

Pre convention China event

RSVP now to secure your place at this event, which will showcase the rich offerings of Hunan, China. Guest talks, speeches, tourism highlights and cultural performances … bookmark Thursday April 3rd at Four Seasons Hotel, Park Lane, London.  Please register by March 27th. 

Among the things to expect:

  • Insightful Speeches from representatives from Hunan Province and key figures in China-UK tourism.
  • Exclusive Cultural Performances & exclusive exhibitions 
  • Hunan Tourism Highlights

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BGTW Awards update

Following comments from the Guild board of directors and the awards review panel, the final list of categories in the BGTW Members’ Excellence Awards (MEA) and the BGTW International Tourism Awards (ITA) are being finalised. Details of the two awards schemes are on schedule to be announced at the start of May. At that point, members will be invited to enter their work in the MEA, and to nominate tourism projects for the ITA.

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Annual Gala Awards Dinner update

We can confirm that this year’s Gala Dinner will be on 3rd November. The venue has been chosen and we are completing the costings and contract. The venue announcement is imminent.

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BGTW Better World Sustainability Symposium Podcasts

BGTW Better World Sustainability Symposium Podcasts – Listen Now!

The five podcasts from the first BGTW Better World Sustainability Symposium, hosted in October 2024 in partnership with Destination Canada (sharing their Tourism 2030: A World of Opportunity strategy) at Hyatt Place London City East (winner of AHEAD’s European Special Award for Sustainability) are live on our various podcast channels, including Apple Podcasts, Acast and others. Episodes include: 

1. Avoiding Greenwashing Hospitality in Travel Writing;

2. Sustainable Shifts in Destination Marketing and how they impact Travel Writers;

3. How Can Travel Writers and Media Be More Responsible With Visual Storytelling;

4. How Travel Writers Can Turn Slow Travel into Sellable Stories;

5. How Should Travel Writers Approach Sustainable Storytelling & Securing Commissions in 2025Don’t forget to subscribe! Find further information on each session at www.bgtw.org/better-world. If you’re interested in being involved in the 2025 edition of the Better World Symposium (to be hosted in September or October), or any of the Guild’s sustainability initiatives, please contact Daniel Clarke: daniel.clarke@bgtw.org

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Membership updates from Sarah Rodrigues

Hello from Ningaloo Reef! I hope that all of our lovely members are well and happy, wherever in the world you are. 

We have a new member to welcome – Rod Mackenzie, the new editor of Food & Travel Magazine. With years of experience in the industry, Rod is going to be a great addition to the Guild, and has already voiced a  willingness to get involved with webinars and discussions. While it’s obviously very exciting to have the editor of such a beautiful publication join us, please note that, for now, the magazine isn’t looking for commissions, so please let’s all just let Rod settle in before WE all settle on him, like flies on a carcass!!

Our other new member, Victoria Watts, has  been running Bridges and Balloons travel site since 2012, focusing on special places to stay (with or without kids). Before that, she worked as a freelance writer, editor and journalist in the charity and lifestyle sectors.  

Bridges and Balloons, which is known for its detailed itineraries and guides to special places to stay around the world,is now her full-time job and she’s grown an audience of over 150k page views per month. Welcome to the BGTW, Victoria!  

Russell and Shebs are continuing with their great work on social media and, as well as sharing your content (please don’t forget to tag @travwriters) they’ve also been proactively promoting members by showcasing their books and other work. We’d really like to ‘introduce’ more members to followers, as this raises everyone’s profiles, including the Guild’s. I know you’re a shy bunch (!) but please send head shots and a short bio to me when you can, and we’ll stagger them out, interspersed with other posts. These attempts really do have an impact on the Guild’s visibility – on LinkedIn alone last week, impressions were up 6,350%.

A few members have expressed interest in Q&A sessions, whether in person or online. These could be related to books you have coming out (not only to share your wisdom on the publication/ authorial process, but also to promote your work), pitching, the future of AI … could you give me an indication of how many people might be keen on such events by sending me a quick email?  

Guess who’s turning 65 this year? Yes, the BGTW, of course – but also The Beatles. Additionally, it’s 65 years since Hitchcock’s Psycho was released. Know anything else celebrating a 65th this year? Let me know. 

(Also, who thinks that The Beatles should have re-released “When I’m 64” last year? Lost opportunity!) 

Applications continue to flood in – we’ve had roughly double over the past year than in the previous 12 months. While most of these applications are of a very high calibre, please rest assured that not every one of them makes it into your inboxes, whether due to the quality or quantity of the work, or because they don’t fit other criteria. While membership is an important aspect of Guild revenue, it’s far more important that we attract and retain strong candidates. Thank you to every one of you who makes the effort to read gazetting emails and give me your feedback – it’s really appreciated. 

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Podcasts

With Jon Holmes, an award winning broadcaster, we’re developing a new BGTW podcast series called Destination Anywhere. There are now 6 available to listen to, with the social media one coming next week. Listen to them here

These podcasts will become a showcase for the Guild but also a showcase for YOU, to sit alongside the new website and revitalisation of the Guild’s social media – all part of this year’s PR, rebranding and modernisation.

SEND YOUR CONTENT – to make the second pilot of a 30 minute podcast about what our members are doing, we need your content as soon as possible.

So if you’re hiking a coastal path, learning to cook paella, skiing, treating yourself in a spa, photographing a festival or walking through a rural market…. whatever your travels are about…. record an audio clip and send it to us.

We’ll be promoting this series to the industry once this second pilot format is completed. Please send any audio clips which you have about your travels. They can be anything from 1 to 10 minutes long.It’s your SHOWCASE and FREE exposure for you.

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Miscellaneous events

In future non-Guild events and press trip will be moved to the new website and our social media channels rather than publicised in InHouse and Guilded News. Please make sure that you check both regularly if you want to take advantage of these opportunities.

Thanks to member Geoff Moore, Guild members have received the following invitation for individually coordinated press stays at Crabbers’ Wharf (holiday rentals in Portland, Dorset) which is trying to increase its presence in digital and traditional PR through follow links to its website as well as exposure in magazines, newspapers and online media. This is not a trip sponsored by the BGTW.

Crabbers Wharf is currently looking for travel writers to help promote the accommodation by providing write-ups and articles in exchange for a free stay. It is offering a 1 or 2-night stay for selected writers on any two weekdays between now and the end of June (subject to availability). This will be in a one- or two-bedroom cabin and will also include free entry to the D-Day Centre on days that it is open. Anyone interested in pursuing this will need to evidence their previous work and where the article will appear. Any links to their blog and/or social media should be included within their expression of interest. Should they be writing on behalf of someone else, confirmation of where the article is to appear will be needed. The team will then review these and select ones they would like to pursue. While they are predominantly looking for articles, they are open to exploring other projects such as video and social media.

All expressions of interest should be sent to delia.mead@nemesisproperties.co.uk and digital@agincare.com

Geoff also invites visiting members to get in touch for a coffee as he lives close by. Crabbers Wharf is located at the centre of the Jurassic Coast at Portland. Therefore Chesil Beach, Portland Bill, Weymouth Harbour and Beach, Tank Museum Bovington, Dorchester and Lulworth Cove… are all in easy reach! Trainwise, Weymouth is the nearest station. There is parking at the place for those driving. Geoff Moore dormedia@gmail.com

Valery Collins has received an invite to the media preview of The Power of Trees on Thursday 10 April 2025, from 11am – 2pm, which she would like to share with Guild members. This new exhibition in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art will showcase the spectacle of trees and feature a range of pieces from acclaimed Finnish artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila, alongside 20 newly commissioned botanical artworks by the artists of the Bedgebury Pinetum Florilegium Society. Works from the Shirley Sherwood Collection which celebrate trees and the artistic inspiration they provide will also be on display. Please contact Valery if you would like to attend this event. This is not a trip sponsored by the BGTW.

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PR

We are enlisting Jo White again this year to promote the Guild, and especially the awards and Gala Dinner. Press releases are currently being planned for a range of activities, but key objective will be to build on the coverage of and exposure for shortlisted MEA entrants, the ITA shortlist and the Gala Dinner.

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Sarah Rodrigues
By: Sarah Rodrigues Freelance Travel Writer