Lost world Studying jaguars, pumas and their prey in Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest

Visit : www.earthwatch.org/europe. Contact : Victoria Webster at victoria.webster@grayling.com

Working with the Alliance

The following travel partners and agencies have registered with the Alliance and are keen to work with Alliance travel writers, editors, broadcasters and photographers.
Other Alliance partners and agencies can be found at www.itwalliance.com.

1. 
   Partners

Pomegranate Journeys
At Pomegranate Journeys we see bike adventure travel differently.
We know that a European active vacation is much more than just a bike and a hotel and for that reason we deliver a sensory rich journey at the heart of each travel experience.
To this end, Pomegranate is committed to a limited choice of select destinations and itineraries in small groups.
Visit : www.pomegranate.travel. Contact : Gabriel Del Rossi at delrosga@pomegranate.travel.
Executive Touring (South Africa)
Executive Touring provides tailor-made tour and transfer services for tourists and business executives visiting the Western Cape, South Africa. Our passion is to ensure you travel in style and comfort. We cater to the discerning traveler who requires a unique package and offer friendly and reliable service.
Visit : www.executivetouring.co.za. Contact : Clive Friedberg at clive@executivetouring.co.za

Appassionata
Appassionata specialises in the restoration and creation of unique fractional ownership properties in the region of Le Marche Italy. The business is boutique in nature and style, family run and aimed at like minded people who want to experience real Italy and a luxurious lifestyle.
Visit : www.appassionata.com. Contact :Michael Hobbs at mph@appassionata.com
G4targ
G4targ provides travel information to Argentina in 12 languages.
Visit : www.g4targ.com. Contact : Marcelo Berlin at comercial@g4targ.com

2. Photo Tours

Photo tours specialize in the Himalayan region of India and focus tours on photography. The company also handles corporate, honeymoon & personalized tours.

Visit : www.phototours.in. Contact : Anirban Biswas at tours@phototours.in
Cotton Tree, Cayman Islands
The Cotton Tree is the Cayman Islands’ only boutique cottage hotel, and evokes the spirit of the Caymans with its pastel-hued, plantation-style two-bedroom cottages just steps from the Caribbean Sea amidst a lush garden setting.
Visit : www.caymancottontree.com. Contact : Megan Sterritt atsterritt@kwegroup.com
Asia Safari, Laos
Asia Safari is a specialist travel agency based in Vientiane, Laos. Laos Travel Direct offers luxury guided tours, holidays, treks and river cruises in Laos
Visit : www.asiasafari-laos.com. Contact : Kevin McArthur at kevin@asiasafari-laos.com
Ancient Summit, Peru
Ancient Summit runs guided private visits by Nina Fogelman. Seeing Peru from Nina’s perspective is an event by itself.
Visit : www.ancientsummit.com. Contact : Nina Fogelman at nina@ancientsummit.com

3. Sinia Hotels

Sinia Hotels offers accommodation and tours in Israel Jorda Egypt& Sinai. Visit : www.sinai-hotels.co.il Contact : Oren Amir at info@sinai-hotels.co.il.

4. The Dean Court

The Dean Court is a luxury 4-Star hotel in the most wonderful setting - in the very shadow of majestic York Minster. Local seasonal produce is the hallmark of it's highly recommended Restaurant,D.C.H

Visit : www.deancourt-york.co.ukContact : David Brooks at sales@deancourt-york.co.uk.

5. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment run 10 family-oriented theme parks which are :

• 
  SeaWorld in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego
  
• 
  Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay and Williamsburg, Va
  
• 
  Discovery Cove and Aquatica in Orlando
  
• 
  Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA
  
• 
  Adventure Island in Tampa Bay, and
  
• 
  Water Country USA in Williamsburg.
  

Visit : www.seaworld.com. Contact : Lucy Quilliam at Lucy@cubo.com.

6. WHL Group

The WHL Group, the largest local-travel company in the world, is a global network of companies that help travellers find unique ways to experience a destination through local tourism professionals.

Visit : www.whlconsulting.com. Contact : Ethan Gelber at hub@bikeabout.org.

7. Direct Baggage

www.directbaggage.com
Direct Baggage provides a UK and Worldwide door-to-door luggage delivery service, which allows all travellers the option off a walk on walk off service. Simplicity and security are important to them and this is highlighted by their simple to use yet secure website booking tool.
Contact : James Henry at jhenry@directbaggage.com

1. Agencies

Hills Balfour
The PR team at Hills Balfour provides day-to-day enquires, fact box requests and group and independent press visit requests for the following destinations :

Africa
Egyptian

State Tourist Office

Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority

Namibia Tourism Board

Kenya Tourist Board

Heritage Hotels (luxury hotel group in Kenya)

Makanyane Safari Lodge
Asia
Tourism Malaysia
Australasia
Tourism Queensland (Australia)

Cook Islands Tourism Corporation

St. Regis Bora Bora

Europe
Costa Navarino

Graubunden Tourism

Malaga City

Algarve Promotion Bureau

East of England

Festivals Suffolk

Southend-on-Sea

India
Zuri Hotels (luxury hotel group in India)
North America
NYC & Company (New York City)

Nevada Commission on Tourism

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

Arizona Office of Tourism

Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau (Arizona)

Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB

North Carolina Division of Tourism

South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism

Texas Tourism

Visit Florida

South America and the Caribbean
Prom Peru (Tourist Board of Peru)

Libertador Hotels (Peruvian hotels)

Puerto Rico Tourism Company

Cruceros Australis (Patagonian cruises)

Contact : Susie Tempest at susiet@hillsbalfour.com.

1. Incentive connect

Incentive Connect International promotes a collection of travel suppliers in Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific and Asia. Many companies we promote suit the premium traveller, all offer exclusive and authentic to the region experiences.

Visit : www.incentiveconnect.com. Contact : Maureen Brennan at media@incentiveconnect.com

2. Beth Cooper Public Relations

Beth Cooper Public Relations (BCPR) is an independent, full-service consultancy, specialising in luxury travel and lifestyle clients.

Visit : www.bethcooper.co.uk. Contact : Ashleigh Fleming at ashleigh@bethcooper.co.uk
With a strong, core expertise within the travel sector, we work with some of the world’s most glamorous brands, supporting small boutique to high-end hotel venues, destination resorts, tourism bodies and tour operators across all five continents.

3. Mason-Williams

Mason Williams is a consumer and lifestyle PR agency. Visit : www.mason-williams.com. Contact : Emma Wayman at emma@mason-williams.com.

4. CM Communications

Founded in 1986 and recognized as a leading marketing and public relations agency in Boston, CM Communications is a full-service marketing agency providing marketing consulting services to clients in a variety of industries.

Visit : www.cmcommunications.com. Contact : Meghan Fitzgerald at mfitzgerald@cmcommunications.com

6. Heady Communications

Heady Communications is a luxury travel PR. Visit : www.headycommunications.com. Contact : Sue Heady at sue@headycommunications.com

7. The Idea Co

The Idea Co. is an integrated communications agency that specializes in marketing cultural and luxury hospitality clients.

Contact : Sarah Leaf-Herrmann at sarah.leaf1@verizon.net

8. Ypartnership

Ypartnership is America’s leading marketing services company serving travel, leisure and entertainment clients. The agency’s Insights group is widely acknowledged as the preeminent source of market intelligence on emerging business and leisure travel trends, as published in the Ypartnership/Harrison Group 2010 Portrait of American TravelersSM. The firm also co-authors the quarterly travelhorizons™ survey with the U.S. Travel Association.

Visit : www.ypartnership.com. Contact : Noel Perkins at noel.perkins@ypartnership.com.

News

Birmingham, UK
Visit Birmingham and Virgin Trains are promoting Birmingham as a fine food destination.
Marketing Birmingham is the city’s public/private sector strategic marketing partnership, the driving force behind the growth of Birmingham’s visitor economy, its growing reputation and is the new impetus behind the inward investment strategy for the city.
Visit : www.visitbirmingham.com/foodie. Contact : Emma Gray at emma.gray@marketingbirmingham.com.

10. Motivate Publishing

Motivate Publishing is to launch lovestyle.com, the first lifestyle website dedicated to women in the Middle East who love style.

The site will covering the latest trends, catwalk reports, high street collections, celebrity styles, beauty news, insider insight, luxury travel and VIP parties, this site will be a dazzling one-click stop for those who want instant style gratification.
Visit : www.lovestyle.com. Contact : Claire Carruthers at claire@motivate.ae.
travelbite
Sandra Shevey, who profiles ancient street markets for travelbite.co.uk is currently working on ancient street markets and related tourism.

Visit : www.travelbite.co.uk. Contact : sandra_shevey@yahoo.com.

The Kitchen bar and restaurant, Lusty Glaze Beach, Newquay UK

The Kitchen bar and restaurant at Lusty Glaze Beach in Newquay has been listed among the top ten beach bars in Europe in a holiday guide presented by mobile phone company Orange.

Located right on the beach, beneath high cliffs in a horseshoe shaped cove, the bar and restaurant at Lusty Glaze provides views of coastal scenery.

Visit : www.lustyglaze.co.uk and www.orange.co.uk/travel/holidayideas/pics/7482_1.htm. Contact : Elliot Walker at info@coast360.co.uk.

1. VisitEngland Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme

VisitEngland, the country’s national tourist board has set up the first quality scheme in the country for sport.

The VisitEngland Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme will assess 55 racecourses between now and November. Horseracing is the first sport to be quality assessed in this way.
Visit : www.visitengland.com/corporate. Contact : Sarah Long at sarah.long@visitengland.org.

Leads

Alliance members looking to take advantage of any of the following leads should be on assignment, with a commission or able to obtain one.
El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa
The exhibition El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa, a 40-year career retrospective of the Ghanaian artist's work, opens at the Royal Ontario Museum on 2 October.
The exhibition is organised by the Museum for African Art in New York, but it will have it's world premiere in Toronto.
Visit : www.rom.on.ca. Contact : Anne Marie Todaro at amtodaro@rom.on.ca.

 

Heythrop Park Resort, Oxfordshire UK

Set in 440 acres of Oxfordshire countryside, Heythrop Park Resort is a country estate with two luxurious hotels, a championship-standard 18-hole golf course, a health club and four restaurants and bars.
Visit : www.heythroppark.co.uk. Contact :  Nell Hegarty at nell.hegarty@brightergroup.com.

2. Discover Cruises

Discover Cruises operate a range of cruises on rivers including the Seine, Rhine, Danube and Douro. There is also the Nile and China’s Yangtze.

Visit : www.discovercruises.co.uk. Contact : Lois Kettlewell at Lois.Kettlewell@fourcommunications.com.

3. Asia Transpacific Journeys

Asia Transpacific Journeys is a Boulder, Colorado-based luxury Asia travel company and Asia tour operator specialising in custom journeys and small group trips to Asia.

These include :

 

In the Realm of the Spirit trips offers a 16-day journey featuring travel to India, that focuses on the contrasting spiritual traditions in the region. Travelers visit sacred temples, join pilgrims at holy sites, and practice yoga at a world-renowned retreat in the Himalayas.

On Bali and Beyond is 17-day exploration that features sailing, snorkeling, dance and the arts, wildlife, ancient cultural traditions and UNESCO temples sites.

Visit : www.AsiaTranspacific.com. Contact : Sara Widness at sara@widnesspr.com.

What’s on

Information for professional travel writes, editors, broadcasters and photographers on annual events and celebrations worldwide.
Fall events in Orlando
Orlando, Florida has a range of events designed to lure visitors during the Fall months including :

1. Global Peace Film Festival

21 to 26 September 2010
Held in conjunction with the UN’s International Day of Peace, the festival promotes the art of motion picture to further world peace.
Visit : www.peacefilmfest.org.

2. Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

1 October to 14 November 2010
Sip, sample and savour some of the world’s most famous wineries and celebrated chefs.
Visit : www.disneyworld.com.
Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights

Various dates in September and October 2010

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is considered one of the world’s largest Halloween celebrations.
Visit : www.halloweenhorrornights.com.
SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular

Various dates in September and October 2010

SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular.

Visit : www.SeaWorld.com.

Busch Garden’s Howl-O-Scream

Various dates in September and October 2010

On select nights, Howl-O-Scream transforms Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Visit : www.buschgardens.com.

4. Gay Pride Festival and Parade – Come Out With Pride

7 to 10 October 2010
Come Out With Pride is Central Orlando’s largest gay pride festival and parade.
Visit : www.mbaorlando.org.
37th Annual Winter Park Autumn Art Festival

9 and 10 October 2010

Over 40,000 people attend this free event held in Central Park that features work by outstanding Orlando artists.
Visit : www.winterpark.org/autumnartfestival.
Park Avenue Fashion Week

18 to 24 October 2010

Park Avenue's Fourth Annual Fashion Week will include luxurious runway shows and a swanky VIP event
Visit : www.parkavenuefashionweek.com.

5. Mount Dora Craft Fair

23 and 24 October 2010
This nationally ranked, juried event continues to attract more than 250,000 visitors and more than 350 of the best crafters in the country.
Visit : www.mountdora.com/festivals.php.

Visit : www.VisitOrlando.com and www.VisitOrlando.com/fall. Contact : Amy Voss at Amy.Voss@orlandocvb.com.

6. Cervantino International Festival, Guanajuato, Mexico

13 to 31 October 2010 (annual, 38th)
Mexico's leading art and culture festival, first held in 1972 as a celebration of Spanish and Latin American culture, has since expanded to encompass a more global vision, with around 80 events and 36 countries participating.Events taking place includes Mexican hat dancing and alfresco avant-garde performances. Also features theatre, music, art and street parties.
Visit : www.festivalcervantino.gob.mx. Contact : info@britishcouncil.org.mx.

Reasons to write about

Alliance members looking to take advantage of any of the following should be on assignment, with a commission or able to obtain one.

The fall foliage season in Ontario, Canada
With its abundance of pristine nature, Ontario, Canada is a popular destination for hiking, canoeing and tree-top canopy walking in autumn.
Seventy percent of the province is covered in ancient Boreal Forest and also has more than 330 provincial parks covering 9 million hectares and a vast network of waterways. 
The fall foliage season in Ontariowhich reaches its peak from mid-September to early October, is the ideal time for enjoying the great outdoors in the province. 

 

In the Muskoka Region, 1600 lakes, dense forests and rolling hills dominate the landscape making this resort region the perfect place for a fall foliage driving tour.
www.discovermuskoka.ca

 

Algonquin Provincial Park’s vast tree covered 7,725 square kilometers (3000 square miles), located only three hours from Toronto and Ottawa, is Ontario’s most popular outdoor playground with hiking, canoeing and camping on offer.
www.algonquinpark.on.ca

 

Algoma Country is a vast stretch of wilderness area located 690 km northwest of Toronto.  The rustic beauty of Algoma Country is transformed each autumn into a kaleidoscope of colour which has inspired notable devotees such as the famed Group of Seven.  

www.agawacanyontourtrain.com

 

The province of Ontario is located in east-central Canada and is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and five U.S. states to the south. It is home to one in three Canadians and is Canada’s second-largest province, covering more than one million square kilometres (415,000 square miles). Toronto, the capital of Ontario, is Canada’s largest city.

Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is also located in Ontario. Ontario is home to 250,000 lakes and makes up for one-third of the world's fresh water.
Visit : www.ontariotravel.net. contact: Nicole Raphael at nicole.raphael@circlesolution.com.
Africa Adventure Consultants
Africa Adventure Consultants organises exclusive, customized, 100% carbon-neutral safari adventures throughout East and Southern Africa.
The company organizes safari adventures in 14 countries across East, Southern and Northern Africa: Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, The Seychelles, and Egypt.
It’s top five safari wildlife encounters are :

1. Big Game of the Okavango Delta

The Ultimate Botswana Safari features game viewing in the Mombo Concession located on Chief’s Island in the world-famous Okavango Delta.

This is considered some of the best game viewing in Botswana with sightings of lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, elephant, hyena, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra and large herds of buffalo.

2. Elephants of South Luangwa National Park

A Zambia Walking Safari is the way to go for a natural and unhurried wildlife encounter.

Wildlife viewing includes herds of wild elephant numbering up to 70 strong plus encounters of wild dog, leopard, buffalo and zebra.

3. The Leopards of Sabi Sand

This safari features Exeter River Lodge which affords an ideal location overlooking the river in prime leopard-viewing territory.

4. Mountain Gorilla

On an Ultimate Uganda Safari guests go gorilla trekking and tracking in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Adventurous travelers will explore the far reaches of Uganda, including Murchison Falls, a 141-foot cascade on the River Nile.

Chimpanzee of Mahale Mountains National Park
The Wildest Tanzania Safari centers on Mahale Mountains National Park provide the home for the chimpanzee.

Visit : www.adventuresinafrica.com. Contact : Sara Widness at sara@widnesspr.com.
The Exmoor red deer rutting season, UK
During the October Exmoor red deer rut the biggest and strongest males round up the females for mating showing their superiority over other stags by constantly bellowing an echoing roar.
Red Deer are the UK’s largest land animals weighing up to 190Kg.
Sometimes other stags will approach the females, which can occasionally result in a fight with a serious clashing of magnificent antlers.
It is an experience watching and listening to the wild deer in their natural surroundings as the stars fade and the sun rises over Exmoor, and again as the sun sets in the evening.
The Yarn Market Hotel, Dunster runs rutting weekend breaks.
Visit : www.yarnmarkethotel.co.uk and www.exmoor.com .Contact : Pat Edgar at PRMatters@dsl.pipex.com

 

8. The Silk Road

The Silk Road is a network of routes, which for centuries served as a vital link between the East and the West. It was a hub for the exchange of cultures, crafts, ideas, technologies and beliefs, traversed by conquerors, traders and missionaries. All this has left a rich cultural heritage.
To mark the beginning of a new phase in its Silk Road Programme, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, in collaboration with the Government of Uzbekistan, will hold the 5th International Meeting on the Silk Road on 8-9 October 2010 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The Meeting will introduce new concepts for Silk Road branding and marketing, destination management and travel facilitation and will set out key strategies for the UNWTO’s ‘Silk Road Action Plan 2010-2011’.
Visit: www.UNWTO.org/SilkRoad. Contact : Marcelo Risi at mrisi@UNWTO.org.

9. Sea Kayak Adventures, California

Sea Kayak Adventures has introduced a new trip that combines history, culture, kayaking, snorkeling and whale watching in the Sea of Cortez in Baja California’s Loreto Bay National Marine Park.

The Sea of Cortez is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers kayaking, hiking and snorkeling. Abundant wildlife, massive whales, sunny weather and warm, crystalline waters make the Sea of Cortez one of the best winter adventure destinations in North America and Mexico. 
There’s also the chance discover the fascinating cultural history of California’s first mission in Loreto, built by Jesuits in 1697 and to travel into the mountainous interior of Baja to visit the picturesque village of San Javier and the peninsula’s best-preserved mission church. 
Visit : www.seakayakadventures.com. Contact : Terry Prichard at info@seakayakadventures.com.

A place to stay

Alliance members looking to take advantage of any of the following opportunities should be on assignment, with a commission or able to obtain one.
The Sarojin, Thailand
The Sarojin, Thailand’s 56 boutique residence is celebrating the ancient Takuapa Old Town Vegetarian Festival by launching a special Vegetarian Celebration Package for guests to enjoy this October.
The package, which honours one of Thailand’s most fascinating traditions, will provide guests with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the excitement of the festival, which is designed to purify mind and soul by refraining from meat consumption and meditating during the nine-day festival (8 to 16 October 2010).
Visit: www.sarojin.com. Contact : Sarah Habicht at sarah.habicht@humewhitehead.co.uk.

13. Posada Puerto Bemberg, Argentina

 

Posada Puerto Bemberg is located in a 400 hectare jungle on the Coast of the Parana river 30Km from the Iguazú Airport, Argentina.

The 1924 Posada, which has undergone a sympathetic refurbishment, enables visitors to enjoy the jungle and the Iguazu falls.
A hotel project, based on the recovery of the Jungle ecosystem is being carried out by the Posada in partnership with the Aves Argentinas and the Conservation of the North East Unit of National Parks.

 

Visit : www.puertobemberg.com. Contact : Luciana Salaün at luciana@salaun.com.ar

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