Roger Brooks, CEO of Destination Development International, in a presentation to calTIA’s 2010 tourism conference examined the primary ingredients of change and pointed to 10 things that need to be done to survive in this “brand” new age of tourism.

Diane LeBow and Laurie McAndish King will teach three classes at the Central Coast Writers Conference in San Luis Obispo in September.  Diane says these would be especially good for “budding travel writers and also those wanting to update skills — as well spend a few stimulating days with other...

Lisa Alpine and Carla King say: We won’t make you do sit-ups at the next Self-Publishing Boot Camp Workshop: Ten Steps to Self-Publishing Success on October 16, 2010. BATW members get a $15 discount for this all-day workshop with Lisa Alpine and Carla King. The Craneway Held at the...

If the rate of change inside your organization is greater than or equal to the rate of change outside, you’re probably in good shape.  If it’s slower, you’re toast. As the very nature of the travel and meeting business changes dramatically, one of  the world’s favorite tourism...

[Many thanks to Eliza Southard, who wrote this detailed piece about the July BATW meeting at the Aquarium of the Bay.] A motion behind the seaweed caught my eye. What an odd fish, I thought, such human eyes, just like ours. I looked closer, and, under the misty bubble, the head turned, the eyes scanned...

Thanks go to Edward Hasbrouck, who has made available audio of the June, 2010, BATW panel discussion at the meeting about “The Ethics & Etiquette of Travel Writing.”  Speakers were Edward, David Page, Catherine Boire and Tom Wilmer, and the moderator was Erin Van Rheenen. To stream the...

Thanks go to David Page, who sent the link to his latest article on Matador.com: “The Future of Freelance Journalism, Part 2A: Sweaty Balls.“ This one is mostly “about David Granger and what it takes to get into Esquire“: http://thetravelersnotebook.com/photography-q-a/the-future-of-freelance-journalism-part-2a-sweaty-balls/

There is light at the end of the tunnel, according to Caroline Beteta, President & CEO of the California Travel & Tourism Commission (CTTC).  Emerging from the darkness of 2009 when the State of California recorded negative results in tourism arrivals and tourist spending,  the outlook for...

Dear BATW Friends, Here is a somewhat hopeful sign that creators of content can actually survive and earn a dollar or two in the new publishing environment. – Lee Foster

Thanks go to Dick Jordan for pointing out David Page’s posts on Matador about “The Future of Freelance Journalism.“  This link is for part 1, which begins: “Is there one? Decidedly yes. But it may not be all summer breezes, free wine and chocolate-covered strawberries. In the...