Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau Wins Gold Award in North American Travel Journalists Association Annual Awards

Raleigh, NC – The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (GRCVB), the official destination marketing organization for Raleigh and Wake County, has been recognized with a Gold Award from the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) for the Official Visitors Guide to Raleigh, Cary and Wake County. This is the first time the GRCVB has won an award from NATJA and only one Gold Winner is selected in each of the 59 award categories.

This annual award goes to publications, travel writers, and photographers whose work was represented in print and electronic media. Additionally, awards were given to the top convention and visitors bureaus, PR agencies and destination marketing organizations. The competition, now in its 20th year, honors the “best of the best” of travel writing, photography and promotion that cover all aspects of the travel industry worldwide.

“This is an incredible honor, and we are flattered to be recognized by this prestigious organization,” said Denny Edwards, president and CEO of the GRCVB. “Our goal in producing this annual guide is to give visitors an inside look at some of the attributes, experiences, people and places that make the Raleigh area a unique and dynamic visitor destination.”

The 76-page Official Visitors Guide to Raleigh, Cary and Wake County is the GRCVB’s primary leisure marketing piece available to visitors in a printed format, as well as in digital version on www.raleighvisitorsguide.com. The printed guide is distributed among the more than 10.7 million visitors to Greater Raleigh each year and also serves as an introduction to our area for visitors in the planning phase.

The award-winning guide focuses on introducing visitors to seven Destination I.D.’s including: Foodie, Fashionista, Adrenaline Junkie, Music Maniac, Lifelong Learner, Creative Genius and Free Spirit through stunning images and vivid editorial. The GRCVB staff worked in partnership with representatives from 11 Wake County municipalities, award-winning travel writers, Lynn and Cele Seldon, and Josh Howard of the North Carolina Office of Archives to create many of the editorial pieces in the guide. Cary-based S&A Cherokee publishes the annual guide.

“This year’s entries were outstanding, both in quality of the journalism, excellence and range of coverage,” said Helen Hernandez, CEO of the organization. “The number of entries continues to grow. The creativity is reflective of the vibrancy of the travel journalists’ community. This year’s entry pool is an indicative of the economic recovery and its positive effect on the travel industry.”

The mission of NATJA is to foster high quality journalism by supporting the professional development of its members, providing exceptional benefits and valuable resources, honoring the excellence of journalism throughout the world, and promoting travel and leisure activities to the public at large.

A complete list of the winners is available on the NATJA website at www.natja.org.

The Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau, as the official destination marketing organization of Raleigh and Wake County, accelerates sustainable economic growth and development by increasing visitor and convention business.

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