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AITO TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR 2008
AITO stands for excellence in travel – and that’s what AITO seeks from its Travel Writer of the Year awards. Says AITO Chairman, Derek Moore: “The judges mark the articles submitted against three key criteria – we look for articles that are interesting, informative and inspirational.”
AITO today announces the results of its 12th Travel Writer of the Year awards.
Highly-commended runners-up are:
In joint second place, Jeremy Lazell’s ‘Safaris? Kids’ play’ article written for The Sunday Times contains everything a travel article needs - humour, honesty and entertainment. Judges felt they could relate to the piece and found it an easy read, with the involvement of locals being also praised.
Also in second place is Peter Hughes with his ‘Coach tours: window on the West’ article, written for The Daily Telegraph, described as a humorous personal observation and said by the judges to be a “master class on how to poke fun gently without patronising”. Peter is the current holder of this award, and also previously scooped the top prize in 2003.
The winner of the AITO Travel Writer of the Year 2008 award is Chris Haslam, writing for The Sunday Times. Haslam’s piece, ‘The tribe that isn’t there’, a sharp account of travel on the edge, is described as a good introduction to the esoteric products of an AITO member. Chris undertook an epic journey to find the isolated Shirian people of Venezuela, a 600-strong tribe that doesn’t even exist according to the local government. Following his incredible adventure, Haslam wrote: “In their patch of green paradise, the Shirian will show you waterfalls that have yet to be named and species that have yet to be recorded.” Chris also won the AITO award in 2006.
AITO Chairman, Derek Moore comments: “The standard of entries this year was once again incredibly high and judges had a difficult time creating a shortlist, never mind choosing a winner. Chris Haslam’s piece described a journey of discovery, encountering a little-known tribe, immersing himself in their lifestyle and enjoying their somewhat macabre local recipes. It truly enlightened the reader, providing a rare insight into a world a million miles from our own, and is a worthy winner of the AITO Travel Writer of the Year 2008.”
Ends 24 February 2009
Note to Editors: Shortlisted writers included Michelle Jana-Chan (Financial Times), Tim Ecott (Wanderlust), Kevin Gould (The Guardian), Richard Green (The Sunday Times), Dan Linstead (Wanderlust), Harriet O’Brien (The Independent) & Emma Thomson (Travel Africa). All were highly commended by the judges.
AITO welcomes one entry per person for its Travel Writer of the Year Awards, and encourages travel editors to enter pieces that have been published on their pages during the course of the calendar year. For the 2009 award, entries (preferably hard copy format) should be sent to Travel PR, 133A St Margaret’s Road, Twickenham, TW1 1RG, by Friday 11th December, 2009.
Press: For further information, visit www.aito.com, contact Ian Bradley or Sue Ockwell at Travel PR on 020 8891 4440 or email i.bradley@travelpr.co.uk.
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