What Travel Writers Really Do

Anyone who reads the Sunday travel section of a major newspaper has probably been lured to one destination or another by the descriptions and photographs that describe a certain place or region. Those articles are written by professional travel writers, not staff stringers employed by the newspaper.

Guidebooks, articles, and travel as literature have a long history. Readers familiar with the work of Steinbeck, Kerouac and Paul Theroux have all indulged in vicarious experiences of road trips across the United States or taking a train across China. If you travel with a guidebook from DK, Fodor, Frommer, Lonely Planet or search online before you leave home, you’ve viewed another side of the travel writers’ craft – helping you chart unknown territory.

Travel writers also have the ability to communicate strategic messages to targeted audiences. Their published articles not only describe the location, they talk about their feelings and experiences while there. This third party reference is a critical difference between a destination-generated publication and one written by someone who has experienced the venue from the “outside” – in the same way a visitor would. The newspaper and magazine articles they write help drive even more leisure travel visitors to a destination.

The Door County Visitor Bureau contracts with this third tier of the travel writing profession. Since July 2007, more than 120 writers have experienced Door County. They have already turned their insights into words and pictures in 76 different publications including AAA Living, Tampa Bay Magazine, Country Living, Bassmaster magazine, Group Tour magazine, Reunions magazine, Toronto Sun, Log Home Living, Journal & Topics, The Fish Whisperer TV show and many more. Because of long lead times for magazine publication, several dozen articles are scheduled for publication later this year and in 2009.

In addition to learning about a particular destination such as Door County, a writer may have a particular specialty or interest that informs their writing on a specific subject. For instance, someone who writes primarily about golfing may share an affinity for fine wine and good food; both may be included in a piece for a golfing magazine or newspaper article about great golf spots in the Midwest. An arts and culture aficionado may likewise incorporate theatrical or musical performances into their destination experience.

Here’s an example of how a magazine article you read in May of 2009 may have come to be:

• A travel writer visits Door County in July of 2007

• They are here for five mid-week days and nights

• Before their arrival, they have communicated sightseeing spots, venues and other locations that appeal to them and an itinerary is developed

• During the trip, they take reference photos, make notes and may even dictate on-the-spot impressions into a recorder

• Because of their contacts/relationships with publishers, they pitch a story to an editor

• Once the concept is approved, the publication sends a professional photographer, if necessary, to shoot on location, probably in July of 2008

• The writer completes the story, compressing or expanding as space permits

• The publication may use one of the professional photographs for the cover

• The editor, art director or writer may contact the Door County Visitor Bureau for additional photographs of Door County to help illustrate the story, which the bureau sends to the publication

• The magazine is distributed in May of 2009, 22 months after the writer has visited the County

During this process, the writer has not been idle. The same trip that generated the article has also produced ideas for other publications or other angles that the writer found interesting to develop into full-fledged story lines. In this way, one five-day trip can generate several pieces – from a glitzy magazine article to a weekend get-away half page spread in a Sunday newspaper. A travel writer who visits and works in Door County is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

Not to put too fine a point on Door County’s two million plus visitors each year, but the economics of the travel industry here are truly staggering. Direct expenditures by visitors in Door County in 2007 amounted to an estimated $404,194,585, according to figures provided by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism in May. Tourism also accounted for 13,225 full-time equivalent jobs last year, along with $160,380,000 in resident income, state revenue of $37,082,000 and local government revenue of $20,203,000. Tourism is big business in Door County.

For comparison, with 51.1 million international visitors each year, the U.S. is in the number three spot behind number one France who opens her arms to a whopping 79.1 million international travelers. The placements are reversed in terms of international travel spending: the U.S. benefits from $85.1 billion compared to France in third place with $42.9 billion. Spain is in the number two spot in both visitors and spending; in aggregate, German travelers spend the most.

Because of the relative strength of the Euro against the dollar, it is expected that EU spending will continue to grow with the U.S. as the top travel destination. In order, the U.S. leads the top five international destinations with Times Square in New York City, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Trafalgar Square in London and Disneyland in Anaheim.

Most travel to Door County is designated “intraregional travel,” since we draw heavily from major metropolitan regions in the Midwest. As more people become familiar with the Door County “brand,” we can expect to see a more diverse array of license plates and people with different accents enjoying this wonderful place we call home.

For more information please contact Sally Everhardus, Director of Administration for the Door County Visitor Bureau (DCVB) at 920.743.4456 or [email protected].