Solomon Islands story scores PATA Gold Travel Journalism Award

Honiara, Solomon Islands – Putting the Solomon Islands squarely on the international travel writing scene, Australian journalist Christine Retschlag has been awarded the prestigious 2017 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) ‘Gold Award for Travel Journalism’ for her ‘Go Slow in the Solomons’ article.

Ms Retschlag beat off strong opposition from more than 220 other international media to take the award which is held in the highest esteem by the international travel writing community.
 
She based her ‘Go slow in the Solomons’ article on her visit to the Solomon Islands in late 2015 when she was a guest of the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau’s international media visitation program (IMVP).
 
During her stay, she visited Honiara, the Western Province and Marau Sound.

The article prepared in the November 2016 edition of Australian ‘Wellbeing’ magazine which has an audience in excess of 200,000 readers.

This is not the first time Ms Retschlag’s Solomon Islands story has attracted attention - just last month she was named runner-up in the Australian 2017 National Travel Industry Awards ‘Travel Writer of the Year’ category.

Commenting on Ms Retschlag’s success, SIVB CEO, Josefa ‘Jo’ Tuamoto said the real winner was the people, sights and sounds of the Solomon Islands which had inspired Ms Retschlag to write such a brilliant article.

“Ms Retschlag is one of more than 100 travel-related media we have been fortunate to entice to our islands in the last few years as part of our international media visitation program,” Mr Tuamoto said.

“Make no bones about it – the lure of our Hapi Islands is indeed strong and thanks to people like Christine, spreading far and wide.”

 
Ms Retschlag’s article is located on the SIVB’s website in the media section:
http://www.visitsolomons.com.sb/