PALM BEACH – For the third year in a row, the crew of Island Temptations is being recognized on an international level with a prestigious journalism award. The Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Travel Writers Award is bestowed on journalists from print, radio, on-line, and television media for excellence in coverage and promotion of the Caribbean region. This year, Tina Causey-Escobedo’s story, “Romancing the Rum Shop Mystique,” from the Summer 2004 edition, received first place in the “Best Feature Article” category for the Caribbean.
“We are really excited to be acknowledged for our contributions in the promotion of the island of Aruba. It has been our mission from day one to go beyond beaches—the aesthetics of the island, if you will—to focus more on the culture, because we feel it is the people that make this island stand out among other vacation destinations,” stated Tina, who is also the magazine’s editorial and creative director. “…of the many articles we have been nominated for over the years, it is the ones that share Aruba’s culture that catch the judges’ eyes,” she added.
The panel of judges is made up of journalism professors from universities in the United States, as well as travel industry professionals. In addition to this year’s award, Island Temptations also received “Best News Article under 500 Words” in 2003 for Tina’s article, “Carnival gets Patriotic,” and last year for “Build it and they will Come,” written by Island Temptations’ Director of Public Relations and Special Projects, Rona Coster. In fact, Island Temptations is the only Caribbean publication to receive the CTO journalism distinction three years in a row.
“These awards are definitely a group effort. In preparation for the rum shop story, a group of us made the rum shop circuit, with Rona Coster providing much of the research. Our friends contributed their personal anecdotes, as well,” informed Tina, who also credits photographer Steve Keith for capturing the spirit of each rum shop, and designer Kyrenia Delgado for a beautiful layout of the final piece.
Tina will officially receive her award on October 25th, during the CTO’s annual Caribbean Tourism Conference being held on the island of St. Thomas this year. “I really look forward to introducing Aruba’s culture and the beauty of the people to other members of the international press,” shared Tina, “and I am proud to have such a wonderful island with such diverse and rich heritage to continue to write about and share with the rest of the world.”
Click here to see the article!
