Join us March 15-18, 2012 for the First Annual Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival. Alternating yearly between Cancun and the Riviera Maya, we will delight our guests on two great beach and resort destinations.

The Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival 2012 will hold over 30 innovative events for lovers of wine, food, music and culture in Cancun:

Celebrity Chef and Winemaker Dinners
Including two tributes dinners:
One to Mexico, designated by UNESCO as “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”
The other to world-celebrated chef Ferran Adrià
Luxury Catamaran Cruise and Private Beach Club Dinner
Join Master Mixologist Junior Merino on a luxurious catamaran cruise followed by a private beach club dinner lunch

Exclusive 90+ Wines and Spirits Tastings
The best wines and spirits from Spain, USA, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile

Exciting Cooking Demonstrations
Given by celebrity chefs from Canada, the USA, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru

American Express Gourmet Tasting Village
Walk through our Village and taste signature dishes from some of the best restaurant Chefs, paired with wines and spirits. Delight your palate with gourmet company products including coffees, ice creams, chocolates and more…
Closing Latin Grill Fiesta
Meet the best Argentinian & Brazilian Grill Chefs “Parrilladas” and enjoy a fiesta featuring surprise entertainment and fireworks.

Cancun After-Dark Parties
Sample the best tequilas, vodkas, martinis, tapas and sinful desserts; all while moving to the rhythms created by a top DJ, to take you late into the night

To enhance your personal experience, we are limiting the number of participants at each event, facilitating interaction between guests and celebrity chefs.

Combine the Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival with a travel destination that no other festival can match: World class beaches, awesome Mayan sites, Spanish haciendas and colonial villages, magical underground pools “cenotes”, snorkeling or diving at the world’s second largest barrier reef, high seas fishing, ecological parks and pristine islands, fun adventure tours for all ages, an easily accessible airport, and a wide variety of hotels for all budgets.

The Festival is committed to giving back to our community. The beneficiary for year one is the Ciudad de la Alegria – The City of Joy. We will be supporting its goal to empower disadvantaged children, victims of violence and care for the elderly.

http://www.crmfest.com/

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submitted by: John Lamkin Travel Journalist & Photographer Board Member & Global Membership Chair of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association and member of NATJA, ISTW & ITWA
His blog: http://food-wine-travel-writing-gear.com/
His website: http://TravelWritingAndPhotography.com

New “Wine Flights” Means Air Deals to Sonoma Wine Country, Plus Fly Case of Wine Home Free

Wing Your Way to Sonoma Wine Country

Wing Your Way to Sonoma Wine Country

The next time you wing your way to Sonoma Wine Country, fly direct and you can bring a case of wine home with you for free.

Wine Flights, a joint program of Alaska Airlines and Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, offers travelers an opportunity to visit Sonoma County’s famed wine country with airfare, lodging, and wine specials. Fly directly into Santa Rosa via Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS) and be tasting wine within a half-hour of landing.

For a limited time, travelers can save 10 percent on select Alaska Airlines fares for travel to Sonoma County from anywhere Alaska flies (excluding Mexico and Hawaii). Tickets may be purchased through Feb. 6, with travel through June 9, 2012.　 Taxes, fees, and blackout dates apply.

Lodging, wine, and attractions specials are also available. Travelers can stay at a Landmark Vineyards and have a private tasting with a certified sommelier.

Need a longer retreat? Get the fourth night free at Windrose Romantic Cottages, a bed and breakfast-style vacation rental.

Reduce the stress of traveling at Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary. Alaska Airlines travelers will receive a free Yucca neck wrap when booking a cedar enzyme bath.

Food and wine pairings, wine tastings, dining specials, and golf packages round out the slate. Enter today to win a Sonoma Wine Country getaway, including airfare. Register to win, or find more information, at www.sonomacounty.com/wineflight.

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Sonoma County, located 30 miles from San Francisco, is America’s premier wine, spa and coastal destination, featuring more than 350 wineries, over 100 organic farms, and 55-plus miles of stunning Pacific coast.

For a free visitors guide or information on hotels, wineries, events, spas, attractions, and dining in Sonoma County, visit www.sonomacounty.com or call (800) 576-6662.

submitted by: John Lamkin Travel Journalist & Photographer Board Member & Global Membership Chair of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association and member of NATJA, ISTW & ITWA
His blog: http://food-wine-travel-writing-gear.com/
His website: http://TravelWritingAndPhotography.com

Deadline: February 29, 2012

Creative Nonfiction (www.creativenonfiction.org), in association with Tashmadada (www.tashmadada.com), seeks new essays for a special Australia issue. We¹re looking for a variety of perspectives‹from locals, expats, tourists, or anyone else‹and will consider essays of all forms and focuses as long as Australia¹s landscape, people, and/or culture are prominently featured; the stories are true; and submissions are previously unpublished. Essays must be vivid and dramatic. Writing should combine a strong and compelling narrative with a significant element of research or information, and reach for some universal or deeper meaning. We¹re looking for well-written prose, rich with detail and a distinctive voice. Essays must be 4,000 words maximum and submitted by February 29, 2012. All submissions will be judged by Lee Gutkind (USA) and Leah Kaminsky (AUS), and The Writers Conversation is sponsoring two cash prizes: $6,500 (AUD) for Best Essay -and- $2,500 (AUD) for Best Essay by an Australian Writer There will be only two contest winners, but all submissions will be considered by the judges for inclusion in Creative Nonfiction #46: Australia, which will be launched at the 2012 Melbourne Writers Festival (www.mwf.com.au). For this contest, we are accepting electronic submissions only. To submit, visit: www.creativenonfiction.org

submitted by: John Lamkin Travel Journalist & Photographer Board Member & Global Membership Chair of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association and member of NATJA, ISTW & ITWA
His blog: http://food-wine-travel-writing-gear.com/
His website: http://TravelWritingAndPhotography.com

Berlin - photo courtesy visitBerlin

For Immediate Release 

 AIRBERLIN TO FLY NONSTOP FROM LOS ANGELES TO BERLIN

Scheduled To Start in May 2012, airberlin Will be The First Airline to Offer Nonstop Service from the U.S. West Coast to the German Capital. 

Berlin / Los Angeles, October 18, 2011 — visitBerlin today announced the first nonstop connection between Berlin and its sister city Los Angeles. airberlin’s new service is scheduled to begin on May 11, 2012, offering three weekly flights with Airbus 330-200 equipment. The airline already successfully operates nonstop flights from Miami and New York JFK to Berlin.

“airberlin’s new service is a very significant step to secure long-term success of the gateway Berlin and the city’s new airport BER,” says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin. “Berlin’s hotels, airberlin, and visitBerlin will work together closely to market the new route.”

The USA is Berlin’s most important overseas market. From January through August 2011, 180,000 Americans visited the German capital, generating 441,000 overnights.

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Information on travel to Berlin at www.VisitBerlin.com.

Images can be downloaded at http://press.visitberlin.de/en/article/film-photo

Please contact us for further images and information.

Media Contact:

Kirsten Schmidt

818-385-0631

kschmidt@kmscommunications.com

Kirsten Schmidt
Public Relations USA / Canada

visitBerlin

T. 818-385-0631
F. 818-385-0632

E. kschmidt@kmscommunications.com

c/o KMS Communications, Inc.

2934 1/2 Beverly Glen Circle #323

Los Angeles, CA  90077

www.visitBerlin.com

Follow us on www.twitter.com/BerlinTourism

submitted by: John Lamkin Travel Journalist & Photographer Board Member & Global Membership Chair of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association and member of NATJA, ISTW & ITWA
His blog: http://food-wine-travel-writing-gear.com/
His website: http://TravelWritingAndPhotography.com