The BGTW has a new Chairman at its helm. Melissa Shales, author and editor of more than 100 guidebooks takes over from former BBC TV Holiday�s John Carter.

Melissa took the chair at the end of the British Guild of Travel Writers� Annual General Meeting, held in the historic city of York from 19th to 21st January. She is assisted by a strong Committee in the shape of Vice-Chairman Mary Anne Evans; Treasurer Frances Howorth; Secretary Gillian Thornton; Membership Secretary Ron Toft; GlobeTrotter & Web Editor Tim Locke; Webmaster Alastair McKenzie; PR Coordinator Sarah Monaghan; Business Development Coordinator Kathryn Liston; and Facilities Coordinator Michael Howorth. Email links to them all are available on the Guild website, www.bgtw.org under About Us.

The BGTW wishes to thank the Yorkshire Tourist Board and Visit York for hosting a superb AGM during which members enjoyed a gala dinner at Castle Howard, the stately-home film location of Brideshead Revisited; a champagne reception and dinner at The National Railway Museum, and a range of cultural, activity and luxury tours across the county.

The next event on the BGTW calendar is its 2009 Yearbook Launch at the InterContinental London Park Lane Hotel on 23rd February 2009 from 6pm�8.30pm. The food and drink is being generously sponsored by the Netherlands Board of Tourism who will be promoting the 60th anniversary of the Keukenhof Flower Gardens (www.keukenhof.nl/nm/english.html).

We would love to invite everyone but this simply isn�t possible so places at this exclusive event are limited, strictly by invitation only and will be offered on a �first-come, first-serve� basis so please be sure to reply promptly. Invitations will be sent out by email during the first week of February. For more details contact Judy Robson on secretariat.bgtw.org.

The Yearbook is the UK travel industry �bible�, offering the best source of information for travel professionals, with up-to-date contacts for many of the UK�s best travel writers, photographers and broadcasters, as well as thousand of crucial industry contacts.

The cost per copy of the British Guild of Travel Writers Yearbook 2009, which includes free access to the restricted areas of the Guild website (www.bgtw.org) has been reduced this year to �95, plus postage and packing. Additional copies are available at �50 each.

We are also offering an even better pre-publication deal to anyone who orders copies before the launch on 23rd Feb. Order now and you can have the book for �89 including posting and packing within the UK (plus p&p if you are abroad). You may buy copies by contacting the Secretariat, by logging onto the website, www.bgtw.org and going to the Shop and following the link, or by filling in the attached form and sending it to the Secretariat.

Founded in 1960, the British Guild of Travel Writers is an association of over 270 writers, editors, photographers, producers, radio and television presenters involved in the world of travel. The BGTW includes travel editors of national and regional newspapers, magazines, radio and TV programmes. They cover an almost exhaustive range of specialities and international expertise.

-Ends-

For further information, please contact:

Sarah Monaghan pr@bgtw.org tel: 07905-916610

Secretariat Secretariat@bgtw.org Tel: 01747-820455