Dept. Of Tourism To Host Founders Reception At National Association Of Black Journalists

The Department of Tourism is looking to build on its links with the important African-American community with support for this year’s National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention, taking place August 9 through 13 in New Orleans, Louisiana, D.O.T. announced Friday.

For the seventh consecutive year, D.O.T. will host the convention’s popular Founders Reception, where reporters and editors are immersed in a cultural presentation while being updated on what’s new in the destination.

“Participating in NABJ is an important part of building our relationship with the African-American community, and it’s also an integral component of our national outreach,” said D.O.T. Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty, explaining that black reporters, editors and producers continue to have a huge impact across the national media landscape.

While in New Orleans, the Commissioner will meet with local and national media and also address more than 50 travel agents and meeting planners at a travel industry luncheon to attract travel to the Territory from the state of Louisiana and the south-central region.

Mrs. Nicholson-Doty will also participate in a NABJ panel about film and television where she will unveil the department’s new “Real Nice” ad campaign. She will exhort producers and directors to consider the U.S. Virgin Islands as a convenient yet exotic location for shooting television shows, commercials, documentaries and features.

The department will also bring two communications students from the University of the Virgin Islands to the convention to participate in educational workshops to sharpen their skills and network with some of the top players in the industry.

Supporting the department’s events in New Orleans with prize giveaways are Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort and The Buccaneer.

The National Association of Black Journalists’ (NABJ) annual convention brings together media professionals from across the United States and beyond for unparalleled networking opportunities, educational sessions and job recruitment. Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1975, NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the United States. The Association provides training, career development and support to black journalists worldwide. NABJ strives for credible journalism that comprehensively portrays the voices and experiences of African-Americans and people from the black diaspora for a society and world that values them.