The CTO has announced the winners of its fourth annual Travel Writer of
the Year and Travel Photographer of the Year awards at a lunch sponsored by Visa
International as part of the card company’s ongoing commitment to support the
Caribbean region.Visa International has been a strong supporter of CTO for the past several years and
is a Strategic Partner with CTO in promoting the Caribbean region.  Visa is hosting
the fourth annual Media Awards at its sponsored luncheon once again this year.

Freelance journalist Joe Yogerst won the North America Travel Writer of the Year
award for various coverage of the Caribbean region including articles in National
Geographic Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, Modern Bride and San Diego Union Tribune
Sunday Travel Section. 

Canadian based photographer Bruce Kemp took the honors as North America Travel
Photographer of the Year for his work in Canadian Traveller Magazine and Red Deer
Express.

The third annual Bill Baxter Canadian Travel Writer of the Year award was presented
to Michael DeFreitas for his work in various publications including Altitude
Magazine, Caribbean Adventure Magazine and SunQuest Magazine. 

This year CTO also presented a Special Merit Award to Melanie Reffes for her
‘Outstanding Coverage of Jamaica’ as a result of a single visit to the island. 

J. Patrick Cozier, a 27 year executive in both the public and private sector, was
the keynote speaker and presenter at the luncheon which celebrated excellence in
travel writing and photography.  Cozier is the Secretary General of the Caribbean
Broadcasting Union for the past 10 years.

He began his career in 1974 when he took up the appointment as Administrator of the
Barbados Branch of the manufacturer’s Life Insurance Co, (now Manulife Financial).
In 1988, Cozier undertook a two-year assignment on behalf of the Government of
Barbados, as Chief Executive of the Barbados Marketing Corporation, before returning
to the private sector as General Manager of Sissons Paints, Barbados Operations and
then Regional Manager - Marketing and Sales with the regional operations of Sissons.

The Travel Writer of the Year and Travel Photographer of the Year awards are part of
the CTO Worldwide Travel Writer/Photographer Awards Program and was created to
reward writers and photographers for their excellence in covering Caribbean tourism.

CTO received over 100 entries for this year’s contest.  Entries were judged on
individual merit by a panel of judges headed by Professor Dorothy Reed, director,
Journalism Program and Media Arts Department, Long Island University. 

“With the completion of the fourth year of the program, we are extremely pleased at
the continued success we have had,” said Hugh Riley, CTO’s director of marketing for
the Americas.  “The quality of entries continues to grow as we reach expanded
markets of both writers and photographers and look forward to the continued success
in years to come.”
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