Every year members of the Society of American Travel Writers nominate worthy candidates for the Phoenix Award recognizing “individuals, communities, or organizations that have contributed to a quality travel experience through conservation, preservation, beautification or environmental efforts”.
As a former co-chair and member of this award committee, I eagerly await the annual announcement to learn who will receive this prestigious honor. Yesterday, at the 2017 SATW Conference in Portland, a very special recipient was named – the Trailing of the Sheep Festival. I first learned of this historic festival in Idaho during my book research. I was so impressed with the purpose, partnerships, and outcomes of this event that I profiled them in my book, Cultural Heritage Tourism: Five Steps for Success and Sustainability.