New Big Bend Travel Guide planned
MARFA – The 2009-2010 edition of the Big Bend & Texas Mountains Travel Guide is in production with an advertising deadline of July 31.
The new edition is scheduled for distribution in early January but production is well underway.
The guide has been the primary free resource for travelers in Far West Texas for the past 25 years.
“I’m really proud to be part of this project,” Publisher and Editor Mercer Black said. “It truly is the most comprehensive travel guide in the area and it’s been noted to me by people in the know, including those who work in and manage our area chambers of commerce, that it is the first piece of literature picked up by the majority of travelers.
“My goal is to increase the guide’s effectiveness for both advertisers and readers,” she said. “Expect to see the paper quality upgraded and a more durable cover.
“The overall design, while remaining true to the theme of the area, will undergo a revival to evoke the sense of ruggedness and adventure we love about West Texas, while remaining readable and clean,” Black said.
The magazine highlights 11 communities in the region including Sanderson and Marathon.
The chambers of commerce are working with the publication for information on their communities.
Other featured towns include Alpine, Balmorhea/ Toyahvale, Del Rio, Fort Davis, Fort Stockton, Marathon, Marfa, Presidio, Terlingua/Study Butte and Van Horn as well as the feeder cities of Midland/Odessa and El Paso.
There are features on Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Amistad National Recreation Area, Fort Davis National Historic Park and the sixteen area state parks.
There also is a comprehensive directory that includes lodging, outdoor activities, a dining guide, RV/camping information, shopping and services, various attractions and a calendar of events.
“I encourage people to submit information for inclusion in the editorial portions of the magazine,” Black said. “In particular, I’m on the hunt for some truly inspirational photography.”
While the magazine will easily be noticed by area travelers, it is also has intense market penetration.
Two hundred thousand copies of the 2009-2010 Big Bend & Texas Mountains Travel Guide will be produced later this year and distributed at over 30 destinations across the State of Texas, including the Chambers in major cities such as San Antonio and the State Fair of Texas.
Black said the magazine is free to the public and produced solely through the revenue generated from advertisers.
“It’s important that this guide stay free,” she said. “That’s what gets it into as many hands as possible.
“While we produce 200,000 copies of the guide, I project that the readership is closer to one million,” Black said. “People are anxious to share and pass along the magazine. It's beautiful, it’s informative and it’s a bit of a souvenir, really.”
The deadline for advertising is July 31 and the deadline for editorial submissions is August 29.
Those interested in advertising and those wishing to send editorial submissions are encouraged to contact Black at 432/294-2138 or
BigBendTraveI@Gmail.com.
