9 ways to make press junkets a PR success

Following a press tour of Rome, our writer surveys the promotional trips. They’re not just for the travel industry. Here’s how to pull one off.

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Admire the stunning Bernini sculptures at Galleria Borghese. Explore baroque Rome from the Spanish Steps to the gorgeous Trevi Fountain, with its muscular figures and writhing sea beasts.

And the food and wine? Exquisite, whether it’s the stewed lamb in wine sauce at Lo Scopettaro trattoria, or the veal saltimbocca I learned to make in a cooking class at Città del Gusto.

Oh—but does it temper my recommendation if I tell you I was on a trip paid for by Promoroma, an agency of the Chamber of Commerce of Rome?

Sponsored press trips, also known as junkets, raise questions that cause many journalists to shy away. Yet the PR value for everything from tourist destinations to tool factories can be great.

Travel writer Evelyn Kanter says reporting trips are hard work, not junkets. She says she hauls around three cameras, changes hotels daily, speed-dates museums where she would rather linger, and visits world-class resorts with no time to go to the beach.

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