There is paradise on Earth. It’s called the Maldives. Imagine this … a sunrise dawning on a pristine world sprinkled with desert islands fringed with palm trees and white sand.
The islands are set in rings of turquoise so startling there is not yet a word invented to accurately describe it.
It’s a place of turtles, rays, eels, whale sharks and a zillion tiny colourful fish by day; of flying foxes (which are actually giant fruit bats) by evening; and of a thick curtain of the Milky Way punctuated by shooting stars by night.
This is the Maldives – a chain of ring-shaped reefs and islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean, formed of coral.
This is the intro to a double-page spread by Flow CEO Tara Turkington, that ran in the Sunday Independent travel and lifestyle supplement, Life, on October 19.
Tara wrote the article, headlined "Basking in Barefoot Luxury", and valued at R163 647 by media monitoring company Ornico, after a six-day trip to the Maldives organised by Constance Hotels & Resorts, which owns luxurious properties in the Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar. The article was also published on the Independent group's website, www.iol.co.za, one of South Africa's most popular sites.
Many of Flow's professional staff have qualifications and extensive experience in journalism, including Tara, who has a Masters degree in Journalism from the University of Montana, and has worked as a sub-editor, reporter and journalism lecturer.
Among our staff, we count past news editors of the Cape Argus and The Star, the past managing editor of City Press, the past field news editor of East Coast Radio, the past producer of the afternoon slot of 567 Cape Talk and two past magazine editors. Kate Turkington, a Flow associate, has decades of experience in broadcasting, having worked for the BBC, SABC, M-Net, and Talk Radio 702/567 Cape Talk, where she hosted her own three-hour talk show for 20 years.
Tara and Kate travelled to the Maldives together, along with travel writer Gillian McLaren and the head of Originblu Communications, Michelle Damiskinos, who represents the Constance group in South Africa.
Kate wrote a blog post on the Maldives for Flight Centre's blog entitled "The Maldives – one of the world's best holiday destinations?", and another for her own site, www.kateturkington.com, "The islands at the end of the world". The Maldives and the Constance properties were also the focus of one of Kate's 20-minute travel spots on 702/Cape Talk, which is broadcast live about 8.40am every Sunday.
"The Maldives are unlike anywhere else I have visited," says Kate. "A water wonderworld of amazing sealife, perfect tranquillity and as about as far away from the real world as can be imagined."
Flow writers also contribute regularly to South African Tourism's blog, Flight Centre's blog, and offline travel-related products, such as the upcoming edition of Fodor's Guide to South Africa, published by Random House, to which we've contributed several chapters, and which will be published in 2015.
Says Michelle, who organised the media trip: "It is often a 'hit and miss' when inviting journalists along on a media trip in respect of the coverage you end up receiving. Some jump on board for the ride, and end up using content directly from your own press releases, and images from your own galleries. Others write of experiences that may as well have been from another place altogether. It is always immensely gratifying when journalists end up being original, creative thought leaders, and worth their weight in gold.
"The worth of gold is exactly what we found the participation of both Tara and Kate Turkington to be on our recent media trip to the Maldives, sponsored and hosted by Constance Hotels & Resorts. Their respective reputations within the tourism industry beg no question, but it is only in the field that one really gets to experience the true mettle of a (wo)man. Both Kate and Tara were quintessential professionals. Almost before the rubber on the wheels of the Emirates aircraft ferrying them home had cooled off, Kate had already published her first blog and prepped her content for her 702 radio talk show the following morning.
"We have enjoyed fantastic coverage as a result of their participation, including a double page spread in the Sunday Independent, as well as a feature on IOL Travel, one of South Africa's most renowned travel news sites. We also featured on Kate's travel show for a full 20 minutes, Kate's professional blog, and the blogs of Flow Communications and Flight Centre. Tara took literally hundreds of images, worthy of any high-profile glossy magazine, and shared them on Flickr for access and use by those interested in promoting and enjoying the destination.
"The value of their combined efforts in respect of coverage is well over a million rand. When we look at our investment versus the return we have enjoyed, this formidable mother-and-daughter duo are like the 'gift that keeps on giving'."
All Tara's Maldives pictures on Flickr are licensed as Creative Commons (free for download and use, as long as you attribute Flow Communications). Some of her pictures were also used in Gill's article for the December edition of Real Wedding magazine.
Says Tara: "The Maldives was a truly magical destination that I would jump to go back to. I loved experiencing it with my mum, who is always a treat to travel with, and with Gill and Michelle, who were also fabulous travel companions."
She points out: "At Flow, we are able to attract electronic, broadcast and print coverage due to our experience in the industry, which is great for our clients or those wanting to gain exposure for their properties."
Adds Melanie-Ann Feris, head of Flow's content team, "Flow's writing studio is very well-equipped to deal with any kind of client writing or editing need.
"We cover everything from news events for our clients to editing annual reports. This wealth of journalism and writing experience is a major advantage, and we believe it gives us an edge in the industry. This kind of experience is extremely valuable when there is a need for strategic content for clients, or even writing press releases."
