The story behind NATJA

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The story behind NATJA

The North American Travel Journalists Association was founded in 1991 by sixteen travel writers who wanted a professional home of their own. At the time, travel journalism was a scattered trade — freelancers negotiating alone with editors, publicists and tourism boards, with no shared standards and few reliable ways to meet one another. The founders’ idea was simple: create an organization that would connect the people who tell travel stories with the destinations that want them told.

Three and a half decades later, that small group has grown into one of the largest professional associations of travel writers, photographers, editors, broadcasters, bloggers and tourism professionals in North America. NATJA’s membership is built on two complementary pillars. Media members produce the articles, images, broadcasts and digital content that shape how audiences see the world. Destination members — convention and visitors bureaus, destination marketing organizations, tour operators and publications — supply the places, access, and stories those journalists cover. Keeping both sides in one room has been the association’s defining strength.

The organization’s signature program is the NATJA Travel Media Awards, which opened its 35th annual competition in 2026. The awards honor excellence across writing, photography, broadcast, video, podcasting, blogging and destination marketing, drawing entries from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and abroad. NATJA’s annual conference and marketplace pairs three days of professional development and networking with tours of a host destination; recent gatherings have ranged from Puerto Rico to Richmond, Virginia. Members also publish in TravelWorld International Magazine, the association’s member-exclusive showcase of travel journalism and photography.

NATJA has continued to evolve alongside the industry it serves, expanding from a print-era writers’ guild into a multiplatform association that welcomes influencers, content creators and travel professionals, and that increasingly connects students with working professionals. Its mission has held steady: help travel storytellers thrive.