From Wikitravel

Here we determine which articles are featured on the Main Page as Destination of the Month (DOTM) and Off the Beaten Path (OTBP).

[edit] Nominate

You can nominate an article you would like to see featured; just say a few words about why, and select a good time to go. Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as Destination of the Month, while more obscure destinations should be nominated for Off the Beaten Path. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "What is an article?" test is eligible for DotM/OtBP.

The basic format of a nomination is as follows:

===[[Destination]]===
Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. ~~~~

However, before nominating, please check that the article follows these basic guidelines:

• The nominated article should have an article status of guide or star. This includes having at least one good picture, and listings/headers/etc. that match our manual of style.
• The nominated article should be featured at a good time to visit.
• The nominated article must not have been featured previously.
  • See Previous Destinations of the month and Previously Off the beaten path to check.
• If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again.
  • See Slush pile to check.
  • If you think a once-slushed destination is now ready to go, list it as new, but with a pointer to the slush pile entry.

[edit] Select

You can also comment on any previous nomination based on timeliness and adherence to the criteria above, just add a bullet point (*) and your signed opinion.

===[[Destination]]===
Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. TravelNut 25:25, 31 Feb 2525 (EDT)
* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~

If an article gets several comments in favor and none against for a week or so, it's eligible to be placed in an appropriate time-slot in the queue.

Please note that the following are not considered valid reasons to oppose a nomination:

• "I don't like it." All objections have to be based on the guidelines above: poor formatting, missing information, etc. Personal opinions, dislikes, etc do not count.
• "Wrong time of year." Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Timing can be worked out later.
• "Wrong type of place." Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Whether it's DoTM or OtBP can be worked out later.

[edit] Archive

Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the Archive. Discussions for nominations that didn't make the grade are in the Slush pile.

[edit] Upcoming DOTM / OTBP

[edit] Schedule

The following queue should contain about six months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the 1st of each month, while OtBPs are changed on the 15th.

Month	DOTM	OTBP
May 2012	Borobudur?	Staraya Russa?
June 2012	Ann Arbor?	Sydfynske Øhav?
July 2012	?	?
August 2012	London (start on 27-July)	?

These are not cast in stone, and the order can be changed if, for example, an excellent guide for a timely event is found. Whenever a guide becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and a new month added to the end of the queue. Alternatives are OK; the whole point is to enable some discussion as needed.

[edit] Next change

The section below provides an opportunity to see what the DOTM and OTBP will look like on the Main Page. Please remember that main page real-estate is a valuable commodity, so keep the description brief and the photo small.

Destination of the month Ann Arbor is a picturesque city surrounding the University of Michigan. It has a strong bent toward the arts, and an attractive and pedestrian-friendly downtown. Visitors enjoy the city's wonderful sidewalk cafe dining, unique shops, lots of bookstores, and abundant cultural opportunities. (more...)

Off the beaten path Staraya Russa is a small, historic town in the center of Novgorod Oblast, long famous domestically for its balneological mineral waters resort, but much more famous among international travelers as Dostoevsky's summer retreat, and the basis for the fictional town of Skotoprigonievsk in The Brothers Karamazov. (more...)

[edit] Nominations for Destination of the Month

[edit] Ann Arbor

Article status: Star (must be guide or above). Time to feature: anytime Nominated by: Ryan • (talk) • 13:30, 17 March 2012 (EDT) Comment: This is a star article that has never been featured. It should be good at any time of year, but might make the most sense in August/September when the fall term starts at the University.

Ann Arbor is a picturesque city surrounding the University of Michigan. It has a strong bent toward the arts, and an attractive and pedestrian-friendly downtown. Visitors enjoy the city's wonderful sidewalk cafe dining, unique shops, lots of bookstores, and abundant cultural opportunities (more...)

• Support. Maybe Eat list is too long. Jjtk 03:40, 17 April 2012 (EDT)

Almost. The map is quite bad! Jjtk 03:43, 17 April 2012 (EDT)

• Support. While the map isn't up to our current standards of readability, maps are not required for guide status (and hence DotM nominations)! --Peter ^Talk 22:23, 17 April 2012 (EDT)

[edit] Tokyo

Article status: guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: anytime Nominated by: User:calvincklam 23:50, 5 April 2012 (HKT) Comment: I love this city and I have been there many times. It is really fascinating which has something for everyone.

Tokyo is a fascinating metropolis brings high-tech visions of the future side by side which is only a modest fishing village 500 years ago. You can enjoy shopping malls, nightlifes, electronic blare in morden Tokyo, while enjoy visiting old temples, gardens, pottery shops in Old Tokyo districts. It has something for everyone and you will never be tired travelling in this city. (more...)

• Oppose This article is a mess. Districts have not yet been agreed upon and as it is, there are way too many districts with too little information. This article makes Tokyo seem way more complicated than it is. ChubbyWimbus 09:10, 17 April 2012 (EDT)

[edit] Bogotá

Article status: guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: anytime Nominated by: User:calvincklam 23:50, 5 April 2012 (HKT) Comment: I understand this is a city which is less popular. But I love its amazing contrasts on culture, architecture and scenery.

Bogotá is a city of contrasts, and as such it offers a unique experience to its visitors. Prepare to find a hectic balance between the new and the old; the peaceful and the frantic. Encounter century-old plazas and churches shadowed by towering skycrapers. Find peaceful treelined bicycle routes cut through by wild-traffic avenues. Bogota is a city with many layers. (more...)

• Almost support. Some of the museums in See section could be described better. Sleep may need trimming. Jjtk 03:01, 17 April 2012 (EDT)
• Oppose for now. I love the city too, and I don't think the article yet does it justice. With its size and population, I think it needs to be divided into districts (and I would be happy to help with that task!). --Peter ^Talk 21:57, 17 April 2012 (EDT)

[edit] Yangon

Article status: guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: anytime Nominated by: User:calvincklam 23:50, 5 April 2012 (HKT) Comment: I nominate this city because of recent news. I believe this raises intrest to this exotic place.

Yangon is the most exotic of all Southeast Asian cities. The city is an amalga-mation of British, Burmese, Chinese and Indian influences, and is known for its colonial architecture, which although decaying and beyond appreciation, remains an almost unique example of a 19th-century British colonial capital. It also has many gorgeous statues of Buddha. It is a good choice for tourists which like adventure and finding new spots. (more...)

• Not Yet The article is pretty good, but the See section could use an overhaul. The Shwedagon section is way too long and not organized very well and it would be much better to organize the other sites according to location rather than headings like "Other". Also, I don't like stating that it is factually "the most exotic of all Southeast Asian cities". I would bet there are those who would disagree. ChubbyWimbus 09:15, 17 April 2012 (EDT)

[edit] Kraków

Article status: guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: anytime, but maybe best real soon - June. Nominated by: Jjtk 02:52, 17 April 2012 (EDT) Comment: Seems there never was any Central European destination. Krakow is also becoming an unofficial capital of UEFA 2012, without any games played here, but with loads of tourists planning to come to the place.

The city of Kraków is in Lesser Poland Lowland, the capital city of the Malopolskie (Lesser Poland or Little Poland) province in the southern region of Poland. It covers both banks of the Wisła (or Vistula) river. Uplands region at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. It is Poland's second largest city, with a population of 756,000 in 2007 (1.4 million after including surrounding communities). (more...)

[edit] London

Article status: guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Starting on July 27, which is the start of the Olympics (27 July thru 12 August) Nominated by: Ryan • (talk) • 22:38, 1 May 2012 (EDT) Comment: The London Olympics run from 27-July through 12-August. If ever there was a good time to feature this article, that's it.

Host of the 2012 Summer Olympics, London is the largest city in Western Europe and one of the great "world cities". With a history that dates to before Roman times, London offers royal history in the form of Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, cultural activities such as the British Museum and the West End theatres, and a variety of events to celebrate the 2012 Olympic Games. (more...)

[edit] Nominations for Off the Beaten Path

[edit] Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Article status: guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: anytime Nominated by: --Tiagox2 12:33, 5 January 2011 (EST) Comment: Great article for a little known destination.

Stretching 184.5 miles along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park preserves remains of America's colorful canal era. For nearly a century, the C&O Canal was the lifeline for communities and businesses along the Potomac, as coal, lumber, grain, and other agricultural products gently floated down the canal to market. This magnificent water highway linked the rapidly growing west to the east and played an important role in the growth and development of the country. (more...)

I saw disappointment that there were only 3 things to see and there were no pictures in this section, so I added a short description of the Paw Paw Tunnel. It is a very impressive structure for a canal and a must see if you truly want to experience the towpath. I also have a picture but I am new and have I have little knowledge regarding uploading pictures. It has been uploaded to wiki-shared, but if someone else could add that or tell me how I would really appreciate it. The photo is labeled: Pawpawtunnel.JPG http://wikitravel.org/shared/Image:Pawpawtunnel.JPG Berner.mj 19:52 April 2012 (EST)

Hmm... I imagine the article is complete, but it seems very short and I definitely feel like the maps have muscled out the pictures and overall appeal of the article, although I'm sure they would be very useful for someone actually using this trail. There are only 3 things listed to see along the whole trail (typical of an American trail) but no pictures of any of them. ChubbyWimbus 23:34, 9 January 2011 (EST)

Are those maps ok? They follow the usual WT style and look suspiciously like copyrighted images. The image info says it's sourced from the U.S. National Park Service, uploaded by the the esteemed [User:Peterfitzgerald] so perhaps they are kosher. I feel the writing is quite good but the See section would be sharper with actual listings for the places of interest. Also agree there needs to be more listings. Are there any particularly interesting sections, big rocks or old buildings of note? The Get In section should have By bus/car headings. It could be a good feature with a bit of input from someone who knows the area - Cardboardbird 09:17, 17 March 2011 (EDT)

I'll see what I can do with that see section. And all NPS maps are created by U.S. federal government employees in an official work capacity, which under U.S. laws happily makes them Public Domain. I like to spruce them up and convert them to more of a WT style (example), but man is that a painstaking conversion job! At least in Inkscape, maybe someone with Illustrator could find an easier way.

I might try splitting that map and putting a southern section and northern section side by side in the middle of the article, forcing text either above it or below. That would probably make the formatting a lot easier to read (for people with narrow displays or who have not disabled the right ad column), and would allow for more pics of a beautiful place. --Peter ^Talk 20:49, 3 June 2011 (EDT)

[edit] Canyonlands National Park

Article status: guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: best in spring and autumn Nominated by: --Tiagox2 12:35, 11 January 2011 (EST) Comment: Don't now if it should be an OtBP or a DotM, but it is very complete and would be a good feature.

Canyonlands National Park is home to some of the most scenic and remote landscapes in the United States. Located within a massive canyon system at the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers, the park offers incredible opportunities for hiking, backpacking, biking, photographing, camping, and exploring canyons, arches, and rock formations found nowhere else. (more...)

I'll need to take a longer look over the article to judge the completeness, but it's very OtBP. --Peter ^Talk 17:47, 11 January 2011 (EST)

Needs work - The article is quite comprehensive but it would really benefit from maps, though showing all those trails will get messy. Even if the map only showed the major access roads with the look outs and hiking trail heads marked. Obviously the See/Do listings don't have addresses, but without maps it makes it difficult for a traveller to find them, therefore making this a very incomplete guide (and I'd question if it then qualifies for guide status). The OSM map seems to have the main dirt roads and some of the trails, but it would take someone with a good knowledge of the area to put the maps together. Unfortunately, that's not me. - Cardboardbird 04:16, 29 May 2011 (EDT)

It's a national park; there ought to be government (meaning public domain) maps available we could scan or import. LtPowers 13:44, 29 May 2011 (EDT)

Yep, several PD maps here. Even with no knowledge of the park, we ought to be able to knock together a decent enough WT style map from those. I might give it a go myself. --Burmesedays 11:38, 7 July 2011 (EDT)

In addition to a map the air tours and 4x4 tour look somewhat questionable to me - they should probably all be moved to the Moab article and a note added that flight tours or 4x4 tours can be arranged in Moab. Otherwise this seems pretty solid, although as the article history will show I might be a bit biased. -- Ryan • (talk) • 12:35, 10 July 2011 (EDT)

• Support. We're running short on candidates, and aside from the already-mentioned lack of a map this article seems fairly complete to me. I've done some cleanup, although I'm still not convinced the flight tours are appropriate, but there doesn't seem to be anything that would prevent this article from being featured. -- Ryan • (talk) • 21:30, 4 February 2012 (EST)

[edit] Nevyansk

Article status: guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: May to September Nominated by: Atsirlin 04:53, 4 May 2012 (EDT) Comment: It is not the greatest Russian destination, but definitely a good one. Provided that we are desperately looking for new nominations, this could be an option, even though one Russian city is already on the list. I will check for possible updates. For example, Wikipedia has got new pictures of this town.

Nevyansk is a small town in the Urals region of Russia. Once the cradle of Russian metal-producing industry, Nevyansk boasts a unique tower commissioned by an 18th century Russian tycoon who was inspired by Italian architecture and hankered to match Venetian campaniles, but eventually ended up with a Leaning Tower. (more...)

[edit] Staraya Russa

Article status: Star (must be guide or above). Time to feature: best May to August Nominated by: --Peter Talk 16:08, 12 July 2011 (EDT) Comment: This little gem of a small town literary destination is likely to be our first Russian star, and would be an interesting showcase for a month. I'll try and find a photo that's a little "catchier" in small form for a feature, though.

Staraya Russa is a small, historic town in the center of Novgorod Oblast, long famous domestically for its balneological mineral waters resort, but much more famous among international travelers as Dostoevsky's summer retreat, and the basis for the fictional town of Skotoprigonievsk in The Brothers Karamazov. (more...)

• Support: the description is complete and — as usual — superior to the Russian version. Atsirlin 18:24, 12 July 2011 (EDT)

• Strong support. Superb little article - exactly what we should be showcasing. --Burmesedays 22:31, 19 July 2011 (EDT)
• Support - Very interesting destination and a really well written and presented article. I concur fully with Burmesedays' sentiments. - Cardboardbird 11:33, 22 August 2011 (EDT)
• Support, obviously. In which months could this best be featured? --globe-trotter 11:57, 1 September 2011 (EDT)

That's a good question. There is no climate information in the two region articles of which this town is a part.--burmesedays 10:56, 4 September 2011 (EDT)

In Russia the best time of the year is pretty much always summer–fall, and in some ways winter, but this is best known as a summer retreat. --Peter ^Talk 21:40, 10 September 2011 (EDT)

• Support. Nicely done, very complete article. -- Ryan • (talk) • 01:38, 28 September 2011 (EDT)

[edit] Sydfynske Øhav

Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Best May-September Nominated by: --Stefan (sertmann) talk 05:57, 9 March 2012 (EST) Comment: One of the most beatiful areas of my small country, I haven't been there in a while, which means I have struggled a bit to get this guide complete, as closure of businesses is a fairly regular occurance since the islands are battling depopulation. I think its up to standards now though. I know that the layout is a bit unorthodox but I really think its be best way, as none of these islands can really carry an article of its own.

Sydfynske Øhav, or the South Funen Archipelago, is one of the most scenic areas of Denmark, and should be a top destination for anyone exploring the country outside the capital during the summer. Centuries old villages, unique history, sea kayak adventures and a laidback atmosphere awaits those few international travellers who wound up here. (more...)

• Support. I think the walking tours need to be removed, but otherwise this looks like a nice article. -- Ryan • (talk) • 13:32, 17 March 2012 (EDT)
• Support. I love this article, and wish I had had time to visit when I was in Denmark. Great feature. A little off topic, but the regions map for Funen and Surrounding Islands is a little confusing, though, as the light purple doesn't correspond to any item in the regionlist, and it almost looks like Sydfynske Øhav is a grayed out section, and not part of the region at all. Shouldn't it be in the regions section? --Peter ^Talk 22:22, 17 April 2012 (EDT)