( Added: October 13, 2008 ) - The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau and Los Angeles World Airports are seeking applications from qualified arts and/or travel journalists from countries in which Los Angeles has a Sister City for a weeklong, all-expense-paid professional fellowship program to learn first-hand about the city's culture and communities.

Los Angeles' Sister Cities are: Athens, Greece; Auckland, New Zealand; Beirut, Lebanon; Berlin, Germany; Bordeaux, France; Busan, Korea; Eilat, Israel; Giza, Egypt; Guangzhou (formerly Canton), People's Republic of China; Ischia, Italy; Jakarta, Indonesia; Kaunas, Lithuania; Lusaka, Zambia; Makati, The Philippines; Mexico City, Mexico; Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India; Nagoya, Japan; Salvador de Bahia, Brazil; San Salvador, El Salvador; Split, Croatia; St. Petersburg, Russia; Taipei, Taiwan; Vancouver, Canada; and Yerevan, Armenia.

Through a competitive selection process, up to five journalists from media outlets serving LA's Sister Cities will be chosen to participate in the program, which will be held in Los Angeles from January 24-31, 2009. The fellowship program pays for all lodging, meals and events for participants. Airfare and travel expenses to and from Los Angeles for each fellow will be covered up to a maximum of US$1,500. Applicants must be currently employed as professional journalists or must be experienced freelance journalists on assignment by a media outlet. Journalists chosen to participate in the program agree to share the knowledge they gain with their readers, viewers or listeners. Preference will be given to journalists in countries that are a significant source or have the potential to be a significant source of visitors to Los Angeles. Journalists do not need to live or work in one of L.A.'s Sister Cities as long as their publication or broadcast is easily available in a Sister City.

The fellowships will consist of discussions on Los Angeles history and current affairs; tours of landmarks and neighborhoods; performances and exhibitions; and dialogues with experts on various aspects of the city. The program is intentionally small to allow for meaningful conversations and interactions among the Fellows and Los Angeles residents.


The first annual Los Angeles-Sister Cities Journalist Fellowship took place in 2006. Since then, the program has hosted nearly 20 print and electronic journalists from Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the People's Republic of China, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan.

Applications for the 2009 fellowships must be received by LA INC. by 5 p.m. PST on Friday, November 21, 2008. The 2009 Fellows will be announced on December 5, 2008.

For more information on the Los Angeles-Sister Cities Journalist Fellowship and to obtain applications and/or previous Fellowship curriculum, contact: Michael McDowell, Senior Director for Cultural Tourism, LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, 333 S. Hope St., 18th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071 or email to: mmcdowell@lainc.us.