Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates

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Here we determine which articles are featured on the Main Page as Destination of the month (DotM), Off the Beaten Path (OtBP) and Featured travel topics (FTT).

Nominate[edit]

You can nominate any article you would like to see featured. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "What is an article?" test is eligible for nomination.

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 must not have been featured since Wikivoyage became a WMF project in 2013.
  • If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again.
    • Check the slush pile.
    • 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.
    • The article should preferrably be nominated 3 to 12 months before the intended feature date; ready to feature as is, or with edits that can be done well before featuring.

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. Featured Travel Topic includes travel topics, phrasebooks, itineraries, and other articles not part of the geographic hierarchy, as well as airports (as they are not usually destinations in their own right). Where applicable, you should propose a good time to visit the destination as a month to be featured.

The basic format of a nomination is as follows:

{{FeatureNom
| place=Destination
| blurb='''[[Destination]]''' is a place of contrasts, and as such it...
| status=Guide
| time=March-June
| nominatedBy=~~~~
| comment=Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime.
| DotMImage=[[File:Destinationimage.jpg|thumb|300px]]
}}

Add a nomination to the end of the appropriate section.

Discuss[edit]

You can comment on any 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 (UTC)
* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~

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.

Select[edit]

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 Upcoming queue. If the objections are relatively minor and are being worked on, add them to the Upcoming queue tentatively (add a question mark "?" after the article). Feel free to move the queue around or swap articles if it makes sense. If a nomination clearly does not make the grade and if the objections are not easily fixable, they go into the Slush pile.

Once a nomination has been scheduled, an appropriate banner image and text blurb must be selected. Go to Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners to start that discussion.

Archive[edit]

Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the Archive.

Upcoming[edit]

Schedule[edit]

The following queue should contain about the next few months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the 1st of each month, OtBPs on the 11th and travel topics on the 21st.

Month DotM OtBP FTT
December 2023 Rovaniemi – pending minor fixes Easter Island – pending minor fixes and stronger consensus to support Christianity – pending minor fixes and stronger consensus to support
January 2024 Tasmania – pending stronger consensus to support Air Itam – pending minor fixes and stronger consensus to support Chinese phrasebook – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support
February 2024 Sucre – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support Puerto Morelos – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support Singapore Changi Airport
March 2024 Tucson – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support Iquitos – pending stronger consensus to support Culturally significant landscapes in Jaén - pending fixes and stronger consensus to support
April 2024 Addis Ababa – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support Hagi – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support Voyages of James Cook - pending stronger consensus to support
May 2024 Tirana – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support E8 through Finland and Norway - pending stronger consensus to support

Try to avoid two overlapping or back-to-back features from the same country, as well as long streaks of features from the same continent. It is customary to wait 24 months between articles from the same or nearby cities.

The schedule is not cast in stone. However, any change made to the schedule should have a compelling reason behind it, and should be effected as far in advance as possible of the article's scheduled term on the Main Page. In particular, unless absolutely necessary, we discourage nominee articles from being slushed or rescheduled after banners have been made for them, which usually happens 2-3 months before being featured.

Whenever an article becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and (when changing out Featured Travel Topics) a new month added to the end of the queue.

Next changes[edit]

Decisions regarding which images to use as the banners are made at Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners.

The section below provides an opportunity to see what the upcoming featured articles will look like on the Main Page using the banners that are currently most popular on the above page.


BANNER FOR CHRISTIANITY COMING EVENTUALLY

Updating[edit]

On the date of the scheduled change, the DotM, OtBP, or FTT should be changed as close to midnight UTC as possible. When the featured page is changed, please follow the following procedures to do so and archive content to the appropriate pages. At each stage, please double-check that you are correctly moving content. Several steps involves copy pasting of the file names of the Main Page banners - former, current, and next, so it can be useful to open those in tabs first.

  1. Update the featured articles on the main page by replacing the current 'banner' template section with those of the appropriate banner for the new DotM/OtBP/FTT found in the Next change section above.
  2. Update the Photo credits page with the banner's original image, title and attribution.
  3. Add the former featured article to the appropriate archive page: Previous Destinations of the month, Previously Off the beaten path, or Previous Featured travel topics.
  4. Remove Template:Featurenomination from newly featured article.
  5. For the former featured article, add the appropriate parameter to the pagebanner template (directly after the image filename) to label the page as having been featured previously.
    • For former DotMs, add: |dotm=yes
    • For former OtBPs, add: |otbp=yes
    • For former FTTs, add: |ftt=yes
  6. Archive the newly featured article's nomination. Simply cut-and-paste the nomination section of the newly featured article from this page to Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Archive.
  7. Update the Next change section above by adding the banner from the discussion page. View the table in the Schedule section above to determine what next month's change will be, then update the image and blurb in the "Next change" section with that found in the upcoming featured article's nomination.
  8. In the schedule, use <s> and </s> to strikethrough the newly featured article. Remove the row from the table if the newly featured article is the FTT.
  9. Archive the newly featured article's banner by cutting-and-pasting all banner suggestions and the associated discussion into Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners/Archive.

Nominations for Destination of the Month[edit]

Sucre[edit]

Place: Sucre
Blurb: Bolivia's nominal capital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a showcase of indigenous and colonial history. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: October to April to avoid the cold. Carnival in February.
Nominated by: Yvwv (talk) 22:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We have few upcoming features from South America, and we never had a feature from Bolivia (except on The Other Site, back in 2006). The article has the essentials, but could mention more on topics such as the new airport, shopping, and crime.

Nomination
  • Almost – a few see listings need descriptions, but that is relatively minor and this article can run as it is if it has to. Would love a feature from Bolivia! --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 06:32, 1 June 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The "History" section also needs an update, as it doesn't seem to have been updated since the coup that ousted Evo Morales. I just changed one "is" to "was", but that's not enough. Ikan Kekek (talk) 23:13, 22 June 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
This article seems too good to be slushed, but the nomination hasn't received one support vote during the four months since it was nominated. Should it remain on the schedule? --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 14:13, 1 October 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
This article has remained as is since, and I don't feel too comfortable running it during March when the issues raised by Ikan Kekek have not been fixed. I'm going to remove this off the schedule for the timebeing; feel free to revert me (but please let me know) once the issues have been fixed. In the meantime, I'll look for another article that could fit in the March section. Perhaps British Columbia? SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 07:19, 12 November 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Comment - Slush or not? I mean, some listings need more descriptions (the same issue as almost a year ago) but overall the article looks tidy and all listings have coordinates. The question is how up to date it is. --Ypsilon (talk) 14:24, 16 April 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Tirana[edit]

Place: Tirana
Blurb: Albania's capital is colourful and rapidly modernizing, with cosy cafés and bustling nightlife. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Spring or autumn for weather. Not sure about public events.
Nominated by: Yvwv (talk) 16:02, 28 November 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: The Balkans are under-featured. Tirana is in a phase of modernization; well-functioning but still very affordable.

Nomination
  • Very close. A few restaurants and listings need descriptions and coordinates, but that's about it. Most of the listings date to Oct 2021, so it should be fairly up to date. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 20:24, 28 November 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Almost What SHB2000 said, some coordinates are missing, a couple of listings don't have a description. Some more photos would be nice. I guess the article is reasonably up to date, because I see "as of 2022" here and there. --Ypsilon (talk) 05:40, 29 November 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • There are many undated listings, which means they were added before 2015. Ground Zero (talk) 21:09, 17 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Rovaniemi[edit]

Place: Rovaniemi
Blurb: Santa Claus's hometown in Arctic Finland. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: The Midnight Sun in June has some appeal, but Rovaniemi is most famous as a Christmas resort. We can aim for December 2023.
Nominated by: Yvwv (talk) 13:20, 11 December 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We have had a couple of features from Finland and other Nordic countries, but not too many winter- or Christmas-themed destinations. Rovaniemi is one of few places in the Arctic or sub-Arctic famous enough to be in this category, and not Off the Beaten Path.

Nomination
  • Comment: many listings are devoid of lastedit fields. Will !vote once this is fixed. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 00:17, 12 December 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    The reason being they were added long ago and few recently checked. Yes, that's a problem. I went through most of them last year, but then concentrating on grouping similar sights, copy editing and the like. Last time I was there I just went into the centre for some food while waiting for the train departure, and even that was a few years ago. –LPfi (talk) 09:11, 16 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I removed closed companies, added new ones, and corrected the locations of those who have moved. I also added some events and places. The article should now be up to date!
    I'm wondering if the Arctic Circle should have its own section within restaurants and hotels, as in real life it forms so clearly its own village away from the town. It would also be nice to add more accommodation facilities and other services that are located in rural villages. Xepheid (talk) 14:54, 29 March 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    There are still listings without the lastedit field, and there are links marked as dead. Did I revert your updates for these in the edit conflict? I tried to check that I reinserted all additions and updates.
    I am not sure how to best handle the Arctic Circle and the remote villages. At least there should be coordinates and an appropriate directions parameter, naming the village. For the Arctic Circle, I think a subsection, not only a listing, is warranted, and different places can be mentioned and linked there even if the listings go to the appropriate section (Do, Eat, whatever). For the remote villages, the Nearby approach is probably the best.
    LPfi (talk) 18:57, 29 March 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Addis Ababa[edit]

Place: Destination
Blurb: Ethiopia's capital is the seat of the African Union, and an important airline hub. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: October to May to avoid rain. Not sure about public events.
Nominated by: Yvwv (talk) 10:33, 21 December 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We have had few nominees from Africa. This article was slushed in 2021 due to the Tigray War, which seems to be resolved now.

Nomination
  • Comment: although the war only ended last month and was over a thousand kilometres from Addis Ababa, I think we should wait till late 2023 to feature this (but we'll probably feature this in late 2023 due to the scheduling anyway). I haven't read the article since I last nominated it, but I can remember it was looking good to go at the time. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 10:54, 21 December 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Many of the listings are dated 2017, or are undated, so they are probably even older. I don't think that nominating articles that are out of date is a good use of time. Ground Zero (talk) 23:01, 31 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • There has been peace for almost a year now, and it's not like we've featured African articles too often (especially not DotMs), so how about running this in April 2024? Will try to remember to check the listings some time before that. Ypsilon (talk) 19:51, 21 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Tasmania[edit]

Place: Tasmania
Blurb: While the island state may have long moved on since its convict days, Tasmania holds a plethora of historic penal sites, photogenic mountains and one of the last few temperate rainforests in the Southern Hemisphere. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Oct–Apr (during southern summer/early autumn).
Nominated by: SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 01:32, 17 April 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: Nominating this article for DotM has been on my radar since January. Most articles have received a minor update (with some major updates too), having spent 2.5 months with this project. Historically, this site has also only ever had one Tasmanian feature: Hobart.

Nomination
Comment: With Queensland and British Columbia we are settling on a standard for featuring state-level destinations. The requirements are similar as for cities, but slightly different; the listing of venues in a state can hardly be complete. /Yvwv (talk) 17:45, 20 April 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Are you referring to the Landmarks section? SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 22:57, 20 April 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Tucson[edit]

Place: Tucson
Blurb: The "Old Pueblo" features a lot of Spanish colonial and Mexican heritage. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Spring or fall (March 2024 maybe?)
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 15:08, 30 August 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: The current year is, I think, the first year in a very long time if ever, when we haven't featured a single U.S. destination as DotM (only OtBP and FTT). So let's have one in the early 2024 and maybe one later. The Tucson article is tidy and doesn't lack content or pictures, the only thing is that the article may present the situation a few years ago and as such listings need to be run through Google Maps, dead links fixed and prices updated where applicable. Probably a good time to do this is a month or two before the article is featured rather than half a year earlier.

Nomination
  • Some work needed - per my comment. --Ypsilon (talk) 15:08, 30 August 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support but it needs work right now, most info is 2017 or earlier, eg "Old Tucson" is long gone. Nevertheless a well-constructed page for an interesting destination. March / April is a good time to feature, it was already damned hot when I was last there this May. Grahamsands (talk) 19:52, 26 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Bonn[edit]

Place: Bonn
Blurb: Founded by the Romans, the former West German capital was also the home of Beethoven and its lively streets has given it the nickname "Italy's most northern city ". (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: May-Sep weather-wise
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk)
Comment: For the most part a good looking article that has been on my radar for years, but there has always been some other article from Germany nominated. The article has been worked on by a user in the last years, and the first 2/3 of the article does look good. However many Eat listings need descriptions, and some Drink listings need coordinates.

Nomination

Glacier National Park (Montana)[edit]

Place: Glacier National Park
Blurb: Gorgeous mountain views, an interesting geological history and almost unchanged ecosystems with good chances to encounter wildlife from grizzlies to mountain goats - what more could an outdoor enthusiast ask for? (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Summer
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:37, 29 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We've featured a lot of European DotMs this summer, and that is at least partially because we didn't run any DotM from the other big Northern summer region - North America. So for next summer, here comes another article I've been looking at for quite a while. Many coordinates are missing, but other than that the article looks complete.

Nomination
  • Close per comment. Ypsilon (talk) 19:37, 29 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Neutral – we've kind of set a precedent with Tombstone Territorial Park for trying to include not only coordinates, but also geolines, for hiking trails on park articles. I might have set my bar too high, but it feels a step backwards to feature a park article without geolines. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 07:11, 30 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Nominations for Off the Beaten Path[edit]

Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)[edit]

Place: Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)
Blurb: Named after lyrics in Christmas carols, the town that once was a main steel producer now has a lot of industrial heritage and festivals. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Apr-Oct probably
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 21:03, 21 December 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We have so many guide articles from the U.S., so let's just nominate one more. Keystone18 worked extensively on the article a few months ago so it should be up to date.

Nomination
  • Very close - many listings need coordinates, and some photos in the latter half of the article would be nice. Ypsilon (talk) 21:03, 21 December 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Close per your comment. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 23:02, 22 December 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Comment I removed this off the schedule from September to prevent two back-to-back features from the same country (3 if you include Aviation history in the United States). How festive is this town during the Christmas–New Year season? --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 12:42, 25 May 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Iquitos[edit]

Place: Iquitos
Blurb: A metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, with great opportunities for boat safaris. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: After the Civil unrest in Perú settles down. While the dry season (Apr-Sep) is more comfortable, the wet season (Oct-Mar) is more appealing for wildlife watching. We are short on features for northern winter, and we usually feature Latin American cities for carnival season.
Nominated by: Yvwv (talk) 01:23, 22 June 2022 (UTC), renominated by Ground Zero (talk) after updating in Jan 2023Reply[reply]
Comment: We haven't too many South American candidates, and this is an unusual city. Though its size, it can be considered off the beaten path for the difficulty to get there.

Nomination
Schedule for March? Guanajuato has yet to get any support vote, and the article has some issues. Would anyone else support Iquitos? /Yvwv (talk) 12:43, 24 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I would not support featuring anything from Peru until the civil unrest settles down. March is way too soon, and by how it's going, it seems the protests won't go away anytime in the near future. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 12:46, 24 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
English-speaking media no longer mention the unrest in Peru, and wikipedia:Timeline of the 2022–2023 Peruvian protests English Wikipedia mentions no incidents for the last two weeks. Could anyone proficient in Spanish make a check-up of the current situation? /Yvwv (talk) 00:20, 20 March 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
According to my reading of w:es:Convulsión social de Perú de 2022-presente it seems the protests calmed down temporarily in middle-February, but there was to be a great march to Lima on 13 March. My Spanish is not that good, but I conclude that the situation is still very volatile. –LPfi (talk) 09:23, 20 March 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The article now says that the unrest ended in "mid March" (the 24th). –LPfi (talk) 11:23, 30 April 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

North West River[edit]

Place: North West River
Blurb: Visit Central Labrador's oldest European settlement and the northeasternmost town on the North American road network for some lakeside scenery and to learn about the culture of the Innu, Inuit, Metis and the European settlers of Labrador. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Northern summer for weather
Nominated by: SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 10:07, 17 April 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: I realise this is my third nomination of the day, but here's a article from Atlantic Canada for next summer. I started it today, branching it off Happy Valley-Goose Bay (which was on my radar), and have managed to get it to guide status, though it will need some updates closer to its feature. Labrador has also been historically underfeatured, and we've never had an individual settlement from N&L featured.

Nomination

Easter Island[edit]

Place: Easter Island
Blurb: This island in the South Pacific is famous for its unique culture and history visible in the moais. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Any, but we usually have a less candidates for Northern Hemisphere winter months, so let's run this then. Or next spring, around Easter?
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:23, 12 June 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: It's a world famous destination, but expensive and somewhat challenging to get to (two flights a week or sail your own boat) so probably belongs to the OtBP category. I translated content from several other language versions last winter and when adding coordinates by help of Google Maps also checked which places are still in business.

Nomination
  • Support as nominator, perhaps it needs some minor cleanup. --Ypsilon (talk) 19:23, 12 June 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I note that you already included it in the schedule. Don't we require some discussion before that? Also, as the Easter Island can be featured any time of the year, don't we have potential OtBP destinations that are especially visit-worthy around Christmas? –LPfi (talk) 05:50, 13 June 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'm doing it like Andre who took care of the nominations until two (?) years ago, he always put places in the schedule if there were nominated ones, with a note if more work and/or support votes were needed.
As we've 1. traditionally run articles when it's weather-wise optimal to run them, 2. have the strongest coverage in non-Latin North America, northern half of Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Australia and 3. try to not have too geographically close articles too close to each other, we always have had a harder time finding good articles during the Northern Hemisphere winter, and during the warmer half of the year we may run out of months to put the nominated articles in. Running an article that can be featured any time of the year in the wintersummer not only tends to create the need of scouting for another "winter article" but also will mean a "summer article" will need to wait until next year. --Ypsilon (talk) 13:36, 13 June 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Almost support The article post de.voy translation looks very good. A few nitpicks, though:
    • Many listings lack datestamps (no dramas – I presume you just forgot to add them?)
    • I prefer consistency among the currency – Chile rarely accepts the US dollar, so it would be preferable if the entire article used CLP instead of an alternating mix of the two.
That's all from me. Great article otherwise! --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 10:56, 13 June 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I never remember adding datestamps... For the currency at least some places to sleep post their rates in hard currency ie. USD, which to my understanding is common in the Western Hemisphere. --Ypsilon (talk) 13:36, 13 June 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Air Itam[edit]

Place: Air Itam
Blurb: The highlights in this gateway to Penang Hill are the Jade Emperor's Pavilion and Kek Lok Si Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Dec-Feb is the driest time of the year
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:28, 23 June 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We featured Georgetown as DotM in December 2014, so it's not too close time-wise to run this adjacent town. The article looks tidy, could use a little expansion though.

Nomination
  • Almost - some sections, like Do, need to be expanded. --Ypsilon (talk) 19:28, 23 June 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Puerto Morelos[edit]

Place: Puerto Morelos
Blurb: More of a residential community than a purpose built tourist destination, from here you can access the sea and jungle alike (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Winter-early spring is the driest time of the year, and also I think the main tourist season in the Caribbean
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:28, 23 June 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We've had a few Mexican features over the years, but only one OtBP and never anything from coastal Mexico - PM will fill these holes. This article has guide status, however most places lack coordinates (and at that we can check what's in business and what's not) and a few more photos.

Nomination

Mount Buller[edit]

Place: Mount Buller
Blurb: One of Victoria's prime ski resorts holds an alpine charm: it's where snowy peaks meet a wide variety of ski slopes, and is just a 3–4-hour drive from Melbourne. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Southern winter for the ski season
Nominated by: SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 10:17, 7 July 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We've never featured a ski resort from the Southern Hemisphere, but this article received a fresh rewrite from JML1148. This region of Australia has only ever had one feature before (Mount Kosciuszko summit trails), but I guess there are only so many places in the Australian Alps.

Nomination
  • Support per nom. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 10:17, 7 July 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Comment That was faster than I expected. I've been working on this one for some time, and I plan to continue to work on it. Please ping me if you have any suggestions for the page. One thing is that the image shown is somewhat outdated: Spurs has received a renovation, and Horse Hill is now called Northside Express. Perhaps this image would be better? JML1148 (talk) 10:26, 7 July 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I've replaced the image with c:File:Mt Buller village Stevage.jpg as suggested – it's only a placeholder image, though – we choose different images for banners closer to when an article is scheduled to be featured (roughly 2–3 months). Please keep working on it – nominations usually sit here for many months and articles don't need to be perfect at the time of nomination (also hence my speedy nomination). --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 10:30, 7 July 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Hagi[edit]

Place: Hagi
Blurb: One of Japan's most beautiful castle towns, of the 17th century castle itself only the moat, walls and garden remain. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Apr-May and Oct-Nov are reasonably dry and warm
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:37, 29 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: Our current OtBP nominees are either already in the schedule or "summer articles", so we need something for April 2024. How about this one, out of our many unfeatured guide articles about Japanese small towns. The fact that it has a static map with POIs reveals that it was written up to guide status before we had dynamic maps, though it has been updated regularly over the years. It could still use an update and some sections could perhaps be expanded.

Nomination

Ath[edit]

Place: Ath
Blurb: Built around a medieval dungeon, buildings from many eras and styles can be seen in Ath. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: May-Sep. The Ducasse d'Ath festival takes place in late August
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:37, 29 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: Even if there are several European DotMs and FTTs nominated for next summer, we have no OtBP candidate from Europe. How about featuring one of the articles I translated a few months ago, Ath would be the first Belgian OtBP? Yes, the lastedit dates in the article are from earlier years, but just because I use the wikicode editor and was too lazy to change those one by one. All listings that are there are up to date as of February 2023.

Nomination

Nominations for Featured travel topic[edit]

E8 through Finland and Norway[edit]

Place: Destination
Blurb: From Turku to Tromsø, European route E8 passes through various types of Finnish and Norwegian landscapes. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: May to June for the Midnight Sun, or April to August
Nominated by: SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 10:22, 20 October 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We don't feature itineraries that much, and this seems a good candidate for sometime next year.

Nomination
  • Comment: We hopefully have the Archipelago Trail in May–June, and if this is to be featured in (Nordic) summer, to avoid darkness and icy roads, I think it comes too close. Perhaps 2022 2023? If for some reason there are problems with the Archipelago Trail this could of course be a backup. –LPfi (talk) 10:56, 20 October 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I introduced the guideline that a nomination should be intended to feature within the coming 12 months. This is more a requirement for quality, than for available spots. We should preferrably have a backlog of nominated high-quality articles, so we can afford to choose the most suitable article, with regard to factors such as climate, holidays, public events and safety. /Yvwv (talk) 15:03, 26 October 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
May to June would be a great time to feature, for the Midnight Sun. That would make us wait until 2023, unless we run E8 instead of the Archipelago Trail. /Yvwv (talk) 21:13, 26 October 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'd prefer to keep this until 2023, since the Archipelago Trail is more developed than this one. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 06:56, 14 November 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I agree, but I take the opportunity to ask: what should be done to improve this article, except developing the listed articles, and perhaps doing some more research on the bus and bike options? –LPfi (talk) 09:37, 15 November 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
In my opinion, nothing major needs to be done, at least from what I've noticed (more specific to this article), but maybe an infobox or two would be nice, but we've plenty of guide and star articles without them. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 09:59, 15 November 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
For May-June 2023 we can also consider Swedish Empire, during the 500th anniversary of Sweden's independence. That article also has several destinations in Finland. /Yvwv (talk) 15:52, 16 November 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yes. This road isn't going to disappear in the near future, it can be featured any year. If we get somebody writing about the Ostrobothnian destinations before that, it'd be a big bonus. I know them only superficially. –LPfi (talk) 16:39, 16 November 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support. The article is great overall, though it should be proofread by a native English speaker for better flow in the language. /Yvwv (talk) 17:39, 22 December 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support, although I'd like more eyes on the article. I notice that the first empty slot is June 2023, which would be ideal. Of the linked places along the route and suggested sidetrips, it seems most are usable and several guides, half a dozen are redlinks and half a dozen outlines. I don't think a traveller needs to stop at destinations without usable articles. The biking option might need to be checked at some point, I just followed the cycleways and roads on the map and tried to judge their usability – but there is an Eurovelo route more or less along this itinerary. –LPfi (talk) 15:26, 3 October 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    If the Swedish Empire is featured in May, this should probably be postponed. Comments on how to improve it are welcome. –LPfi (talk) 07:40, 10 October 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Christianity[edit]

Place: Christianity
Blurb: The world's most prolific religion has more than 2 billion followers, and churches and shrines on all continents. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Preferably around Christmas or Easter.
Nominated by: Yvwv (talk) 22:03, 7 November 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: A fine travel topic to schedule for the holidays. We have had very few religious features.

Nomination
  • Support, but hold it, I feel it might be too close to Rome/Vatican, but when you mean "for the holidays", you mean Christmas, right? Maybe 2023 Easter, but I don't have too much issues with it being featured in December 2022. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 06:55, 14 November 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
We have Rome/Vatican on hold. Jerusalem/Old City is a decent candidate. Exodus of Moses needs work. That will keep us a few Easters forward. /Yvwv (talk) 19:08, 25 November 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Yvwv: if that's the case, then support. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 10:40, 2 December 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support on the basis another religion or religious culture is nominated for FTT by the time this one is featured. Judaism looks like the likeliest candidate right now but Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are also all close to guide status and could be considered to increase diversity in our FTT nominations. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 00:20, 2 January 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Hajj is not yet rated Guide, but it looks close to me. Pashley (talk) 16:01, 12 February 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I've scheduled this for March 2023 so this can be featured during Easter. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 22:51, 3 September 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support. A lot of work has been done on this article by various users, and it's quite extensive. I expect more highlights of places of tourism and pilgrimage related to Christianity will be added before and during the feature. These kinds of articles by their nature can never be comprehensive, but neither do they seek to be. We might add more information about what someone can expect to witness at various rituals (mass/service, baptism, confirmation, wedding, ordination, funeral) in different denominations, though necessarily in some generalities, so the article does not become either encyclopedic or never-ending. Ikan Kekek (talk) 01:26, 12 December 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
On hold due to recent featuring of the Vatican. /Yvwv (talk) 01:32, 19 December 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Land Art Trail on Mount Učka[edit]

Place: Land Art Trail on Mount Učka
Blurb: A mountain at the Adriatic Sea has become an outdoor art gallery. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Weather is probably best in May-June or September-October
Nominated by: Yvwv (talk) 16:49, 5 December 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We have had very few features from the Balkans, and none from Croatia. Outdoor attractions can be more compatible with the pandemic.

Nomination
Scheduled provisionally in Oct/Nov 2022. /Yvwv (talk) 21:31, 21 December 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support as one of our quirkier and well-planned itinerary articles. I noticed this article some time ago and remember it being well-written and organized. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 00:15, 2 January 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Comment: I didn't feel up to reading all the way through the article, but am I the only one who finds the "Understand" section overly preachy? I did edit it somewhat - the use of "man" and male pronouns for humanity is very old-fashioned and kind of jarring, at least for many Americans - but just how much do we need to push an idea of how to experience that trail? My feeling is that we definitely should state what the author's intention is, but we can then let people experience it however they do and go on to practical descriptions and advice on how to get from Point A to Point B, etc. I'll try posting a briefer alternative version of that section on the article's talk page later. Ikan Kekek (talk) 11:08, 3 January 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Done. Ikan Kekek (talk) 11:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Also, having just recently discussed about images in Talk:Canadian national parks, are the galleries a violation of the image policy? Per Wikivoyage:Image policy#Montages and galleries, "should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions). Image galleries should not be used solely as a way to include a large number of different pictures in a destination article". This isn't a destination article, but it is depicting attractions. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 08:08, 19 March 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'd say the composite image at the top definitely violates the prohibition against montages and should be removed. Some of the galleries, such as the one that shows two views of the same spiral geograph, are not needed. Most of the rest seem OK to me, since this is not a destination article, as you said, but an itinerary in which it may be necessary to recognize every artwork. The Sentinel picture is problematic per WV:Image policy#People in photos, though. I'm not sure we should do anything about that. "Land Art Trail on Mt. Učka in winter" doesn't need a gallery; one image could do it. Ikan Kekek (talk) 20:09, 19 March 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Okay, anyway we have about 7 months left to fix this up so nothing urgent, but we can't feature an article that blatantly violates WV:IP though. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 00:00, 28 March 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I made a few edits in the last few days, but we should make decisions about whether it's appropriate for this article to violate Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images. I think that the density of images and the galleries still violate those guidelines, and while that might be OK as an exception, featuring this article carries strong risks that readers will believe this is exemplary in that respect and copy it in ordinary destination articles. Are the descriptions of the artworks clear enough that we can reduce the number of images to a more limited selection that excludes some of the works, eliminating the galleries with the possible exception of "Signposts and markings on the Land Art Trail" and creating 3 times more space on the right margin between most images, as we would be likely to do in any other article? Ikan Kekek (talk) 20:36, 28 March 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yeah, we should take extra care that featured articles as many new users look up to them to see how they're meant to be formatted and usually think that format is okay. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 22:23, 28 March 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'd assume the trail markings are enough to find the artworks, and they seem to be named on the map, so I think the images are needed more for telling the reader what to expect than for use on the trail. For that it is enough to have examples, and perhaps a few that give examples on how you can "use" the artwork. –LPfi (talk) 10:00, 29 March 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
It sounds like you guys are agreeable with removing the rest of the galleries and having only single thumbnails; is that correct? If so, let's make the changes. Ikan Kekek (talk) 08:42, 4 April 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yes, go ahead. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 22:50, 7 April 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I just removed the remainder of the galleries, other than the one with markings and signposts, which might be OK. The article still might violate Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images, though. What do you all think? Should we delete half the remaining images? Ikan Kekek (talk) 06:18, 28 June 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
There are still way too many images and I feel very skeptical of featuring an article that's a blatant violation of a simple Wikivoyage policy. Leaving the images may also encourage new editors to well, add a whole slew of galleries because a featured article contained them. Feel free to delete half the remaining images. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 23:21, 28 June 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
How is it now? Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Looking much better! However, I think the signposts/markings gallery should also go too. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 02:25, 29 June 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Let's talk about that. From Wikivoyage:Image policy: "Image galleries are discouraged, and should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions)." How does that apply to signposts/markings? Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:40, 29 June 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I thought the reason why we discouraged such galleries was because these chew up data and are slow to load, especially in places with poor reception. The reason why I'm okay with these in cuisine articles is because nobody prints these out, and many will read these articles before they're going to that destination (e.g. if I'm going to say Franconia, I would read Franconian cuisine before leaving to Franconia, but I wouldn't print it out, nor would I want to read it in Franconia)
Also, from experience last Saturday (18 June), just the map in Telangana took at least 10 seconds to load while I was on the road with poor 4G signal. If that one image took so long to load, then how long do you think it'll take for the gallery to load? SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 03:09, 29 June 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I was thinking of it as a matter of style, and I see your point. So maybe select 1 or 2 of the best images from that bunch to use as thumbnails, possibly deleting another one in the process. Ikan Kekek (talk) 03:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
On hold until issues are settled. /Yvwv (talk) 09:39, 30 August 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Slush? This nomination has quietly been sitting since June. The last remaining gallery issue will likely remain unsolved as the reasons for keeping the gallery equal the reasons for removing it. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 07:08, 4 November 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I feel like the number of images are OK now. However, I would not object to someone selecting one or two photos from that gallery and deleting the gallery, and I don't think anyone else will object. Ikan Kekek (talk) 22:27, 4 November 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I removed the gallery and kept two images. With my browser window width (which seems to be the minimum for the pagebanner menu to work), there is now one to three images per screenful, likewise with Vector-2022 (the to-be (?) default skin) and maximised window. With maximised window and Monobook, there are still a bit too many images at the start of Walk, but I don't think that's a major issue. –LPfi (talk) 09:46, 5 November 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I moved one image up for slightly better spacing. What are people thinking of this article now; should we run it? Ikan Kekek (talk) 16:19, 5 November 2022 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Churches in Antarctica[edit]

Place: Churches in Antarctica
Blurb: While you won't be able to visit all Antarctic churches at once, the few churches on the frozen continent highlight how Christianity has truly reached every corner of the globe. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: sometime during the summer, between October and February.
Nominated by: SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 10:43, 2 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: Although I said I'll wait a bit before nominating this, I'll be out next week and there's no harm in nominating this early.

As to the article itself, I realise this is a bit of a niche topic and no traveller visits Antarctica for its churches (unless they're a part of a maintenance crew or something alike) and also somewhat overgeneralised, Wikivoyage attracts many armchair travellers and thanks to the excellent work of Grahamsands, this is a good armchair article, in my opinion.

Nomination
Comment: We have plenty of travel topics nominated, and the travel topics have potential for new articles, with itineraries, and thematic articles such as these. Shall we allow geographic travel topics to run as DoTM and OtBP? /Yvwv (talk) 14:38, 2 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
If the alternative is to run a destination article that hasn't been updated since before the pandemic, I think such flexibility is preferable. Otherwise, probably not. Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:47, 20 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'd be open to featuring this in Off the beaten path, because it doesn't get much more OtBP than this. Jpatokal (talk) 02:55, 20 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Singapore Changi Airport[edit]

Place: Singapore Changi Airport
Blurb: Singapore Changi Airport just might be the world's best airport: with waterfalls, lush tropical gardens, swimming pools, free cinemas and amazing food, there are few better places to spend your layover. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Anytime
Nominated by: Jpatokal (talk) 00:33, 20 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: A great article for a great airport. Huge props to @Othello95: for adding so much content about Jewel in particular!

Nomination
  • Support. The article looks very good, and the airport seems amazing! It would be good to bring the article up to star status with a few more good photos and some minor tweaking. I think it's not far from being a star. Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:46, 20 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support, though this article won't be run until late 2024 since we only recently featured Singapore/Orchard. Can't see anything missing from this (from my own personal experience) but agree that a few more photos would be desirable. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 00:17, 21 January 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support. Great airport & a fine article. Pashley (talk) 02:14, 29 April 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support. per Pashley. Veracious (talk) 04:18, 11 August 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Chinese phrasebook[edit]

Place: Chinese phrasebook
Blurb: If you plan a trip to China or elsewhere where Mandarin is spoken, it's useful to pick up some basic phrases even if (especially written) Chinese may seem very hard to learn. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Anytime
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 15:47, 22 July 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: I was thinking about what to put in January's FTT slot, then remembered we usually run a phrasebook around that time of the year and we still have at least a dozen at guide status that we haven't featured. So how about the Chinese phrasebook this time? We have at least two active wikivoyagers (User:廣九直通車 and User:The dog2) who know the language and can check the article for any factual errors. Everything is translated, though as always some photos would make the phrasebook more lively. Then, as Chinese is a tonal language, it could be useful to have audio clips like in the Portuguese phrasebook, but I guess they also take some time to create.

Nomination
  • Close - may need more or less work, depending on if we think the audio clips are necessary. Ypsilon (talk) 15:47, 22 July 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Comment: If we want audio clips, it's best to get someone from northern China. Although I am fluent, my Singaporean accent comes out very strongly when I speak Mandarin, and Chinese people who are not familiar with the Singaporean accent will usually think I am from Guangdong. It's analogous to how even though my English is fluent, it still has a Singaporean accent and doesn't sound anything like King's English. The dog2 (talk) 16:04, 22 July 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: There is some tradition to feature a phrasebook in the beginning of the year. Not sure whether it is rational; we might have fewer destinations suitable for northern winter. We also tend to have destinations relevant for Chinese New Year for January. In any case, it makes sense to feature this article in January/February. /Yvwv (talk) 20:17, 22 July 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Voyages of James Cook[edit]

Place: Voyages of James Cook
Blurb: Follow the steps of one of the most famous British explorers around the world! (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Anytime
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:46, 2 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We have several "Voyages of..." articles at guide status, so why not start nominating one of them for FTT?

Nomination
  • Support as nominator. As this article is about several journeys, unlike the Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation which was about just one, I don't think it's necessary to rewrite it as an itinerary, it's good as it is. Ypsilon (talk) 19:46, 2 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We tend to look for major anniversaries for historical articles. Cook's second voyage was made from 1772 to 1775, which is 250 years ago. Not sure whether there will be any public events to attend, however. /Yvwv (talk) 13:38, 3 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Culturally significant landscapes in Jaén[edit]

Place: Culturally significant landscapes in Jaén
Blurb: There's a lot of history to explore in the mountains of rural Jaén. (should not exceed ~145 characters)
Article status: Guide (must be guide or above).
Time to feature: Spring or autumn perhaps, summer would be unbearably hot and winter maybe a bit chilly
Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 18:54, 13 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment: We have a lot of FTT nominees for the summer of 2024 but for each of them there's some reason why it wouldn't fit into March's slot (which will appear in the schedule shortly). I intended to put James Cook there, but I don't know if people are OK with it or we should wait for some anniversary of at one of at some specific date. How about this one, then? I think we've never featured anything other than DotMs from Spain, so this would be the first FTT from there.

Nomination
  • Very close - at a quick glance the article looks good apart from some kind of code error halfway down the article. Ypsilon (talk) 18:54, 13 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Needs work. I just had a read through this article: it's nice that it describes what's on that route in a detailed manner, but I find the lack of any information on the practical aspects of the route, such as road/rail conditions, getting between the points listed in each section, problematic. If/when this is fixed, I'll potentially support. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 11:35, 14 September 2023 (UTC)Reply[reply]