Gold Pass Form Submission

Thank you for your interest in applying for Visit California’s Gold Pass program for in-state DMOs and tourism product partners.

This program allows Visit California’s destination partners to collaborate in bringing journalists to the Golden State. For qualifying applicants, Visit California can provide airfare and car rental or mileage assistance for these editorial research trips.

For Gold Pass consideration, please note the below guidelines and restrictions:

GUIDELINES:

1. A DMO or tourism product partner must complete and submit the below form in its entirety. This form is not meant to be filled out by media.

2. Applications must be submitted at least six weeks before travel by the journalist.

3. Assisted journalist must be visiting three different DMO areas in California, with confirmed coverage outlined for each location on this application.

4. International media must be from or providing coverage in one of Visit California’s target international markets: Australia and New Zealand, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Middle East, Nordics, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

5. Visit California has discretion over which Gold Pass applications are approved, based on alignment with the organization’s earned media strategy and overall marketing goals.

6. Upon approval, the primary contact must connect with Visit California to coordinate the following logistics:

- Connect Visit California with the journalist to book air transportation and reserve rental car if needed (please note that the rental car cannot be paid for in advance; journalist must submit receipt for reimbursement).

- Distribute media invoice to journalist for completion after the trip (for reimbursement of rental car or mileage if personal car was driven).

- The primary contact must also submit a copy of the final itinerary to Visit California, and follow up with coverage.

RESTRICTIONS:

1. Only individual media visits can be supported through Gold Pass. Gold Pass does not apply to group trips.

2. Gold Pass support does not provide accommodation, admission to attractions/tours, meals, influencer fees, tour guides or translators. Only airfare and car rental or mileage will be provided for applicants that qualify for assistance.

3. Mileage is paid at the Internal Revenue Service confirmed rate for business miles driven.

4. Visit California does not assist with film or on-location broadcast permits. These are handled by various film offices around California. For general information and contacts, visit www.film.ca.gov.

5. Gold Pass applications must be submitted by a DMO contact or tourism product partner. If you are a media guest interested in visiting California, please complete a Press Trip Request Form, located under the "Contacts & Services" tab on media.visitcalifornia.com.

For questions on international media, contact Visit California International Public Relations Manager Xavier Roque at xroque@visitcalifornia.com.

For questions on domestic media, contact Visit California Public Relations Manager Kristen Bonilla at kbonilla@visitcalifornia.com.

Visit California Gold Pass Application Form

*REQUIRED

Travel Dates

*Date of Arrival *Date of Depature

Visit California Staff reserves the right to determine a “reasonable” amount of days for a media request, based on their stated story focus and length.

Visit California Gold Pass Criteria:

Three DMOs within California

*DMO #1 *DMO #2 *DMO #3 Experience Pillar Culinary Culture Family Luxury Outdoors

Destination Partner 1

*Application Primary Contact *Organization: *Email: *Phone:

Destination Partner 2

*Application Secondary Contact *Organization *Email: *Phone

Destination Partner 3

*Application Secondary Contact *Organization: *Email: *Phone:

Media Outlet(s) Information:

Market: Outlet Name: Media Type:

(Newspaper, Magazine, Television, Radio, Internet)

Outlet Demographics: Language(s): Distribution Area: Publication Circulation/Audience Numbers:

Journalist Information:

Name: Date of Birth:

(as it appears on their Photo ID)

Title: Complete Mailing Address

(including country)

Phone: Cell Phone: Email: Emergency Contact: Relationship: Phone: Special Food Requirements: Yes No If yes, please list: Smokes: Yes No Health Concerns: Yes No If yes, please list:

Anticipated Results

Please outline confirmed coverage for each destination partnering on this visit, providing as much detail as possible:

Publication Date: Story Focus: Length of Coverage:

Social Media Deliverables

Please list top two platforms (i.e. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) for the individual or outlet, depending on where coverage will be shared:

Platform #1:

Publication Page

Page Name / @Handle Reach (# of friends/followers) Deliverables / Anticipated Coverage

Platform #2

Publication Page

Page Name / @Handle Reach (# of friends/followers) Deliverables / Anticipated Coverage

Transportation

Will a flight be needed? Yes No

Visit California will book the flight taking into consideration reasonable timing and airfare.

Will a car be needed? Yes No

By state law, Visit California cannot pay for rental car reservations in advance of the rental. Please be aware that media or digital influencers that receive assistance, the rental car will be rented in the assisted person’s name and the payment will be billed to Visit California after the return of the car for reimbursement.

Please note that any traffic tickets and associated fees issued to the car will be the sole responsibility of the driver. VISIT CALIFORNIA assumes no liability and will not pay any of the fees.