The importance and effectiveness of tourism promotion press kits distributed to travel writers has been largely unexplored. This empirical study of 388 travel writers, conducted for the Greater Wilmington, North Carolina, Chamber of Commerce, assessed the effectiveness of a press kit as a tourism promotion tool and addressed other questions concerning the press kit, travel writers' views of its usefulness, and the importance of included items in an effectivepress kit. The study also lists practical recommendationsfor the development of future press kits by tourism bureaus.