Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile/2010

2009 DotM slush pile for 2010 (current) 2011

A very complete article, although it has a strange sense of humor. --188.81.113.239 15:23, 18 August 2010 (EDT)

  • Not at this time. Most of the images in this article are under consideration for deletion on Shared, as User:(WT-en) Banana1 seems to have a tenuous grasp of copyright. (WT-en) LtPowers 15:42, 18 August 2010 (EDT)
  • Don't Support the Architecture section is not formatted properly, the prose need work in some places, and the pictures will be deleted. Also, it's definitely more of an OtBP. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 20:21, 18 August 2010 (EDT)


Another African find. This one in a much better shape than Niamey. It's extremely well written I think, it feels complete. There are some missing addresses here and there, but must of them has GPS coordinates instead, and this is Africa so I suspect there is a reason for those. --(WT-en) Stefan (sertmann) Talk 11:17, 10 October 2009 (EDT)

  • Support, definitely. I find myself rather shocked that we have a great Sudanese article! And one that seems to have grown organically, without love from any one contributor. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 14:20, 10 October 2009 (EDT)
  • Nice, but needs work A surprisingly good article for the region, but I think it needs more information before it is fit for DotM...this is a city of EIGHT million! As for coordinates, they are very useful to some people, not at all to others. I've been doing a bit of browsing the past few months on the and coordinates are used (& more useful than addresses) by practically everyone driving themselves...but for other tourists (and there are lots doing Cairo-Nairobi independently or with an overland bus) addresses are more helpful (even just the street name, esp. for telling the taxi driver and watching for signs on a minibus).
    • Photos: There is one good picture and one that isn't really necessary.
    • Intro: Needs some history and certainly needs some climate info
    • Get in: (By bus) Where's the new bus terminal/name? (By train) So the station is chaotic and trains erratic, but how do I get a ticket?
    • See: Could use some more items and lengthier descriptions.
    • Do: Two things?
    • Buy: Lists places, but are there any particular items which are good to buy?
    • Eat: I realize this is Africa and so there are thousands of small, good places to eat which frequently open/close and relocate...so we don't really need more listings. But this section would be best served by dividing it into the three sections of the city.
    • Drink: Why does 'drink'='alcohol'. Is tea served anywhere?
    • Cope: A few more embassy listings.
    • Get out: Descriptions should be more brief and those destinations should have their own article. I think the Red Sea area and Jebel Barkal listings are too far away (and in whole other regions of Sudan) to be listed.
    • Stay Safe: A VERY important section is missing! While the city is considered one of the safest for expats in E.Africa (despite violence elsewhere in the country), there are quite a few cultural sensitivities. If you follow the news, you'd know that in Khartoum: a schoolteacher was imprisoned for naming a teddybear Muhammed, a Sudanese journalist was jailed and sentenced to a fine & 40 lashes for wearing trousers (deemed inappropriate attire for a woman), and a US embassy employee and his driver were shot to death last year by conservative Islamists (although terrorism isn't really a huge threat). Political topics should be avoided. Some are sensitive to the North-South conflict (I think the South will vote on independence in a year or two), the Darfur conflict (I doubt many will side with Westerners who blame the Sudanese gov't), and the warrant for Bashir's arrest issued earlier this year (which Western governments lauded).
So, while the article is much better than most African ones, I think a lot of info should be added to bring it to true guide status and to be featured. The second edition Bradt guide (the best guides to African countries) for Sudan should be released this December, . The first edition is a bit outdated, and this one claims a big update to Khartoum info. I got the Bradt guides to Mali, Niger, & Nigeria this summer and they are truly incredible in their scope of these 'off-the-beaten-path' destinations...if someone picks up this guide, I guarantee we could have a star article for Khartoum. Another good source of info is over at LP Thorntree . I'd do most of the updating myself, but I'm very busy (and it's quite late at night while I'm writing this)...hopefully I'll find time to contribute to this fine destination soon. (WT-en) AHeneen 02:57, 13 October 2009 (EDT)
The Stay safe argument is quite compelling, so should we slush this? --(WT-en) Stefan (sertmann) Talk 17:31, 14 October 2009 (EDT)
NO. As far as safety goes, visitors must simply be careful to avoid insulting Islam (I think it's about the same as in Saudi Arabia or Iran) and avoiding politics concerning the North-South conflict and the president's role in the Darfur conflict (just like you shouldn't discuss politics in many countries). Khartoum seems to me like an interesting city in the region, and with just a little work (like I outlined) it could be a great DotM. (WT-en) AHeneen 23:13, 14 October 2009 (EDT)
I can't find much info to fix this article. I really hope it stays here and isn't slushed for a while as I would really like to see it featured. As far as timing goes, very important and (we hope not) potentially explosive elections are set to run from 5-12 April with results announced later in the month. While the city is not too dangerous to be rejected for DotM, these are the first elections since 1986 and the first after decades of civil war. As the capital and largest city of the country combined with very sensitive elections, I think it should not be featured earlier than June...to give time to see if violence (like in Iran) breaks out. Again, it is otherwise a fairly safe city. (WT-en) AHeneen 17:56, 13 December 2009 (EST)
Actually, I think featuring it during the elections period might be best, since people will be googling "Khartoum!" We are featuring Copenhagen during the COP15 summit, which clearly is not a great time to visit, but to great effect. The true goal of the DotM is really just to attract new users (aside from encouraging users to improve their pet projects with the reward of a front page feature, of course). Stefan noted that on 14 Dec, "Copenhagen" was the #3 "hot search" on Google trends, and our guide was the #3 search result! I think featuring articles when they are in the news can be a good way to give our site extra exposure. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 23:57, 17 December 2009 (EST)
Aw, I like to think there's a wider variety of goals in featuring destinations! ;-) (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 00:22, 18 December 2009 (EST)
  • I would like to echo AHeneen's sentiments. I would definitely love to see this featured, but I'm also curious as to whether Khartoum should be the DotM. This city shouts OtBP me. Am I mistaken? -- (WT-en) Sapphire(Talk) • 20:50, 28 October 2010 (EDT)


At this point, the nomination is over a year old with no move to make it good enough to be featured. I support it as a DotM nomination over OtBP, but I think this current nomination is at a stalemate... Should we slush it? (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 03:42, 5 November 2010 (EDT)
Good eye - I just saw "October." I guess, as no one has really addressed her points, yes, it should be slushed. -- (WT-en) Sapphire(Talk) • 12:55, 10 November 2010 (EST)

Great city guide of one of the world's biggest tourist destinations. --2.80.109.50 12:35, 14 October 2010 (EDT)

There is a Hofburg Palace and a New Hofburg Palace, right? They are right next to one another, right? Why are they in different sections of the guide? This is a great example of why districts need to be used instead of the arbitrary headlines "Palaces, Museums, Architecture, etc." It feels highly disorganized. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 18:53, 14 October 2010 (EDT)
  • Don't support Article is far away from being DotM! It lacks maps, some district structure and Get in is still way to big. (WT-en) jan 04:05, 19 November 2010 (EST)
  • Don't support. It really requires districts as now it's too much information on one page. --(WT-en) globe-trotter 11:40, 19 November 2010 (EST)


This article is an excellant, very comprehensive guide to an amazing city. —The preceding comment was added by 80.47.236.121 (talkcontribs)

  • Almost support. It's actually fairly close, to my pleasant surprise! But there are a few issues holding it back from quite reaching guide status, including the lack of buy listings. If you are interested in fixing the article up a bit, please let me know and I'll provide a bit more guidance on the article's talk page! It would be great to feature such a beautiful, important, and fascinating city, so I hope we can in the near future. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 20:23, 6 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Not yet. The whole article is nice and comprehensive, but the See section is very messy and clearly incomplete. Several important sights, such as the House with Chimeras, are just missing. And Hreschatik is more than "the main drag of the city centre".
By the way, this brings another question. Kiev is a large and a rich city. Should it be districtified? If yes, this will probably delay the nomination for quite a while... (WT-en) Atsirlin 16:09, 28 April 2010 (EDT)
Ultimately, yes, it most certainly should have districts. I think it's OK, though, to feature before they are implemented, as long as the article is a strong guide—and it's not quite there yet. —The preceding comment was added by (WT-en) Peterfitzgerald (talkcontribs)
One more thing that came to my mind: what about the season? I think, this should be spring, the blossoming period. If so, one can interrupt the discussion for half a year and see what comes out till then. (WT-en) Atsirlin 12:03, 30 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Nearly. Peter has identified the key omission. Otherwise, a bit of a spring clean and this would make an excellent DotM I think.--(WT-en) Burmesedays 22:01, 28 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Don't Support Basedi on the districtification comments, if we anticipate Kiev having so much to see/do that it needs districts, then this article must be highly incomplete, because it is nowhere near ready for districtification. If the city really has that much left out, then I would rather not feature it until it has its districts. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 09:35, 30 April 2010 (EDT)
Well, don't take my comment too serious. The present version is reasonably close to a "one day in Kiev" guide that obviously does not need any districts. However, this will not be a full guide to Kiev. (WT-en) Atsirlin 12:03, 30 April 2010 (EDT)


Although Australia is a very turistical country, Adelaide is not one of the country's biggest attractions. The article is very complete --85.243.150.10 13:44, 26 April 2010 (EDT)

Adelaide is by no stretch of the imagination Off the beaten Path. Any nomination should be as Destination of the Month. Maybe you meant to put it there?--(WT-en) Burmesedays 22:30, 26 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Not Yet I think proper formatting would be good for this article, but even beyond that, the "See" section needs reworked. If the linked (and redlinked) areas are cities outside of Adelaide, then they should be in the "Get out" section. If they are in Adelaide city, they should be put in proper format and more information needs to be provided. Many of the entries are just names of museums. If you know the city, it probably wouldn't take much to get it up to standard, but I think there is still work to be done. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 22:52, 26 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Not yet and is also not OtbP. Adelaide is a charming city and one I have enjoyed visiting a couple of times. I am not sure his article captures that charm very well. The Understand, See and Do sections need a fair bit of work I think.

A great city with a good guide article. --188.81.105.156 03:48, 5 July 2010 (EDT)

It certainly meets the requirements as it is, but I would personally like to wait until it's of an even higher quality. We featured Bangkok a long time ago, before all the recent work transformed it into a glittering work of art, and it's disappointing that we cannot feature it again. I'd hate to run into the same problem with London, if at a later date we have a contributor putting tons of work into it. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 19:57, 5 July 2010 (EDT)
  • Not Yet Some of the other boroughs are rather weak "usables". I also wonder if the page should be organized like New York City? With nearly 30 sub-categories, it just seems a bit overwhelming putting it all on the country article. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 17:31, 8 July 2010 (EDT)

Beautiful city and a decent guide article. --2.80.96.196 07:31, 15 July 2010 (EDT)

Good article, great city. --188.81.103.46 12:41, 21 May 2010 (EDT)

  • Not Yet This article needs more pictures. The article suffers greatly from a lack of proper formatting. There is also information in the See and Do sections that should be in the Get around section. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 21:53, 10 June 2010 (EDT)

A guide article --188.81.103.46 12:41, 21 May 2010 (EDT)

  • Not Yet The Buy, Drink, Eat, and Sleep sections need more listings and more information about the current listings. Even some of the listings in the See section could use more information. Proper formatting would be nice. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 21:48, 10 June 2010 (EDT)

A huge touristic attratction, and a guide article --188.81.103.46 12:41, 21 May 2010 (EDT)

  • This article has been slushpiled however, User:(WT-en) Wrh2 has added content to the previously incomplete trail description. I do not know if all the trails are covered or if enough has been said about them to judge whether or not this concern is still relevent, but I think it's always good to review the slushpile. —The preceding comment was added by (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus (talkcontribs)

A pretty good article. --81.193.162.197 11:37, 8 May 2010 (EDT)

Don't Support (Yet). Good article and seems pretty comprehensive however Understand seems way too long and a lot of the listings need some MOS work. (WT-en) Tarr3n 05:14, 12 May 2010 (EDT)

Just got back from a trip there and even after traveling a lot, was still impressed. Put a great deal of what I saw and learned in to heavily expanding the article. I think that in six months more can probably be added to make it worthy of a feature. Or maybe it's an OTBP instead? Not sure. Whatever the case, if it doesn't make it in to the rotation, my feelings will certainly not be hurt, although it is a very, very cool place. --(WT-en) Primecoordinator 10:54, 05 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

This should be at the bottom of the list, not top - moved. I would have thought a cast iron OtbP, rather than DotM.--(WT-en) Burmesedays 10:12, 5 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Almost support. I would love to see Dogon Country featured, especially since that article was frustratingly not even created until last December, languishing as a red link on my (WT-en) wishlist! The one obstacle is the empty Bandiagara article. If we could improve that article to a strong usable, then this would be a great feature. And I definitely agree that this should be OtBP—while very well known in Africa travel circles, it's still pretty far out of the way. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 11:35, 5 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Support Sorry, didn't realize and still don't really understand how the order of this page is to work. Figured if I stuck it at the top, someone would put it somewhere better ;) So, then it should be an OtbP instead. makes sense. There are a lot of question marks up top, so I'll leave it to whomever to either move it to an earlier month of just move it across to October. And I have expanded Bandiagara out a good deal. Still slim, but a lot more there now. Maybe someone else can find a few more items. It's a small town, so it's bound to remain pretty small. --(WT-en) Primecoordinator 22:57, 05 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Is there anything that can be said about each of the villages aside from whether or not they have housing? The "See" section should probably say more. If descriptions of the villages were added, perhaps they could even be moved to the "See" section? I personally always think it's strange if the "See" section is lacking information. It makes it seem like the area is boring, but clearly this is a major destination in West Africa and well worth the visit. I am not sure if Dogon County is OtBP... I know I've said this before, but I don't like always making Africa OtBP. It's a well-known destination for those familiar with Africa; and more famous worldwide than Hamamatsu, I would say. I think it is a nice DotM. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 01:18, 6 April 2010 (EDT)
I agree, Dogon Country should certainly be a DotM as it is one of the most popular attractions in West Africa. (WT-en) AHeneen 03:51, 6 April 2010 (EDT)
Well, I just moved it, although it can definitely be moved back. I think that the issue of it being in Africa would apply more if it were Bamako, Abidjan, Nairobi, Dakar, etc. Those are DotM and it's true that as Dogon is 12-14 hours by bus from Bamako it takes some effort to get to. I'll work on the Abidjan article and see if I can get it in to shape to be a DotM as it's quite a happening city with direct service from major airports, whereas Dogon has none. --(WT-en) Primecoordinator 16:38, 06 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • Don't support (yet) I would like to see this featured, but the article still needs a lot more information. Featured articles should be at guide status and while length is no indicator of an article's quality, I feel Dogon Country still needs much more information. According to the Project:Region guide status, a guide region "gives you different choices for which linked destinations (i.e., cities, subregions, and other destinations lists) to visit (all usable status or better), and information on multiple attractions and things to do...All important ways to get in are detailed, along with some suggestions for moving out, and thorough information on getting around." Since culture is what attracts so many to Dogon Country (although there's really no "stereotypical" Dogon culture), I think the understand section should contain an overview of the cultural facets which make DC so appealing to visitors (masks, gender roles, animism, etc) along with some history & info on the architecture. The see/do sections need to be expanded and I feel information about hiking and finding a guide and starting needs to be together. The "guide to guides" can be condensed a little and should go under "Get around" along with other info on hiking (ie. where to start info now listed under get in). Finally, a mention of the Festival des Danses des Masques is essential along with info about it. I have a (slightly outdated...2005) Bradt Guide to Mali which has much of this information...I just need to not be lazy one evening and fill in some of this missing info (there's 3 pages about Bandiagara). Until then, the official DC tourism website is here and has some useful info. The best time to visit (and thus feature DC) is between November & February (cool and dry), which is perfect as it's winter in the Northern Hemisphere and we usually have a lack of good choices for DotM/OtBP then and it gives us time to get DC to guide status. (WT-en) AHeneen 03:51, 6 April 2010 (EDT)
Sounds like you've had a lot of experience there. I don't really have too much more to add to the article as I poured out everything I had gotten from my trip. I hope you find some time to add all this in. And I think that October would be the perfect month as most people need info in the month before the trip,so if November if the start of the busy season, October makes sense to run it then. --(WT-en) Primecoordinator 16:43, 06 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
It surely has to be OtbP? How many visitors who are not fairly grizzled travelers go to Dogon country? Or have even heard of it? In 2005 (latest I could find) there were only 80,000 foreign arrivals to the whole of Mali. I would imagine a large number of those were business, government and NGO travelers. Of the balance, some would have gone to Dogon country. If this isn't OtbP, I am not sure what is. --(WT-en) Burmesedays 05:01, 6 April 2010 (EDT)
Saw a lot of poshy, older package folks when I was there. A lot of it is just off the road or down a slightly bumpy dirt road, which is easy to get to if you can stand the heat. Then there are the 12km hikes down the cliff that I did which are more for those with an adventurous spirit... Still, I think OtbP probably makes more sense. --(WT-en) Primecoordinator 16:46, 06 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I think it's more famous than many of our DotMs: I mentioned Hamamatsu, but Shimla, Bergen, Medellin, Okayama, Bayreuth; Not exactly world-reknown destinations, either. Maybe I am atypical, but Dogon County seems much more famous than any of those. Tourism statistics can only do so much, anyway, because Africa will almost always lose if we are comparing it to Europe or America, who have the money to travel. Timbuktu is in Mali, and it's name is very famous, thanks to that quote. I'd call that DotM, but the statistics argument could be made against it, as well. Bandiagara is one of Africa's best known World Heritage Sites. It made our "Top Nine Other destinations" on the Continental page. If our top nine can't even be DotM, then I don't know what would qualify... (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus
I'm pretty sure Timbuktu is a byword/cliche for remote? Among people who think a lot about West African tourism, Dogon Country is a popular wishlist destination, at least, but it's pretty far off any path that even reasonably approaches a beaten look. That's one of the reasons why I'd love to visit. This place could get ruined quickly by serious tourism. I'd say the only destination in Mali that could plausibly be DotM would be Bamako, as that is a big, bustling city. If you look through our previous OtBPs you'll see plenty that are much better known and far more visited, like Mesa Verde, Panmunjeom, Denali, or, hell, even Dalian. There's always room for debate at the margins, but I'm a little surprised that this one is drawing any. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 20:13, 6 April 2010 (EDT)
I think that there is also a secondary issue in that people aren't too keen to support it if the article isn't near Star quality, which, unless someone steps up to bat, it will probably stay. By the way, is there a tag to put on an article that's up for DotM or OtbP? Might get more people to work on it if there's the chance it could be featured. Otherwise, it seems like the same 10 or so people working on most of the articles. --(WT-en) Primecoordinator 22:09, 06 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Nah, star quality is definitely not needed, especially for a OtBP. It just needs to be squarely at guide status, and that's a little shaky at present. Shouldn't be too hard to fix, especially as there are a bunch of people interested in it. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 20:13, 6 April 2010 (EDT)
You would really place Bamako above Dogon Country? I see your point that it's not exactly the type of place you can hop on a bus and go in 10 minutes, but I think it's fame extends far beyond Mali's borders. As you said, those who know West Africa know Dogon Country (and often want to go there), and I'd still venture to say those who know Africa as a whole know Dogon Country/Bandiagara. Hamamatsu isn't even that popular among those interested in Japan, and I doubt most people interested in the broader East Asia have heard of it. Medellin doesn't bring anything to my mind, and neither does Bergen (I don't think the nation itself is known for much more than fjords outside of Europe) yet somehow a destination that is actually known is being questioned simply because it's African? I don't see why we have such loose rules on what can be DotM in Europe/Japan, yet we take such a hard-line approach with Africa. Africa isn't Europe, and it shouldn't have to be. It's major attractions may not be engulfed by cities, but since when was that a requirement for DotM? I was/am surprised that there is opposition to this as DotM; It seemed like a clear-cut example of an African DotM to me. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 22:37, 6 April 2010 (EDT)
Absolutely, this isn't just about fame (and I don't really think Dogon Country is so famous—I'd wager that if you asked every last English speaker, <1% would know what it was, and I'm absolutely including your average world traveler). The paths leading to Dogon are not beaten—it's a tiny place quite purposefully in the middle of nowhere in a country with very few tourists. I know there's a bit of sensitivity to the fact that African destinations are more likely to be listed as OtBPs than destinations in other continents, but a) I don't see how that can apply for this one, when it is similar to our Mesa Verde OtBP (a popular American cliffside village), and b) Africa simply is a less-visited continent. (And to me, this is a plus.) --(WT-en) Peter Talk 22:56, 6 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Should this be slushed? More content is needed, but nothing has been added for over a month. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 00:05, 19 May 2010 (EDT)

Why not, after all? A valid guide-level article, and absolutely not only for April 1. --(WT-en) DenisYurkin 15:58, 27 April 2010 (EDT)

Before proceeding with support/opposition, this was nominated in 2007 and received the critique that many of the listed opperators do not actually allow civilians to go to space . If this remains true, then perhaps it is still not ready for nomination. Does anyone know? (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 16:13, 27 April 2010 (EDT)
Irrelevant -- "Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "What is an article?" test is eligible for DotM/OtBP." Of course, if there are inaccuracies re: operators, they should be fixed.
My personal opinion, though, is that we should hold off on Space until Virgin Galactic starts flying in a year or two and the destination becomes slightly more approachable. $100k ain't cheap, but it's not utterly within the realm of fantasy in the way that a $20m trip is... (WT-en) Jpatokal 19:11, 27 April 2010 (EDT)
Judging from your response, I'd say that discussion is just as relevant now as it was then. You are concerned that we are featuring a destination that people can't realistically visit, which is basically what is expressed in the discussion, and your own response could be refuted with the information you've cited. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 19:29, 27 April 2010 (EDT)
Not exactly. Jani was just saying that there is a better time to feature this article: when Virgin Galactic "launches." It's best to feature articles when there is buzz about them, when they are in the news. more hits for our site. We have already featured destinations not everyone can get to, like Wake Island (which was a great feature, IMO). --(WT-en) Peter Talk 22:00, 27 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Strongly oppose. Perhaps the 2.5 hour trip will become as "cheap" as US$ 100,000 (currently reckoned to be more like US$ 200,000 I think), all of which goes on burning more fuel than a decent sized town manages in a day. I cannot think of a more self-indulgent, destructive and pointless travel idea; nobody should be recommending this.--(WT-en) Burmesedays 22:28, 27 April 2010 (EDT)
Although I can't disagree with any of your points, we can't bar features for moral reasons, and that would be a slippery slope. Places like Amsterdam, Bangkok, or Las Vegas could easily be described as "self-indulgent, destructive" destinations. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 03:36, 28 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Oppose until Virgin actually starts to fly most public available offers are either limited to abundance of money or scientific staff. French Novespace is one of the few who regularly does it for official space agencies and invited guest. Let's wait a couple of years. (WT-en) jan 04:15, 28 April 2010 (EDT)
Just a reminder, neither disdain for a destination/topic nor scheduling matters are grounds for an actual oppose vote per the #Select guidelines. I'm all for slushing this, though, and bringing it back during a more opportune news cycle, per Jani's suggestion. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 01:05, 29 April 2010 (EDT)
Of course it doesn't count, but the opinion remains :) --(WT-en) Burmesedays 01:28, 29 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Don't Support I do think that when the timing is years off, there are grounds for not supporting a nomination (having nominations that we can't actually feature cluttering up the page only give a false sense of options to feature). Beyond that, though, I think some of the links to Earth sites really need to be improved. I mean, this is pretty much an OtBP that we would feature just because it's "interesting" and "cool" rather than a realistic destination. Also, I think more could be said about preparations, what you can/will see and do, etc. This was written by people who have never actually been to space, is it not? Sections are rather sparse, and I think there is expertise needed to make this a real guide and possible feature that we just don't have. I would honestly only call this a "usable" guide. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 03:03, 29 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Support It's a good article. Why not? --81.193.160.225 17:09, 5 May 2010 (EDT)

A good guide article. --81.193.160.225 15:44, 6 May 2010 (EDT)

  • Not quite. The buy section is very weak, and both the bars and restaurants really need descriptions, but the most important omission is information about the Old City! That should be a good, long section of "See," as it is the city's main attraction, and simply because there is so much to be said! --(WT-en) Peter Talk 21:01, 6 May 2010 (EDT)


A good article, although it only has one image.--2.80.122.145 15:03, 15 May 2010 (EDT)

  • Don't Support As I metnioned on the Talk Page, I don't believe the Asuka-Yoshino-Ominesan part is feasible in a day. Nara city was also featured as recently as this January, so this would seem like a double-feature. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 02:31, 16 May 2010 (EDT)

Great article. --2.80.122.145 15:08, 15 May 2010 (EDT)

  • Don't Support It's a rather weak guide article. Most listings are just one-liners and a website. Like many of the recent nominations, this article would be well on its way to being a real candidate by properly formatting it and filling in the missing information. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 04:54, 16 May 2010 (EDT)

Great city. I'm surprised it hasn't been featured yet. --2.80.122.145 14:55, 16 May 2010 (EDT)

Actually in surprisingly good shape, with all districts at usable and a rather good lead article, but there are still enough empty sections here and there, that I'd mostly prefer it be used for backup. --(WT-en) Stefan (sertmann) talk 17:20, 16 May 2010 (EDT)
  • Not Yet The main criticisms are addressed in the CotM nomination, along with the need for more even coverage across all districts, as Sertmann mentioned. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 02:01, 17 May 2010 (EDT)

A nice article. --81.193.162.197 11:57, 8 May 2010 (EDT)

  • Strong support. Largely due to Globe-trotter's enormous recent work on these articles, Bangkok has become one of our best huge city guides. Great feature. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 12:02, 8 May 2010 (EDT)
  • Don't Support This article was already featured in January 2005, and our guidelines state, "The nominated article must not have been featured previously." (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 16:37, 8 May 2010 (EDT)
Bangkok is ineligible for the reason ChubbyWimbus describes, although perhaps the strongest district article could be featured instead? At a glance, I'd say that's Rattanakosin, but Thonburi is also good. (WT-en) Gorilla Jones 17:15, 8 May 2010 (EDT)
Indeed. It seems a shame to disqualify it, since the article bears little resemblance to the short page featured five years ago .
The Rattanakosin article is excellent, but I have mixed feelings about featuring a district of a city that has already been featured, unless it has a character sufficiently distinct from what people think of when they think of the city—I think it would work best to choose an "OtBP district" with a good dose of individual character. Previously suggested Chicago/Bronzeville as well as Copenhagen/Christiania would be good examples of what I mean. For Bangkok, I would say this would be Yaowarat and Pahurat, which is ready save the eat and drink sections. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 09:01, 9 May 2010 (EDT)
Too bad it cannot be qualified anymore, as the Bangkok article has improved considerably. Now might not be the best time to feature it though (although it is in the news a lot). If we're looking for a neighborhood that is considerably different or off-the-beaten-path I'd say Yaowarat and Thonburi could qualify. But I'd need some time to improve them even more. --(WT-en) globe-trotter 09:22, 17 May 2010 (EDT)
It definitely is a shame. That's the problem with featuring articles prematurely, which is why I won't support Kiev right now. Eventually we will have to re-feature articles, but there is still so much of the world that has not been featured, I can't see that happening anytime soon. To keep this page organized, should we slush Bangkok and then nominate the chosen district whenever it is deemed ready? (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 12:41, 17 May 2010 (EDT)

A good article on one of China's nicer cities, a provincial capital with some historical importance.

I live in China; to me this seems a major destination, DotM candidate. I wonder, though, if others might think it is more an "Off the beaten path" candidate. Among WT itineraries, Kunming is the jumping off point for Yunnan tourist trail (definitely well beaten), one end point for Overland Kunming to Hong Kong, and on some of the routes in Overland to Tibet and Long March.

  • Almost Support. The Do section is empty and the Eat section needs to be cleaned up, with some restaurants and preferably food pictures added, but other than that it's looking pretty good. I'd pop for DotM, it's a fairly major destination. (WT-en) Jpatokal 08:13, 3 September 2009 (EDT)
  • Not Yet It's a great destination, and is definitely more of a DotM, but I don't think it's ready yet. I think the "Understand" section could be more clear. Some of the entries/sections are not properly formatted. The organization of the "See" section would also be better if it were organized according to locale rather than arbitrary things like "Buildings" and "museums". The two temples could be presented better, also. Pictures are needed, as JPatokal pointed out. The "Do" section definitely needs content. No featured destination should have empty sections. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 20:59, 5 September 2009 (EDT)

Can an itinerary be DotM? Yunnan tourist trail covers four towns, three at guide & one a good outline, and two trekking areas, one guide & one stub. Could the whole thing be DotM? (WT-en) Pashley 21:29, 16 October 2009 (EDT)

Yes, the Dalton Highway was an OtBP, but...I believe it's the article which must have DotM-worthy content, and Yunnan tourist trail certainly does not contain DotM-worthy content. (WT-en) AHeneen 00:21, 19 November 2009 (EST)


Another find outside our core areas, this time found among our most edited destinations. We might have the (usual) issues with formatting again, but the content definitively seems up to standards. --(WT-en) Stefan (sertmann) Talk 08:21, 14 October 2009 (EDT)

  • Almost support. I like the article and the city, and I'm not a stickler for formatting, but there are a handful of junk listings that would need to be cleaned out, and I'd like to see a bit more organization within the headings to emphasize highlights as it is, they're all just long lists of listings. (WT-en) Gorilla Jones 23:00, 15 October 2009 (EDT)
  • Support. Great destination (when it is not foggy and raining... errr.... ). The article looks a wee bit untidy at first glance but nothing that a quick spring clean would not put right. And it needs a climate section as the weather is an extremely important factor down there. --(WT-en) Burmesedays 23:10, 15 October 2009 (EDT)
  • Soft support The sleep section is weak with non standard listings (budget/mid-range/splurge), the article does not have a map and some minor formatting issues that can be handled until the article goes online. (WT-en) jan 09:13, 16 October 2009 (EDT) Withdrawn support no improvement and does not match our criteria. Shall it end in the slush pile ? (WT-en) jan 05:33, 1 February 2010 (EST)
    • With only eight listings, the budget/mid-range/splurge headers are not needed. =) (WT-en) LtPowers 09:41, 16 October 2009 (EDT)
    • The drink and sleep section are not up to our standards and we don't have a map for the city. I think the article is a bit weak for DotM if not someone rather soon starts to improve the article. Maybe we take the article out of the schedule until someone starts to work on the open issues. (WT-en) jan 11:58, 25 November 2009 (EST)
  • Needs work With only 8 listings, the Sleep section is woefully inadequate for a city the size of Christchurch. One sleep listing is probably better in a separate Lincoln article rather than Christchurch, while the other 7 are a rather incomplete selection of mostly downtown accommodation. There are many (hundreds, perhaps even a thousand) more places to sleep in Christchurch than those listed, both in the city and the suburbs. Enought to justify budget/mid-range/splurge headings with 10 or more places listed in each. Many of the other listings lack addresses or other contact details. Also, there is no mention of Canterbury University or other places of learning. - (WT-en) Huttite 05:49, 19 October 2009 (EDT)
  • Should this be slushpiled? I am not sure of the criteria for that.....--(WT-en) Burmesedays 03:34, 29 April 2010 (EDT)

A pretty popular destination, and a good article --81.193.160.225 17:06, 5 May 2010 (EDT)

  • Don't Support The "See" section needs to be written with the proper format. Currently, it is not much more than a redirect to other websites. Other sections (such as "Eat") are also suffering from lack of information and formatting. If you're up to the task of improving it, have a look at the Project:Manual of style to see exactly how listings should look. You may also want to have a look at the Previous Destinations of the month for examples of articles that have been featured.(WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 17:29, 5 May 2010 (EDT)
  • Don't Support. A badly formatted article which is very incomplete and does no justice to a really interesting city.--(WT-en) Burmesedays 02:50, 7 May 2010 (EDT)
  • Don't Support. For the reasons given above, and also becasue it's so close to Newcastle-upon-Tyne which looks like it will be featured shortly. Hopefully this nomination will spur a few people to work on it though. It's a great destination so if we can get the guide up to scratch perhaps it could feature in a year or two. (WT-en) Tarr3n 05:05, 12 May 2010 (EDT)


A huge touristic destination, and a very complete article as well. --85.243.150.10 14:19, 27 April 2010 (EDT)

  • Don't Support The lack of consensus on how to districtify this article is a problem. Also, it has been nominated as a Collaboration of the Month . These concerns need to be addressed before Barcelona can be considered.(WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 00:05, 29 April 2010 (EDT)
  • Don't Support I absolutely love Barcelona as it is my second (and soon to be first) home but the fact of the matter is that this article is a mess. I have no idea how it got so out of control as it should have just been divided down by municipal districts, but as it sits now, it isn't presenting its information in a meaningful way to be useful for travelers. (WT-en) Primecoordinator 12:56, 14 May 2010 (UTC+3)


Although it was refused some time ago it is more complete now, and it's a very popular tourist destination. —The preceding comment was added by (WT-en) 188.81.106.36 (talkcontribs)

Not Yet Although I have never been to Lisbon, I have a sneaky suspicion that there is more to see and do in the city than what is listed. Also, the "See" section lacks organization. Districts make better subsections than the arbitrary headings like "Architecture". The transportation information does not really belong in the "See" section. It seems better suited for "Get around". (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 22:30, 28 October 2009 (EDT)
  • Oppose Lisbon is a fantastic city, and this guide still really doesn't do it any justice. --(WT-en) Stefan (sertmann) talk 02:52, 30 October 2009 (EDT)
  • More criticism wanted. While I completely agree that Lison is 'not there yet', I would welcome more criticism on what is missing and what should be improved. It could help me (and hopefully someone else) in improving the article. --(WT-en) DenisYurkin 16:39, 14 December 2009 (EST)
  • Comments. Some suggestions to improve the article:
  • Understand section is thin. Certainly needs a history sub-section and generally to tell us much more about the city.
  • Do section is tiny - there must be more - theatres, cinemas, sport?
  • Drink only has 3 listings.
  • Get out is full of red links. --(WT-en) Burmesedays 19:55, 14 December 2009 (EST)


I've been involved with Wikivoyage - mostly on Japan related articles - for a few years now. Can't believe it's been this long, and yet here I am making my first plunge into a suggestion for DOTM/OTBP. I would like to suggest for OTBP, IF we can expanding the article more or get help doing so, the city of Kawasaki. Overlooked between Kanto's two major cities, Tokyo and Yokohama, it has a charm all its own as well as a few interesting attractions... Kawasaki Daishi being the prime one. It would be a perfect fit for April, since the city's main matsuri occurs at the beginning of the month at Hachimangu. (WT-en) JRHorse 20:52, 19 December 2009 (EST)

  • Support, and agree that it's OTBP -- pretty much off the radar even for Japanese tourists. April is perfect, as it's Iron Penis Festival time as well! (WT-en) Jpatokal 21:06, 19 December 2009 (EST)
I can see a good burb text, but a 1,3 mio population and not a single bar? and one single restaurant? I think most of locals head of Yokahama and Tokyo, but still, at least a drink listing should be added before a feature. --(WT-en) Stefan (sertmann) talk 08:55, 10 January 2010 (EST)
Added a Drink listing today, HUB Kawasaki. (WT-en) JRHorse 00:24, 15 January 2010 (EST)
This is now lined up for April, but I agree that a few more Eat and Drink listings wouldn't hurt, and the article is still tagged only as "usable". (WT-en) Jpatokal 22:20, 23 February 2010 (EST)
Somebody needs to do quite a lot of work on this article before it is featured I believe. It is not even an especially strong usable guide. The See and Get in sections are good but the rest surely lacking?--(WT-en) Burmesedays 22:46, 16 March 2010 (EDT)
Well, it now has two more things to "Do" in it at least, in the unlikely event it be reconsidered for 2011 Kawasaki Penis Season (Wikivoyage really almost needs a page on penis/boob shrines and festivals across Japan given there are so many). Wish I wrote down a link for that bus tour though, was all over the news last year.(WT-en) Snave 04:10, 19 February 2011 (EST)

Anyone interested in improving this nomination or should it be slushed? (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 02:14, 20 April 2010 (EDT)

Another nice little article courtesy of a relatively (WT-en) new user, which would be our second ever featured article from Sub-Saharan Africa. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 19:57, 30 March 2009 (EDT)

  • Support and since this more or less smack under the equator, it's good to feature in winter, where we are usually short on good guides to display. --(WT-en) Stefan (sertmann) Talk 08:50, 1 April 2009 (EDT)
  • Are there really only 3 things to "See and Do"? (there are four bullets, but the second thing listed to "Do" is leave, which makes it even more noticeable that there's nothing to do/see...) It would be great to feature this (and I like the market photo), but it just seems rather bare. Does it really offer so little? (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 08:48, 19 April 2009 (EDT)
  • Don't Support —While interesting and helpful to a visitor, I think the "usable" status is very appropriate. There is very little under see & Do (which shouldn't be combined), could possibly use a few more "eat" listings, & the opening of the "sleep" section should be rewritten & include addresses. I agree w/ChubbyWimbus that it is quite "bare". I don't know about attractions there, but it's in the Serengeti and very close to several safari hotspots (Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, & Tarangire National Park). It's also the largest city near Mount Kilimanjaro (Moshi is much smaller). My guess is that it's more of a base for exploring nearby areas than a tourist destination in-and-of-itself. (WT-en) AHeneen 22:59, 10 May 2009 (EDT)
  • Support, looks well written overall. (WT-en) edmontonenthusiast [ee] .T.A.L.K. 22:05, 15 May 2009 (EDT).
  • Don't support. It's only at usable status, and I agree with AHeneen, not up to guide quality yet. Arusha is primarily a base for surrounding excursions into parks and up mountains, and an overland stop between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, so should discuss further and point to those options.... eat/drink/sleep all need beefing up and more info, at the moment you wouldn't know that it's probably the most visited place in Tanzania (WT-en) cacahuate talk 18:02, 9 July 2009 (EDT)
  • Combine Arusha and Moshi as one OTBPArusha has Mt. Meru, Moshi has Kilimanjaro and they both have safaris. If anything, the Moshi article is more informative. If you go to Arusha you will almost certainly go to Moshi, and vice versa (I did!). So why not feature them both?(WT-en) Shep 14:43, 28 August 2009 (EDT)
  • If Arusha and Moshi were both up to standard, then I think they would probably each be able to stand on their own as featured destinations. Currently, the Moshi article is not up to status. If you would like to work on it, some of the issues I notice are
    • It needs pictures
    • change first person to third person in some sentences
    • The "See" and "Other Activities" (in "Do" section) are not formatted properly. The "Add listing" feature will help to fill in the necessary information. Each temple and mosque should be written with their respective names and info
    • This goes along with properly formatting, but specific information is needed. Things like, "Tours can be arranged through several companies, and it is advisable to use common sense when finding a company. Your best bet is to ask other tourists who they used" are not very helpful. Wikivoyage is supposed to be the guide, so advising people to "ask other tourists" is not the type of suggestion we want to give. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 21:02, 28 August 2009 (EDT)


The article is already in the guide status but I think there are still things to be improved (I am working on that - comments are welcome). It is probably the most beautiful city in the Czech Republic but unknown to most travelers, so I think it is an excellent destination for the "off the beaten track" category. Probably the best time to visit the city is spring (it is the city of flowers after all) but it needs some work and the queue is full anyway, so I would like to schedule it for spring 2010 - probably April, as it is the time of the traditional flower exhibition. (WT-en) Kyknos 17:33, 20 April 2009 (EDT)

  • Close, but not there yet. Needs more Sleep listings, and almost all listings are lacking proper addresses, contact information, websites, and MoS formatting. In particular, it should never be "X is foo", but "X, address, tel, website. This is..." (WT-en) Jpatokal 06:08, 1 May 2009 (EDT)
  • Support with the same reservations as mentioned above by (WT-en) Jpatokal. Olomouc is a very nice city. It is a bit different from the most visited, western part of Czech republic and should certainly by highlighted. I believe that there is still a lot of time to do the necessary improvements. (WT-en) Atsirlin 03:57, 4 May 2009 (EDT)
  • Not yet. This would be a great destination to feature, but I think the critical deficiencies are the missing addresses throughout the article (shouldn't be too hard to track down for a motivated contributor, I think), and the near empty sleep section. So track down the addresses (at least, although other contact info is obviously desirable), and add at least 3 more hotels, and I think we have an OtBP. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 00:19, 17 July 2009 (EDT)
  • Don't Support To add to what Peter says, the listings are not properly formatted (which I think is likely the reason content is missing from the listings). Also, the "Get out" section is not organized properly. It should focus on directing people to nearby cities, not random attractions. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 20:16, 29 August 2009 (EDT)



Another one I found while browsing (coincidentally, from the Death Valley article). Although I despise gambling, I think that this article is very good and definitely-DOTM worthy, and unlike Death Valley, this one's already at Guide status. The Restaurants, Bars, and Hotels aren't organized by price like they usually are, but that can be fixed or left alone depending on preference (they are currently organized as to whether or not they are on the Strip). Also, it's nice to see that the article shows some non-gambling things to do there. Like Death Valley, I know little about the time, but I think it's fair to say that this shouldn't be featured in Summer. (WT-en) Rastapopulous 07:34, 19 November 2009 (EST)

Support, obviously. (WT-en) Rastapopulous 07:36, 19 November 2009 (EST)
  • Not quite. At first look this does not seem the most user-friendly article I have seen. It is certainly packed with information (you might argue that there is too much) but the organisation and formatting leaves a bit to be desired. The see and do sections are full of lots of bulleted text which could be better presented as prose IMHO. The sleep sections need either culling (probably) or sorting into price brackets or probably both. Too many get out options. Overall, an information-packed article but needs some organisational work and is too long I would say. --(WT-en) Burmesedays 08:29, 19 November 2009 (EST)
Well, the good news is that there is time to fix all these things up. (WT-en) Rastapopulous 10:26, 19 November 2009 (EST)
  • Not Yet As stated above, the "See" section is lacking a lot of information. Also, I think many of the listings under "See" are actually "Do" (shows, casinoes). Do the strip clubs belong under "Drink" like dance clubs? The organization is just not very good in this article. The "Do" section seems to have an awful lot of text, too.
I don't know Las Vegas well, but are all of those shows permanent shows? One listing has an end date. If there are non-permanent shows there, they should probably not be listed. This article looks like a better candidate for Collaboration of the month. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 21:21, 19 November 2009 (EST)
I don't know much about Las Vegas either, but I know it is famous for both its casinos and shows...so yes, I don't doubt that all of those are permanent. The listing with an end date, are you referring to "Mama Mia!"? I think that was probably a permanent show but slated to close when the edit was made. (WT-en) AHeneen 20:07, 20 November 2009 (EST)
  • Not quite I'm with Burmeseday...there's lots of information, but it needs to be better formatted. And while I realize that we're supposed to only list attractions once, the city is famous for its casinos...why isn't there a list of casinos? (WT-en) AHeneen 20:07, 20 November 2009 (EST)
  • Isn't it better to districtify this city? It's huge and now there's a big clutter of information on the main page. (WT-en) Globe-trotter 09:57, 20 December 2009 (EST)
Time to slush this?(WT-en) AHeneen 22:16, 21 December 2009 (EST)