As advertising leaves newspapers and readership declines, so travel sections are contracting in size and coverage is constrained. But can bloggers fill the void? Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) are certainly having to expand their outlook, and are increasingly courting amateur writers whose numbers are rapidly proliferating. While still welcoming articles in traditional media, the DMOs are treating bloggers with new respect, funding trips and providing assistance for travel. In return, they get several blog posts, and possibly some audio and video. Canada, Australia and Austria have been early adopters - but two of the most recent initiatives have come from the Middle East. Both Jordan and Oman have hosted bloggers but both went about organising the trips in different ways. We analyse how both countries planned their trips, what happened - and what lessons they learned.