About NTA

The Bylaws and Membership Requirements define the association’s membership structure, including the requirements of membership, voting rights and eligibility for serving on the Board of Directors. In the spirit of NTA’s member-driven focus, the bylaws are determined by a vote of the tour operator membership.

It is the role of the association’s staff, with oversight by the Board of Directors, to ensure the association’s compliance of the bylaws set forth.

• NTA Bylaws
• NTA Membership Requirements & Standards

Preamble

The NTA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility is established to guide its members in their relationship to one another and in providing professional and courteous quality services to the traveling public.

Code No. 1 (Obligation)

An NTA Member shall be guided in all professional and personal activities, by truth, accuracy, honesty, fairness and integrity.

• 1.A. An NTA member shall obey all laws and regulations and shall avoid any conduct or activity which would cause unjust harm to others.
• 1.B. An NTA member shall not engage in any act or omission of a dishonest, deceitful or fraudulent nature in the conduct of business activities.
• 1.C. An NTA member shall conduct its/his/her dealings in a civil, courteous and professional manner.

Code No. 2 (Obligation)

An NTA Member shall exercise truth, honesty, integrity and fair dealings with his/her/its customers and/or consumers.

• 2.A. An NTA member shall develop, assemble and complete Packaged Travel planning and/or Packaged Travel component planning on the basis of sound business judgment and information.
• 2.B. An NTA member shall provide complete, accurate and informative materials, agreements, documents, information (print, electronic media, television, radio or otherwise) to its customers and/or to consumers. Informative materials, agreements, documents, information (print, electronic media, television, radio or otherwise) produced and/or utilized by an NTA member shall not contain false, misleading or incomplete information.
• 2.C. An NTA member shall utilize solicitation materials and agreements with its customers (print, electronic media, television, radio or otherwise) that contain sufficient information to enable the customer to make an informed purchasing decision and which are clear and understandable.
• 2.D. An NTA member shall keep it’s customer’s reasonably informed about the status of a matter and provide communications and information to its customers in a prompt and timely manner.

Code No. 3 (Obligation)

An NTA member should promote public confidence in NTA.

• 3.A. An NTA member shall use the NTA’s logos as an emblem of the highest standards of professional conduct.
• 3.B. No NTA Member shall commercially disparage the business activities of any participant in the Packaged Travel industry without good and supportable basis.
• 3.C. An NTA member shall assist in maintaining the integrity of NTA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, should report promptly to NTA any information concerning a violation of NTA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and, upon request, shall disclose any information concerning any alleged violation thereof to NTA to facilitate an investigation of any such alleged violation.

Code No. 4 (Aspiration)

An NTA Member should keep informed on the latest techniques, developments and knowledge pertinent to the Packaged Travel industry.

• 4.A. An NTA member should maintain and strive to improve its/his/her professional knowledge, skills and competence.
• 4.B. An NTA member should be informed on those financial and operational matters that are essential to the maintenance of the member’s professional competence in assembling, furnishing and/or providing the components of Packaged Travel and/or providing reliable and efficient service to and for the Packaged Travel Consumer.
• 4.C. An NTA member should maintain and raise professional standards in the Packaged Travel industry and support the development, improvement and enforcement of such regulations and codes as shall foster competence and ethical conduct on the part of all NTA members and benefit the public.

Legal Counsel for NTA has asked us to remind all Association members, as well as NTA Board members and officers, that certain topics are not proper subjects for discussion and consideration at any Association meeting of members, officers, directors or committees, whether formal or informal. While it is entirely appropriate to meet as an Association to discuss common programs and areas of interest, it must be kept in mind that the members are competitors and any collective action taken to eliminate, restrict, or govern competition among members is a violation of the antitrust laws. If there is any discussion among the members at Association meetings relating to significant factors of competition, an inference may be raised that such a discussion among competitors is for the purpose of agreeing upon a common course of business conduct.

More particularly, among the subjects that members should never discuss with competitors, are rates, surcharges, conditions, terms and prices of service, allocating or sharing of customers, and refusing to deal with a particular supplier or class of suppliers. Such discussions often lead to agreements, and agreements among or between competitors regarding any of these subjects are per se violations of the antitrust laws and can lead to severe criminal and civil penalties.

It is essential, therefore, that all necessary steps be taken by Association executives, officers and members themselves to prevent any Association meeting from becoming a forum for those types of discussions which might lead to an understanding or agreement, expressed or implied, with respect to any essential element of competition.

We suggest that you prepare and review all agendas for Association meetings in that light, and urge you to be most vigilant to make certain that your discussions do not stray from the prepared agenda.