Border Crossing, National Parks Issues Highlight NTA Legislative Agenda

January 25, 2006

Border Crossing, National Parks Issues Highlight NTA Legislative Agenda
January 25, 2006 – The National Tour Association Board of Directors established the association’s 2006 government relations priority issues during its Jan. 22 board meeting in Banff, Alberta. The issues were determined by a survey of NTA tour operators and reviewed by the association’s Government Relations Committee.

 

The six-point agenda runs from security issues (border crossing/security procedures and processes) to legislative and regulatory issues (Fair Labor Standards Act, travel industry taxes and fees) to National Parks access and ticketing issues.

 

The association also adopted a long-range goal of creating a Federal Cabinet-level position within the U.S. government to strengthen the federal role in tourism promotion and development and foster inbound traffic to the United States.

 

U.S. inbound visa issues round out the ambitious agenda.

 

In addition, three issues were placed on a "watch list" to monitor for action on behalf of NTA members. Those are the relationship with the NTA-inspired tourism entity within the Department of Homeland Security, monitoring of nonprofits engaged in for-profit tour activity, and state/local/provincial travel laws and regulations.

 

"NTA continues to be at the forefront of government relations activity on a variety of issues affecting our association and industry," NTA Legislative Counsel Jim Santini, said. "With the help and assistance of the Government Relations Committee and our Grassroots Action Network, we will make 2006 our most successful year yet."

 

"As our membership continues to diversify, so must our legislative agenda," NTA President Hank Phillips, CTP, said. "We continue to tackle the traditional core issues of taxes, regulations and nonprofits activity while also branching out into security and visa issues. All of this activity ensures NTA’s commitment to providing value to our diverse membership."

 

The National Tour Association has a global membership of tourism professionals involved in the growth and development of the packaged travel industry. Its membership includes more than 600 tour operator companies – group, independent, inbound and outbound – and the destinations and suppliers that partner with them. The association is committed to providing business results and information to its members, while offering a collaborative, caring environment in which to build relationships. For more information, please visit http://www.ntaonline.com/.

 

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