Live Updates from Egypt and Jordan
April 24, 2011
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NTA Again Comes to the Aid of Tourism Areas in Crisis
Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, NTA launched a campaign to inspire people to travel again. During a 2003 outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in Canada, NTA’s board of directors held a meeting in Toronto in support of the local tourism community. Last year, NTA and Edelman conducted free crisis media relations seminars for tourism professionals in the aftermath of the Gulf Coast oil spill, and after Nashville was devastated by flood waters, the NTA board held their meeting in the Tennessee capital.
Now, NTA is responding again to a situation where tourism—and the people who conduct it—are being affected by external events. This time in Egypt and Jordan.
Cathy Greteman and Lisa Simon; NTA’s chairman and president, respectively, are currently leading a group of travel association heads, tour operators and travel journalists on a six-day visit of the tourism infrastructure of Egypt and Jordan, where political unrest last winter reduced the normal torrent of tourists to a trickle. The group left Friday, April 22.
"A lot of people in the tourism industry are out of work in Egypt and Jordan, and tour operators here at home have lost business," Greteman said. "By going there ourselves we hope to rekindle enthusiasm for travel to the region."
NTA is teaming up with leaders from the United States Tour Operators Association, American Society of Travel Agents, Tourism Cares and the Adventure Travel Trade Association. The trip is conducted in partnership with the tourism ministries of Egypt and Jordan.
"Ours is an industry that sticks together in times of crisis," said Simon. "These are our members and partners in the association and our colleagues in the industry. When travel professionals and the regions they serve are threatened, NTA responds."
Updates from Egypt and Jordan:
(April 24) A message from NTA President Lisa Simon: I just met the Minister of Foreign Affairs who joined us for dinner Saturday evening. Egypt’s Minister and the Egyptian ambassador in Washington, D.C. are appreciative of our support. In turn, they support our efforts.
(April 25) Greteman, Simon and the rest of the delegation met Senator John McCain(Rep-AZ.) in their hotel lobby in Egypt on Monday, April 25. Senator McCain was visiting Egypt after his trip to Libya. When meeting with the Senator, he said "Thank you for being here. They need tourism really badly."