NTA Board to Hold September Meeting in Toronto

June 2, 2003

NTA Board to Hold September Meeting in Toronto
Recognizing the importance of helping Canada recover from recent tourism industry struggles caused by the outbreak of SARS, the NTA Board of Directors has chosen Toronto as the site of its September meeting.

"Since September 11, we in the industry have all learned how fragile tourism can be, and while it can be turned off virtually in the blink of an eye, it takes a concerted and collective effort to turn it back on," said NTA President Hank Phillips, CTP. "We are very pleased to offer our support to Toronto in recovering from its recent struggles and to quickly re-emerge as one of the world’s top tourism destinations."

The NTA Board of Directors worked in tandem with Tourism Toronto to hastily put together a plan that includes meeting facilities, hotel sites and transportation options for board members. The meeting is set for Sept. 11-14, 2003. Accomodations and meeting space will be provided by the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

"NTA holds a special affection for those cities that host our Annual Conventions, and Toronto is the site of our 2004 Convention" said NTA Chairman Charlie McIlvain, CTP. "They do so much for us before and during a Convention that when an opportunity presents itself for us to support them, we are very happy to do so."

According to Tourism Toronto representatives, its members were very enthusiastic to have worked with NTA and were delighted when the decision to meet in Toronto was made.

"This decision only encourages faith from an industry standpoint that Toronto is safe. It will also assist us in our Assurance Phase of the recovery plan and will send a message loud and clear to the market that Toronto is open for business," said Bruce MacMillan, president & CEO of Tourism Toronto.