Tuesday Newsletter
June 14, 2005
Tuesday Newsletter June 14, 2005
June 14, 2005: Volume 25; Issue 17
Tuesday is your official source for the latest information on the 2005 Annual Convention. Focused on building business, the Convention includes many ways you can achieve results that impact your bottom line. The links below will assist you in making the most out of your Convention experience.
To get registered for all of this, and everything else the 2005 Annual Convention has to offer, click here.
Better Business. Better Be There.
Tour Operators Report Rebound in Travel
Results from NTA’s most recent member survey support other accounts that the travel industry is rebounding in 2005. These results illustrate a steady increase in the number of passengers and departures over the year, as well as improved sales. This is consistent with overall economic indicators that consumers are increasingly optimistic and confident in traveling this year.
According to the Web-based quarterly survey of tour operators, 78 percent of NTA tour operators reported that the number of passengers served during the first quarter of 2005 was greater than or the same as the first quarter of last year, with 50 percent reporting increased numbers.
Also promising, the overall sales volume during the first quarter of 2005 was 51 percent greater than that of 2004. Looking ahead, 56 percent of NTA tour operators expect their company’s sales volume to be greater than the second quarter of 2004.
More results from the survey will be posted on "This Just In" at NTA Online and in future issues of Tuesday.
Other Indicators of Industry Improvement
While many analysts are projecting a big industry-wide surge for travel this summer, the year already has shown signs of promise for many market segments. In addition to the reports from NTA tour operators mentioned above, two specific success stories from the first quarter of 2005 involve cruise lines and Mexican inbound travel.
The Cruise Lines International Association reports that its 19 member cruise lines carried 2.63 million worldwide guests in the first quarter of 2005, an 8.9 percent increase over the same period in 2004. North American passengers grew by 12.9 percent during the quarter to 2.34 million guests, up from 2.10 million first-quarter guests a year ago. Occupancy figures are up, too, checking in at 104.3 percent for the first quarter of 2005, compared with 103.3 percent last year.
According to Sectur, the Mexican tourism ministry, revenue earnings for international travel to Mexico were $3.48 billion in the first quarter of 2005 (a 19.4 percent increase over the same period last year) and arrivals for the quarter totaled 5.8 million (up 12.3 percent over 2004). In March alone, Mexico received a record $1.91 billion (a 30.6 percent jump over March 2004) in tourism-related revenue thanks to 2.16 million international visitors (an 18.7 increase).
".travel" Web Seminars Coming Up June 21 and 22
There is still time to sign up for next week’s free Web seminars on the ".travel" initiative. The sessions are geared to help you become better informed about the upcoming authentication and application process to obtain a ".travel" domain name.
The seminar for DMOs is Tuesday, June 21, at 2 p.m. ET, and DMOs can click here to register. The version for tour operators and tour suppliers is Wednesday, June 22, at 2 p.m. ET, and those members can click here to register.
More information on the ".travel" initiative is available by clicking here.
Additional ".travel" News Available from Tralliance
Still wondering what the ".travel" domain naming initiative is and how much it costs? These questions and more are answered in the most recent newsletter provided by Tralliance, the ".travel" registry. Click here to access the newsletter, which is part of a series of bulletins Tralliance is doing to pass along complete updates to travel professionals on the ".travel" program.
Chairman’s Conversation Club Update
The Chairman’s Conversation Club continues to pick up momentum. The initiative gets four to five members on the phone with NTA Chairman and CEO Ann Thomas, CTP, to discuss travel- and business-related topics.
Some common themes have emerged on recent calls including issues DMOs have with tracking visitation numbers and economic impact, and the challenges late bookings create for both tour operators and suppliers. Five calls have taken place so far this year, and you can read more of what your fellow members said on those calls by clicking here.
The monthly calls are conducted for each of NTA’s three membership categories and include Thomas, the board of directors’ representative in that category, the randomly selected members and an NTA staff member.
Tourism Cares Issuing 33 Scholarships
Tourism Cares for Tomorrow’s Executive Director Bruce Beckham, CTP, said that the organization will be announcing 33 scholarship recipients for 2005 in a few weeks. Tourism Cares, which assumed responsibility for the National Tourism Foundation’s scholarship program on Jan. 1, has been working closely with universities and colleges to finalize the 2005 program.
"The National Tourism Foundation/NTA scholarship program is alive and well, and we are honored to continue this tradition of service and support to the future leaders of our industry," Beckham said.
The organization’s Education Committee is scheduled to meet this month for final review and selection after all applicants have undergone a series of reference and academic standing checks. Members of the Education Committee for 2005 are Chair Dr. Patty Janes, (Central Michigan University), Ed Hall (Greater Rochester Visitors Association), Dr. Donald Hawkins (George Washington University), Dr. Mick La Lopa (Purdue University), Dr. Hannah Messerli (New York University) and Bill Underdown (Marriott Corporation).
Discussion Picks Up on Member Forums
If you haven’t visited the NTA Online Member Forums in a while, now is a good time to check them out. Several interesting discussions have popped up, including a few by tour suppliers soliciting input from tour operators on a variety of topics from standard comp policies to developing a checklist for entering the group market.
Please log on to http://forums.ntaonline.com/ to offer your input and keep up with your fellow NTA members.
Get Your Company Name Out There
NTA’s Annual Convention publications offer you many ways to get your company or destination’s name in front of the nearly 3,000 travel professionals that will gather in Detroit, Nov. 4-8.
In addition to these publications, there are numerous sponsorship opportunities available. One of the benefits of being a sponsor includes guaranteed acceptance into the Tour and Travel Exchange®. For a complete list of available sponsorships, e-mail Karla DiNardo.
These opportunities are sure to make your company top of mind to NTA members. For more information on availability, click here or call 800-682-8886, ext. 4238 (U.S. and Canada) or 859-226-4238, or e-mail Darby Schulman.