Tuesday Newsletter
December 11, 2007
Tuesday Newsletter Dec. 11, 2007
Volume 27: Issue 49
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This issue of Tuesday is sponsored by VisitBritain. For everything you need to know about developing tours to Britain, and to find out more about the British partners who joined us at the NTA Convention in Kansas City, go to www.visitbritain.com/operators. We look forward to hearing from you! |
| Interested in becoming a Tuesday sponsor? E-mail Karla DiNardo at karla.dinardo@ntastaff.com. | |
INDUSTRY NEWS
NTA Working to Facilitate Chinese Leisure Group Travel to U.S.
WHTI Requirement Reminder
LA Times Opinion Piece Promotes Industry Message
NTA EVENTS
Tour Operators: Mohegan Sun will Welcome You in April
NTA Says Thank You to Travel Trade Outlets
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
NTA-NPS Voluntourism Initiative Highlighted in January Courier
MEMBER BENEFITS
National City Bank Adds New Option for Tour Operators
Kudos to Members Referring New Members
Two Days Remain to Reach 24,500 Student Travel Planners through NTA
March Courier Features the 2008 Tour Operator Spring Meet
Tourism Cares and Its Corporate Partners – Making A Difference
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Pioneer Award Nomination Deadline is Dec. 19
United Pledges Support to Cancer Society
NTA Job Center
INDUSTRY NEWS
NTA Working to Facilitate Chinese Leisure Group Travel to U.S.
Today the Department of Commerce announced a memorandum of understanding with China that will bring Chinese leisure travelers to the United States and permit U.S. destinations to market themselves in China.
"NTA is well positioned to assist U.S. travel companies in arranging Chinese leisure group travel and is ready to work with industry professionals in both countries," said NTA Chairman and CEO Bob Hoelscher, CTP. "NTA’s Immediate Past Chair Randy Julian and Director of Government and Industry Relations Matt Grayson began working with Commerce last year. This is certainly an exciting time for the travel industry and potentially for NTA members interested in marketing to the inbound Chinese traveler."
It is estimated that 579,000 Chinese travelers will come to the United States by 2011.
For more information on the agreement, click here to read NTA’s news release. Watch for more information from NTA soon on this important issue.
The second phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will go into effect soon. People traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean region are already required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.
As of Jan. 31, 2008, an oral declaration of citizenship will no longer be accepted for land and sea travel. U.S. and Canadian citizens must present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, and proof of identity, such as a driver’s license, when entering the United States through land and sea ports of entry.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of WHTI sometime during the summer of 2008. The proposed rules require U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry to have a U.S. passport, a U.S. passport card or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.
LA Times Opinion Piece Promotes Industry Message
NTA has made it a priority issue to call for the creation of an Executive Office of Travel and Tourism. Among the many things this encompasses is the need to address America’s waning image abroad and the decline in international visitors post 9/11. A recent survey in partnership with NTA, the Travel Industry Association and the Travel Business Roundtable, as well as legislation supported by the three organizations was recently addressed in an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times.
"By working with our industry partners, NTA is working to give travel and tourism a louder voice," said NTA Chairman and CEO Bob Hoelscher, CTP. "We are pleased to see this piece in the LA Times because it shows we are having a real impact and I hope that the news media, as well as legislators, will continue to take notice."
"Tourists, welcome back to America" looks to America’s security requirements and visa procedures, as well as the country’s perceived unwelcoming image, and asks Congress to act. Two bills currently in Congress – S 1661 and HR 3232 – call for the creation of an independent, nonprofit corporation to promote U.S. tourism and explain entry procedures.
To read the LA Times piece, click here and to learn how you can urge your representatives to help promote a more welcoming America, click here.
NTA EVENTS
Tour Operators: Mohegan Sun Will Welcome You in April
Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut, will play host to NTA members during the 2008 Tour Operator Spring Meet, April 2-4. Opened in 1996, the property is located between four major East Coast cities: New York; Boston; Hartford, Connecticut; and Providence, Rhode Island.
Spring Meet offers you a chance to learn from your tour operator colleagues, hear professional industry speakers, discuss trends and enjoy casual conversation during social events. Additionally, you will experience the charm of Mohegan Sun.
Registration for the event will open Jan. 9 at Noon ET on NTA Online, and more details will be available in the coming weeks.
Sponsorships, which allow DMOs and tour suppliers entry into this operator-only event, are available. For more information on Spring Meet sponsorships, contact NTA Vice President of Sales and Publishing Karla DiNardo.
NTA Says Thank You to Travel Trade Outlets
A big thank you goes out to all of the travel trade outlets that joined us in Kansas City, Missouri. We’re glad you were there to experience the NTA Convention firsthand, interviewing NTA leadership and other members. NTA appreciates your support of the association throughout the year.
Thank you to Group Tour Magazine, Group Travel Leader, Performance Media Group, Premier Tourism Marketing, Serendipity Publishing, Travel Trade and Travel Weekly.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
NTA-NPS Voluntourism Initiative Highlighted in January Courier
During the Annual Convention, delegates learned more about a new voluntourism initiative between NTA and the National Park Service. An article providing more information on the program will appear in the January issue of Courier magazine.
The story provides details on NTA’s work to establish a link between NPS sites that need volunteers to help with projects and tour operators looking to add a sustainable element to their itineraries. Through the program, tour operators would be able to contact volunteer coordinators at a specific set of NPS sites and work with them to design a project to meet a group’s specific needs and abilities.
"NPS reportedly has a backlog exceeding $6 billion worth of projects needing to be done. Why not use volunteer help to whittle away many of the projects that do not require major construction or the employment of skilled laborers?" said NTA Chairman and CEO Bob Hoelscher, CTP, in the article. "Our goal is to establish a permanent NPS voluntourism program geared toward the tour industry through which any qualifying group tour operator could incorporate one or more park workday programs in its regular commercial tour offerings."
The January issue of Courier will be mailed to all NTA members late this month.
top of pageMEMBER BENEFITS
National City Bank Adds New Option for Tour Operators
NTA announced a pilot program with National City Bank earlier this year to offer a Travel Funds Protection Plan. The TFPP is a unique escrow offering that allows tour operators to protect their traveler’s funds.
National City has added a second option for NTA tour operators, the Trust Agency Agreement, which was approved by the NTA Board of Directors last month. The new program allows operators to open a trust account in lieu of an escrow account, like the one provided with the TFPP. The agreement provides an alternate choice for operators in how they wish to protect their traveler deposits.
Click here for more information on both the TFPP and the Trust Agency Agreement and to obtain contact information for National City Bank representatives who are happy to discuss the programs with you in more detail.
Kudos to Members Referring New Members
The growth and diversification of your association has many benefits. It helps give NTA a stronger voice in the industry and provides you with expanded product and potential business partners. For each tour operator, tour supplier or DMO you pass along that becomes an NTA member, you’ll receive a $25 gift card.
The following members have taken an active role in NTA’s recruitment efforts by referring a new company that joined the association:
Click here to learn more about how you can benefit from getting involved with NTA’s recruitment rewards program.
Two Days Remain to Reach 24,500 Student Travel Planners through NTA
Tapping into the student travel market has never been so easy. Now you can reach 24,500 student travel planners through NTA’s only officially endorsed publication for the student market, The Trip Planner for student travel. This magazine will be sent in February 2008 to a large group of student travel planners, as well as distributed with the February issue of Courier magazine to 1,400 NTA tour operators.
Listings in The Trip Planner for student travel are available to tour operators for only $250, and suppliers and DMOs can take advantage of display advertising options. The final space deadline is December 1, so there are only two days to book your ad or logo listing in this NTA-endorsed student publication.
For more information, click here or call 800.682.8886, ext, 4232 (U.S. and Canada), or 859.226.4232.
March Courier Features the 2008 Tour Operator Spring Meet
The March edition of Courier covers some of the hottest travel offerings for operators and their clients. The March 2008 edition of Courier offers plenty of opportunity to get your company/destination in front of tour operators. The monthly feature stories are on the 2008 Tour Operator Spring Meet and hotels and resorts. The trip planners showcase the Toronto and Niagara Region (New York and Canada) and Branson, Missouri, while the ravel guides highlight Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
The space deadline for the March issue is Jan. 3, so you have plenty of time to get in the magazine ranked No. 1 in the industry by tour operators.
Click here to view the full 2008 Courier Editorial Calendar. To reach your account executive, call 800.682.8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4232 or e-mail advertising@ntastaff.com for more information.
Tourism Cares and Its Corporate Partners – Making A Difference
Tourism Cares takes its mission of protecting the world’s most treasured travel experiences seriously.
To fulfill that mission, each year nearly two dozen non-profit organizations around the globe receive grants from Tourism Cares, while more than 40 scholarships are awarded to deserving students studying the travel industry. In addition, the annual Tourism Cares for America Restoration Event brings together more than 300 people at an iconic North American site to conserve, preserve and restore that site so that it can be enjoyed by future generations.
These programs and services are a vital part of our industry’s charitable endeavors and would not be possible without the support of so many in the travel and tourism industry, most specifically, the Corporate Partners of Tourism Cares. It is only with the support of companies like Aegon USA, Collette Vacations, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, The Mark Travel Corporation, Tauck World Discovery and Trip Mate that Tourism Cares is able to achieve its mission.
Corporate Partnerships are available at levels ranging from $5,000 – $50,000 and are a great way for a company or organization that is passionate about conservation, education, preservation and restoration to support the efforts of Tourism Cares. Click here for more information about the Tourism Cares Corporate Partnership Program.
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Pioneer Award Nomination Deadline is Dec. 19
The third Pioneer Award will be presented at the 2008 Tour Operator Spring Meet in Uncasville, Connecticut, and nominations are due Dec. 19. The award honors individuals whose accomplishments have resulted in a significant change in the travel industry from which NTA and its members (specifically tour operators) have benefited.
Nominations can be made by any person employed by an NTA member company, although it is not required that nominees be NTA members. For information on the criteria and nomination process, click here.
Nominations should be sent via e-mail to to NTA Executive Assistant Celeste Moore.
United Pledges Support to Cancer Society
NTA transportation provider United Airlines is working with the American Cancer Society to send a little holiday cheer – in the form of a teddy bear – to children undergoing cancer treatment.
For everyone donating $50 or 7,500 miles from their United frequent flyer program (Mileage Plus) account, United will arrange for a Kenny Hugyou bear to be delivered to kids in hospitals across America, who have been pre-selected by the American Cancer Society. Funds and Mileage Plus miles raised will support ACS’s efforts to eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease, educate individuals about cancer prevention, support those with the disease and fund research to find new and better treatments.
Contributions are being accepted through December, then the bears are scheduled to be delivered in February 2008. Click here to find out more about how you can get involved and make a difference in the life of a young cancer patient.
Position Available – Executive Director
Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau
Outstanding candidate to serve as CVB Executive Director, located in Gulfport, Mississippi. Position promotes, markets, sells, manages and develops the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a premier destination. Works through a series of focused committees and semi-monthly board meetings, manages staff of approximately 20, prioritizes annual budget of approximately $5 million.
Requires a four-year college degree in one or more of the following fields: Business, Management, Marketing, Travel, Hospitality or other business/management related field or directly related experience equal to or better than 10 years of progressive management experience within the tourism industry; Partial SKAs: Convention and Leisure Sales; Media Relations; Intergovernmental Relations; Constituent Relations; Marketing and Advertising. Salary $90,000.00, based on experience. Benefits package. EOE.
Go to http://www.gulfcoast.org/ for directions to view and apply for this job.
If you have a listing to post in the NTA Job Center section of Tuesday, e-mail NTA Communications Specialist Pat Henderson. The cost is $250 and your ad will run in two consecutive issues.
| To ensure that you’re doing business with an NTA member, go to the NTA Web site and click on either "Tour Operator Search" or "DMO/Tour Supplier Search" at the top of the page. |