
Tuesday Newsletter
December 4, 2007
Tuesday Newsletter Dec. 4, 2007
Volume 27: Issue 48
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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. |
NTA EVENTS
NTA Annual Convention Gains Attention in the Trades
INDUSTRY NEWS
The Shows Will Go On; Broadway Strike Ends
ASSOCIATION NEWS
2008 NTA Leadership Team Announced
NTA Bylaw Changes Approved by Tour Operators
What Will 2008 Bring for Your Company?
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Michigan Service Tax Repealed
Contact the Presidential Candidates on Travel Issues
MEMBER BENEFITS
Reach 24,500 Student Travel Planners through NTA Publication
Can’t Attend ITB, but Want to Reach Participants?
2008 NTA Spring Meet at Mohegan Sun – Sponsor and Attend
February Courier to Feature Casinos, the Atlantic Coast and the Northwest
NTA EVENTS
NTA Annual Convention Gains Attention in the Trades
The NTA Annual Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, was a huge success, not only when it came to business and fun, but also in terms of gaining the attention of the travel trades and sharing the good news about NTA.
For 2007, 22 percent of the total media coverage NTA received mentioned the Annual Convention. Industry trade publications such as Travel Weekly, Travel Trade and Group Tour Magazine covered the Convention by reporting on new programs, speaking with association leaders and sending representatives to the Convention to meet with you and experience the Convention for themselves.
More than 40 articles on NTA’s premier event appeared during or after the Convention in those and other publications. Last week, Travel Pulse Daily ran a Q&A with NTA President Lisa Simon, CTP, based on an interview conducted in Kansas City. Simon was asked about topics such as NTA’s successes in 2007 and what’s ahead for the association, particularly looking to the new strategic direction. To read the interview, click here.
INDUSTRY NEWS
The Shows Will Go On; Broadway Strike Ends
Following a 19-day stagehand strike, a tentative agreement was reached last Wednesday, which cleared the way for the 26 Broadway shows that had been dark to reopen. Members of Local One authorized the first strike in the 120 years of the union Nov. 10 after failing to reach an agreement with the League of American Theaters and Producers.
NTA members seeking additional information can go to Web sites of the following NTA tour suppliers who are involved with Broadway show tickets:
ASSOCIATION NEWS
2008 NTA Leadership Team Announced
NTA Chairman and CEO Bob Hoelscher, CTP, has finalized the 2008 Leadership Team. This group of 41 volunteers will serve as the link between the members and the NTA Board of Directors and will work with the board to implement the recently announced Strategic Plan.
In 2008 there will be a combination of 10 committees, task forces and subcommittees:
A list of the 2008 Leadership Team members, broken out by the group they’ll be working with, has been posted on the Leadership Team page at NTA Online.
The first meetings of the new Leadership Team and Board of Directors will take place Jan. 5-8 in Portland, Oregon. If there is a topic you have for discussion or something you think should be brought before the leadership group, contact NTA Vice President of Communications Catherine Prather by Dec. 21. To see a list of all the 2008 meetings, click here.
Additionally, starting with the December issue, Courier magazine is adding a page called "Your Leadership at Work." In this monthly article, you will learn more about what the NTA Board and Leadership Team members are doing for you.
NTA Bylaw Changes Approved by Tour Operators
By a vote of 97 to 23, tour operators approved changes to the NTA Bylaws that consolidated the Executive Committee positions of Secretary and Treasurer and allowed for flexibility in the way the Annual Business Meetings at Convention are conducted. The 80 percent approval by tour operators was above the 66 percent needed for ratification.
Updated association bylaws, including those changes, can be found at NTA Online.
What Will 2008 Bring for Your Company?
Soon, the New Year’s Eve revelry will fade into the first day of 2008. With the new year on the horizon, NTA would like to hear your thoughts about what you see for your business. Please take a few seconds to answer the following two questions:
- Are you optimistic or pessimistic about business in the year ahead? Why?
- What is one thing you are planning on doing differently in 2008 from a business standpoint?
Please e-mail your responses to Courier Editor in Chief Penny Whitman. Your thoughts may be used in upcoming articles in Courier or Tuesday.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
The debate of the tourism-specific language regarding the Michigan service tax ended Dec. 1 when. Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed repeal and replacement legislation. The new agreement to repeal the 6 percent tax on some services, which included those provided by tour operators, and replace it with a surcharge on the state’s main business tax came just two months after it was enacted as part of the Oct. 1 deal to address the state budget crisis.
The purpose of the surcharge is to increase business taxation about $750 million a year, the amount needed to fully replace the service tax. The deal calls for amnesty and rebates for taxpayers (if they can be located) who end up paying the service tax before it is officially removed from state law.
NTA and its Michigan-based tour operators fought for the repeal of the services tax, which served as a dangerous precedent for future taxation. Michigan tour operators were concerned that the 6 percent service tax would render them unable to compete with operators from surrounding states.
Contact the Presidential Candidates on Travel Issues
One of the major findings of a recent survey NTA did in conjunction with TIA and Travel Business Roundtable was that more than 60 percent of those polled said the 2008 presidential candidates haven’t adequately addressed tourism and travel issues.
NTA is interested in keeping these issues in front of the presidential hopefuls and needs your help to do that. You are urged to contact the 2008 U.S. Presidential candidates by using the letter that is posted on the NTA Government Relations homepage. The page also includes a link to mailing addresses for the candidates.
"The poll is a clear indication that Americans want dialogue on these important issues," said NTA President Lisa Simon, CTP. "NTA is encouraging the 2008 presidential candidates to make travel and tourism part of their platforms and is actively bringing the issues to their attention."
NTA Chairman and CEO Bob Hoelscher, CTP, also will discuss the importance of this grassroots effort in his letter that will appear in the January issue of Courier magazine, which will be mailed to you later this month.
If you have questions on contacting the candidates, get in touch with NTA Director of Industry and Government Relations Matt Grayson by calling 800.682.8886, ext. 4250 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4250.
MEMBER BENEFITS
Reach 24,500 Student Travel Planners through NTA Publication
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 space deadline has been extended to Dec. 10, so you still can 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.
Can’t Attend ITB, but Want to Reach Participants?
There is still time for you to get your materials to the U.S. Commercial Service for its Product Literature Center that will be open during ITB 2008, which takes place in Berlin, March 5-9.
For $450, the U.S. Commercial Service will display catalogs/brochures from NTA’s American members and distribute additional literature to attendees. The cost also includes their collecting trade leads for you, providing market feedback and assisting you on follow up with these potential clients. Additionally, they will conduct an outreach campaign in advance of the show to attract interest in your products and services, via e-mail and on their Web site.
For more information on being part of the Product Literature Center, contact U.S. Commercial Service’s Elizabeth Powell in Germany via e-mail or by calling 49.69.7535.3167. If you want to contact a local U.S. Commercial Service representative, click here to get that information.
The deadline to sign up is mid-February, and if you wish to participate, you can register by clicking here.
2008 NTA Spring Meet at Mohegan Sun – Sponsor and Attend
For tour suppliers and DMOs who want to reach decision-makers and network with travel buyers who can impact their business, sponsorship at the Tour Operator Spring Meet is the answer. Nearly 150 tour operators are expected to attend the Spring Meet, April 2-4, 2008, at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut
Through sponsorship, not only will you elevate your presence at this key industry event, but you also are able to attend this operator-exclusive meeting. Presently, there are two breakfast sponsorships available (a great sponsorship to co-op), an afternoon break and full-page tabbed divider ads in the Spring Meet Handbook.
For more information on how you can join the ranks of the best sponsors in the industry, click here or contact Karla DiNardo at 800.682.8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4232.
February Courier to Feature Casinos, the Atlantic Coast and the Northwest
The February edition of Courier covers some of the hottest travel offerings for operators and their clients. The articles in the issue include features on casinos/gaming and culinary tourism; trip planners on the Atlantic Coast (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia) and Continental Europe; and travel guides on Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
The space deadline for the February issue has been extended to Dec. 10, so there are only a few days left to include your company’s marketing message in the magazine ranked No. 1 in the industry by tour operators.
To reach your account executive, call 800.682.8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4232 or e-mail them at advertising@ntastaff.com. Additional information is available by viewing the 2008 Courier Editorial Calendar.
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. |