Tuesday Newsletter
April 25, 2006
Tuesday Newsletter, April 25, 2006
Volume 26: Issue 17
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The Berkely Group provides a competitive Travel Protection Plan to NTA members. The plan includes an administration-free product that operators can sell to their clients and a group product that offers flexibility in pricing and compensation. To learn more click here or contact Geni Priolo at gpriolo@berkely.com. |
| Interested in becoming a sponsor for Tuesday? Contact Karla DiNardo at karla.dinardo@NTA.travel. | |
The NTA Board of Directors gathered in Rapid City, S.D., April 20-22 for a strategic planning session and board meeting. An update from the meeting will appear in the May 2 issue of Tuesday.
A special thanks goes to the Rapid City CVB, and to the following sponsors who generously welcomed the NTA Board of Directors – Air Service Task Force, Black Hills Badlands & Lakes Association, Canyon Lake Receptions, Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer Chamber of Commerce, Deadwood Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, Ft. Hays Chuckwagon, Gray Line of the Black Hills, Hotel Alex Johnson, Minerva’s, the Mitchell CVB, Prairie Edge Trading Co. & Galleries, Radisson Hotel – Rapid City, Rapid City Regional Airport Express Shuttle, Rapid City Hospitality, Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn, South Dakota Department of Tourism, Spearfish CVB and Sturgis Chamber of Commerce.
Benefit Basics: Member Forums Create Community
The forums on NTA.travel were created to offer NTA members a platform to pose questions and learn about issues and challenges facing the packaged travel industry. With thousands of members, the forums create a community of resources to help educate, inform and communicate.
Your ID and Password are required to access the forums. E-mail your Member Services team with any questions you have regarding the NTA member forums. Happy posting!
NTA Convention: Journey to Everest from Salt Lake City
Prepare for an emotional and triumphant journey with adventurer Jamie Clarke in Salt Lake as he presents "Mount Everest – Above All Else," during the Saturday lunch Nov. 4. The Calgary, Alberta, native prepared for 18 years to realize his dream to summit Mount Everest, and his presentation will chronicle his conquest of this ultimate achievement and will use his experiences to teach you how to become a better leader, to conquer fear through focus and to live life with passion on your own terms.
An impressive lineup of speakers and panels has been secured for more than 40 sessions that will be offered during Convention. Registration for the 2006 NTA Annual Convention will open May 16 at noon ET. Mark your calendars to register and plan to join us "on location" in Salt Lake, Nov. 3-7.
Better Business. Better Be There.
Spring Meet Seminars Audio Now Available
Part of the success of the 2006 Tour Operator Spring Meet was the outstanding and varied lineup of educational seminars from some of the top professional and industry speakers. In case you missed a session, or were unable to make it to Spring Meet, the audio recordings and PowerPoint presentations from available seminars are now accessible at NTA.travel for anyone who wishes to review them.
If you need more information regarding the audio recordings and PowerPoint presentations from Spring Meet, please contact NTA’s Assistant Director of Education, Jason Jones, at jason.jones@NTA.travel.
New Zealand Product Development Trip Announced
New Zealand is known for its natural beauty and varied climates, ranging from mountain peaks to fjords and rain forests to sandy beaches. The country’s calling-card stunning scenery and rich history will be on display during NTA’s upcoming Product Development Trip.
The trip, hosted by Southern World Group, takes place Aug. 20-30 and includes eight days on the ground in New Zealand and two travel days. In addition to getting to meet with local suppliers and DMOs, NTA tour operator participants can explore one of the world’s most diverse countries when they visit Auckland, Waitomo, Rotorua, Dunedin, Te Anau, Milford, Queenstown, Mount Cook and Christchurch. The trip falls into the Cultural & Life Enrichment Travel AIM category.
The cost is $1,100 and includes airfare on Air New Zealand from/to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), air within New Zealand, lodging, meals, attractions and ground transportation. Participants are responsible for the cost of getting to LAX.
Registration for this trip is now open and is limited to one person per tour company. Applications are available if you click here and, once completed, should be sent to NTA’s Marketing Coordinator Dawn Pettus, CTP, by July 24. Questions should be directed to her at dawn.pettus@NTA.travel.
Oregon Product Development Trip Set for Sept. 26-Oct. 1
The diversity of Oregon’s coast, mountains and valleys will be showcased on NTA’s third North American Product Development Trip in 2006, to be held Sept. 26-Oct. 1.
The trip includes stops in Portland, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Recreation Area, Mt. Hood Territory, Bend, Ashland, Crater Lake National Park, Newport and Willamette Valley. It will fall into the Cultural & Life Enrichment AIM category and, as part of the trip, tour operators will have a chance to discuss possible partnerships with local suppliers and DMOs.
Cost to participate is $150 (not including airfare to/from Oregon) and is limited to one person per tour company. The registration form and further details are available at NTA.travel. The registration deadline is Aug. 18 and, for more information call the Oregon Tour & Travel Alliance at 800.451.3644.
Become a Member of Tourism Cares for Tomorrow
At its first meeting in 2006, the NTA Board of Directors named Tourism Cares for Tomorrow its official philanthropic outreach organization. The board’s decision signifies its commitment to giving back to the industry, as well as recognizes NTA’s deep roots with the organization, since its National Tourism Foundation was consolidated with USTOA’s Travelers Conservation Foundation to form Tourism Cares.
This action encourages all NTA members to use Tourism Cares as their primary vehicle to "give back" to help ensure the future of the tourism industry. In addition to this commitment by their umbrella organization, NTA members can further the outreach individually by becoming a member of Tourism Cares.
Please visit the Tourism Cares Web site to learn more about membership or to stay current with recent Tourism Cares news and find out about upcoming events.
The May issue of Courier, has a strong focus on voluntourism. You can read about it in the Travel Essentials that features Beth Kelley of Aquila Tours; the Going Green article by The Voluntourist editor David Clemmons; the editor’s column and in Travelin’ Light, which provide some highlights of the recent Tourism – Caring for America cleanup of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In addition to the Beaches feature spotlighting active adventure travel, this issue also offers a sneak preview of the 2006 NTA Annual Convention in Salt Lake City.
UPCOMING DEADLINES:
August Issue – Ad Space: May 29; Editorial: Past
Theatres; Lewis & Clark Trail; Atlantic City; Latin America; Illinois; Indiana; Michigan; Minnesota; Ontario; Wisconsin.
September Issue – Ad Space: June 23; Editorial: May 1
Museums; Railroads; Alaska & Western Canada (Alberta, British Columbia & Yukon); Southwest (Arizona, Mexico, New Mexico, Oklahoma & Texas); Georgia; North Carolina; South Carolina.
October Issue – Annual Convention – Ad Space: July 20; Editorial: June 1
Annual Convention Issue; Great Plains (Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota & Wyoming); Scandinavia; Connecticut; Maine; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; Vermont.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Autry National Center – The Berkely Group (TPP) – Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn/Universal City – Brunswick and the Golden Isles of Georgia VB – Chicago CTB – Coach USA – Colorado Springs CVB – George Washington University – Isle of Capri Casino & Hotel – ITS Design & Printing Inc. – The Liberace Museum – Greater Louisville CVB – Menopause The Musical – Missouri Division of Tourism – Mohegan Sun – Myrtle Beach Area CVB – Outer Banks Visitors Bureau – Paymentech Merchant Services – Primm Valley Resorts – Salt Lake City CVB – South Carolina Dept. of Park, Recreation & Tourism – Staples – Thanksgiving Point – Top of the Rock – Utah Olympic Park – Virginia Beach CVB – Williamsburg Hotel Associates
Please click here to view the 2006 editorial calendar online.