Tuesday Newsletter
October 16, 2007
Tuesday Newsletter Oct. 16, 2007
Volume 27: Issue 42
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This issue of Tuesday is sponsored by Tourisme Montréal. North American life and European charm, a dynamic cultural scene and vibrant festivals where creativity never fails. Our goal is to help you in organizing events and tour packages. For a sweet escape, Montréal is an absolute must. It is an experience to live and share. |
| Interested in becoming a Tuesday sponsor? E-mail Karla DiNardo at karla.dinardo@ntastaff.com. | |
NTA EVENTS
Add Appointments Before Convention Via Direct Request Scheduling
Destination Pavilion Web Seminar is Oct. 18
Volunteer to Help at NTA Central
Convention Executive Program Demonstrates Value of NTA to Your CEO
Make Plans to Attend Nevada Rocks for Tomorrow
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Voting in NTA Elections Before Convention? Ballots are Due This Friday
INDUSTRY NEWS
Homeland Security Secretary Committed to Enhanced Drivers Licenses
Survey Says American Travelers will Go Green … to a Point
MEMBER BENEFITS
Reach 24,500 Student Travel Planners Through NTA
January Courier Featuring Alaska, British Columbia, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington
NTA EVENTS
Add Appointments Before Convention Via Direct Request Scheduling
Would you like to add business appointments to your Convention Exchange schedule? Consider sending a Direct Request to set up an appointment with another delegate. Last year, 1,986 Tour & Travel Exchange appointments were added using this feature, so it can be a valuable tool to help you pick up more meetings.
These requests can be made by clicking on the "Direct Request Appointments" button in the appointment request system. There will be four sections on your screen to help you keep up with your additional requests:
- "Receive E-mail Notices" allows you to choose what e-mail address you want request updates sent to. After you enter/update your e-mail address at the top of the screen, you will receive an e-mail to that address each time someone requests an appointment with you or when your pending requests are accepted or declined. This new feature was based on member feedback from last year.
- "My Requests" provides a summary of any requests that you have made to meet with other attendees.
- "Supplier/DMOs/Tour Operators Requesting Appointments" provides a summary of the requests that other delegates have sent to you. Check back regularly to accept or decline new requests.
- "Open Appointment Times" is a complete list of the open times in your schedule. By clicking on a specific time in the "Open Appointment Times" section, tour operators can see the list of DMOs and tour suppliers who also are available at that time and vice versa.
If the meeting request you send through the Web site is accepted, the appointment will be added to both appointment schedules. Check back often to review the status of your requests and updated schedule.
If you have questions, contact your Member Services Team at 800.682.8886 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4444.
Destination Pavilion Web Seminar is Oct. 18
The Destination Pavilion will make its debut at this year’s Annual Convention, and more than 65 state, provincial and international destinations will be participating. The new pavilion offers tremendous opportunities for product development. In order to help DMOs take full advantage of the pavilion, an informational Web seminar will be held this Thursday, Oct. 18, from 2-3 p.m. ET.
Any DMO that is registered in the pavilion can participate in the session and learn how to get the most out of their experience. If you want to take part in the Web seminar, please e-mail NTA Director of Meetings and Events Lee Carter.
Designed so tour operators can easily develop product with the help of their DMO and supplier partners, the Destination Pavilion is made up of pods that are arranged regionally and contain plenty of areas for meetings and networking. The first official event at the pavilion is Friday, Nov. 2, from 3-5:45 p.m. when time is dedicated for tour operators to visit the area. Both tour suppliers and DMOs are encouraged to be present for this valuable opportunity to talk with tour operators.
To read an article on the the Destination Pavilion from the September issue of Courier, click here.
Volunteer to Help at NTA Central
Now that you have your list of Exchange appointments and know your schedule, sign up to volunteer at the 2007 NTA Annual Convention. Two specific opportunities that allow you to help Convention newcomers are:
- Convention 101 Presenters (Veteran volunteers only): Share your experience by conducting one of the seminars geared toward helping first-timers excel during Convention.
- Mock Appointments (Veteran volunteers only): Help newcomers shed their jitters and practice their Exchange appointment presentation by participating in mock appointments.
To learn more about the volunteer program or to sign up, contact NTA Manager of Member Relations Lori Rempe.
Convention Executive Program Demonstrates Value of NTA to Your CEO
Give the CEO or decision-maker of your company a chance to experience the benefits of your NTA membership through the Executive Program. This year’s program takes place Monday, Nov. 5, and will allow top-level executives to see the Convention and the value of your investment in NTA, firsthand.
The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. with an overview that will introduce participants to the association. Then, they are invited to attend the Super Session, featuring keynote speaker and funny man Joel Zeff, at 9:45 a.m. After lunch and a Convention Mall tour, your executive can meet company clients and business partners by shadowing you as you conduct your Tour & Travel Exchange appointments.
The registration fee for this program is US$100, and you can sign your executive up by contacting NTA Manager of Member Relations Lori Rempe at 800.682.8886 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.219.3579.
Make Plans to Attend Nevada Rocks for Tomorrow
You can support Tourism Cares by joining your fellow NTA delegates for a night of good music, dancing, cocktails and camaraderie at the Nevada Rocks for Tomorrow dance party. The event will be held Sunday, Nov. 4, at The Legends in Kansas City, Kansas.
Again this year, delegates from Nevada will be hosting all tour operators as their guests. To take advantage of this generous offer, tour operators need to pick up their complimentary tickets at the Nevada booth on the Mall floor.
DMOs and tour suppliers can buy tickets for this popular Convention event and tickets are $40 in advance and can be purchased by calling NTA Member Services at 800.682.8886 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4444. They will be $50 on site. The money raised goes to support Tourism Cares, the official philanthropy of NTA.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Voting in NTA Elections Before Convention? Ballots are Due This Friday
The deadline for companies to vote in the 2008 NTA Board and Officer elections prior to Annual Convention is this Friday, Oct. 19. Members have the option of either submitting the ballots that were sent at the end of September or waiting to vote during the membership category Election and Talk Times at Convention.
To learn more about the candidates for secretary, treasurer, tour operator director, DMO director and tour supplier director, visit the Election Page. Additionally, you can ask the candidates a question on the Election Forum page of the online member forums and read a Q&A with each nominee in the October Courier.
Any questions regarding the 2008 NTA election can be directed to NTA Industry and Government Relations Director Matt Grayson.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Homeland Security Secretary Committed to Enhanced Drivers Licenses
At a press conference late last month in Vermont, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said recent agreements with Washington and Vermont permitting the states to issue enhanced drivers licenses are not "pilot projects" but viable alternatives to passports for land border crossings.
The enhanced drivers licenses used in the two states contain a radio chip that can be swiped by border agents at crossings. Agents would then have access to information about that person’s identity and citizenship similar to what is encoded in a passport.
Chertoff says the licenses are the answer to concerns about new regulations that would require U.S. citizens to carry a passport every time they want to cross North American borders, since they could be used to fulfill the passport requirement of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. DHS officials maintain that a passport or other secure documents, such as an enhanced drivers license, will be necessary for land and sea border crossings in early 2008 once final WHTI provisions on those types of entries take effect.
Survey Says American Travelers will Go Green … to a Point
More than half of all U.S. adults say they would be more likely to select an airline, rental car or hotel that uses more environmentally friendly products and processes, according to the results of the latest travelhorizonsTM survey by the Travel Industry Association and Ypartnership.
But while more than half are advocates of environmental responsibility, only 14 percent of respondents said their actual selection of a travel service supplier would be influenced by that supplier’s efforts to preserve and protect the environment. Just 13 percent would be willing to pay higher rates or fares to use suppliers who demonstrate environmental responsibility. The amount of the rate or fare premium appears to be the source of their hesitation, as 76 percent would pay less than 10 percent more per usage, with the majority of respondents indicating they would pay less than 5 percent more.
Half of the respondents said they would be more likely to use an airline if they knew it took the initiative to offset carbon emissions; used newer, more fuel efficient jets; or implemented recycling programs. Almost six out of 10 (56 percent) stated the same thing for car rental companies that offer more fuel efficient and/or hybrid cars. And fully 54 percent stated they would be more likely to patronize hotels or resorts they knew practiced environmental responsibility.
Other findings of note from the survey include:
The survey, conducted in August 2007, polled 2,296 travelers.
MEMBER BENEFITS
Reach 24,500 Student Travel Planners Through NTA
Tapping into the student travel niche 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 opportunities. The space deadline has been extended to Nov. 9 due to the popularity of this publication, so there is still plenty of time to book your advertisement or logo listing.
For more information on the only student publication endorsed by NTA, click here or call 800.682.8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4232.
January Courier Featuring Alaska, British Columbia, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington
The January 2008 issue of Courier offers plenty of ways to get your company/destination in front of tour operators. Features included in the January edition cover the 2008 Tour Operator Spring Meet Preview, Sightseeing Cruises and Cruise Ships. Travel Guides highlight Alaska, British Columbia, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington and the month’s Trip Planners showcase the Antebellum South (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee) and the British Isles and Ireland.
The space deadline for the January Courier is Oct. 29, so you still have time to get in the magazine ranked No. 1 in the industry by tour operators. Plus, if you book by that date, you will lock in 2007 rate protection for your advertisement.
Click here to see the full 2008 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.
| 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. |