Tuesday Newsletter
January 3, 2006
Tuesday Newsletter January 3, 2006
January 3, 2006 – Volume 26; Issue 1
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VisitBritain, the official tourist board for Britain, is dedicated to supporting you in developing new Britain itineraries and offering dynamic marketing campaigns to help promote your product. Visit our new tour operator Web site at http://www.visitbritain.com/vbtrade. |
Benefit Breakdown: Resources on the Seminar CD
In each issue of Tuesday this year, there will be a "Benefit Breakdown" article. This series is designed to help you learn more about the benefits of your NTA membership so you can take full advantage of all your association has to offer.
Schedule 10 minutes next week to open your 2005 NTA Seminar CD and pop it in your computer. In the first 15 seconds, you’ll find the seminar schedule from the Convention in Detroit and a sortable Excel file listing all Convention delegates. That’s right – listen to that seminar that you were disappointed to miss or use the delegate registry to dive into that all-important Convention follow-up.
All 2005 Convention delegates will receive a complimentary Seminar CD in the mail next week. Members that did not attend the Convention can purchase a copy of the CD for $500 (U.S.) by contacting Karla DiNardo at 800-682-8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or 859-226-4232 or via e-mail atmailto:karla.dinardo@ntastaff.com.
Remember to watch each issue of Tuesday for a weekly "Benefit Breakdown" to learn how to make full use of your NTA membership.
NTA Expands Staples Partnership to Canadian Members
Last fall, NTA announced a partnership with Staples, which was only available to members located within the United States at that time. However, effective immediately, Canadian members can now enjoy discounts on more than 8,000 products through NTA’s partnership with Staples.
Some of the benefits for Canadian members include:
Canadian members can start saving with NTA’s newest Corporate Partner, Staples Business Advantage, by contacting Olga Lefas at 905-737-1147, ext. 2456, or e-mailing her at olga.lefas@staples.ca. Make sure to mention you’re an NTA member interested in joining the NTA/Staples program.
To learn more and sign up online, click here. Once you’ve registered online, you’ll receive your Welcome Kit with an account number, catalog and your online user ID and password so you can begin to take advantage of this program.
For those members located within the United States, you can start saving today through the U.S. program by calling Keith Nolfi at 800-617-1712, ext. 245, or e-mail him at keith.nolfi@staples.com. U.S. members also can visit the Staples page on NTA Online by clicking here.
Tour Operators: Louisville Will Lure You to Spring Meet
Explore thoroughbreds, sports legends, a national park, cars and world history during the 2006 NTA Tour Operator Spring Meet in Louisville, Ky., March 22-25. This Midwestern city and its nearby neighbors boast nature, history and a ton of fun. Study the sightseeing tours and Fam itineraries for all your options.
Looking for choices? Choose to satisfy your passion for fast cars at the Corvette Museum. Choose to traverse the world’s longest recorded cave system at Mammoth Cave National Park. Admire the world’s largest baseball bat at Louisville Slugger. Did we mention Millionaire’s Row at Churchill Downs and the newly opened Muhammad Ali Center? Register today to join us for the 2006 Spring Meet.
Spring Meet – it’s all about you!
Berkely Announces New Benefits
Based on NTA member feedback, The Berkely Group has worked with the insurer for the NTA Travel Protection Plans to add two new covered reasons for cancellation, including:
Please consult the description of coverage at NTA Online by clicking here for full terms of these and other coverages, including limits and exclusions.
Since the NTA Travel Protection Plan is customized for NTA, all members have a voice in shaping future product enhancements. Please pass along any thoughts or suggestions to Geni Priolo by calling 800-383-9617 or via e-mail at gpriolo@berkely.com.
Web Seminar on Avian Flu is Jan. 12
With all the talk about avian flu and a possible pandemic in recent months, it’s important to arm yourself with the most up-to-date information. Dr. Phyllis Kozarsky, expert consultant on infectious diseases with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and editor of CDC’s Health Information for International Travel, will provide you with the facts about the avian flu virus in a Web seminar sponsored by TIA on Thursday, Jan. 12 from 2-3 p.m. ET. In addition to Dr. Korzarsky’s talk, the session will include a question-and-answer period at the end.
Speaker: Dr. Phyllis Kozarsky
Location: https://tiaweb.webex.com/
Date: Jan. 12, 2006
Time: 2-3 p.m. ET
Fee: $75
To register, click here, or for further information contact TIA’s Simon Heo via e-mail at sheo@tia.org or by calling 202-408-2153.
Remember, an "infodemic" can be just as dangerous as a pandemic, so learning more through this Web seminar will be beneficial.
".travel" Place Name Advisory Update
The application phase for Place Name registration closed Dec. 31, 2005. Tralliance would like to inform all those which share a Place Name with a nation of the following schedule:
For further information, please review the Place Names Advisory on the Tralliance Web site or call your NTA Member Services Department at 800-682-8886, ext. 4444 (U.S. and Canada) or 859-226-4444 or e-mail questions@ntastaff.com.
NTA learned recently that Preston Griffall, son of Western Leisure CEO and NTA Past President Keith Griffall, won a nail-biting race-off and secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic luge team. As a member of the team, he will compete in Torino, Italy, at next month’s Winter Olympics.
If you have similar information you’d like to share with your NTA colleagues – new grandchild, milestone birthday or anniversary, or some other personal highlight – please forward it to NTA Communications Specialist Pat Henderson at pat.henderson@ntastaff.com and it will be posted on a special "Family News" page of NTA Online.
The page is a result of feedback received from NTA Leadership Team members in 2005 and will serve as another way for you to learn more about the NTA family. It will complement the "Family News" discussion topic on the member forums. As always, members are encouraged to post information there, too.
Tourism Cares Gearing Up for 2006
Tourism Cares for Tomorrow is planning a full schedule of events and programs for the new year. Upcoming issues of Tuesday will include announcements of dates and details as Tourism Cares begins its second year.
Details on the 2006 Hall of Fame Dinner and a Tourism-Caring for America cleanup are in the works, so stay tuned for more information. For the latest Tourism Cares for Tomorrow news, you can always go to http://www.tourismcares.org/.
Product Development Trip Coming Up
Hey, if the Astors and Vanderbilts thought this place was great, imagine what your groups will think! Newport, Rhode Island’s "City by the Sea" is a snapshot almost 400 years in the making – an impressive collection of Colonial architecture, a cobblestone street or two and the Brick Marketplace, not to mention those 50+ room "Summer Cottages." There’s also art, harborside dining, nature trails, sailing, museums, entertainment, annual events including world renown music festivals, and shopping.
Newport is just one of the places NTA tour operators can visit as part of "Rhode Island: Big Things Come in Small Packages," NTA’s first domestic Product Development Trip, to be held April 23-27, 2006. Space is limited, and you must register by March 1, 2006. The cost to tour operators is $150 per person and that includes lodging, sightseeing and most meals. In compliance with NTA guidelines, only one full-time employee per company may attend and guests/spouses are not permitted.
For more information on the trip, click here, or contact Katrina White by calling 401-222-2601 ext. 150, or e-mailing her at kwhite@riedc.com.
While it may not be an extreme makeover, Tuesday is getting a bit of a facelift with a new headline bar at the top of the newsletter and on the e-mail you receive. In addition to the updated graphic, the headline bar also includes sponsorship information on VisitBritain.
If you want your logo to appear like VisitBritain’s does, sponsorships of NTA’s weekly e-newsletter are available on a monthly basis at a rate of $1,000 per month or six months for $5,000. Each week during that month, the sponsor’s logo and a link to its Web site, along with 30 words of text about the sponsor, will be featured in the e-mail that goes to NTA members and on the newsletter home page at NTA Online.
For more information on getting involved with this unique sponsorship, contact Karla DiNardo via e-mail at karla.dinardo@ntastaff.com or by calling 800-682-8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or 859-226-4232.