72-Hour Alert! Convention ’11 Early Bird Deadline Is Friday | Contact: From Newport to San Diego!
August 9, 2011
Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kami Risk.
TODAY’S ARTICLES
72-Hour Alert! Convention ’11 Early Bird Deadline is Friday
Contact: From Newport to San Diego!
Tour Operators: Help Us Determine the ‘Distinguished Dozen’
Q: How Is NTA Like Match.com?
Here’s the 4-1-1: Four Days. No. 1 Show in Asia. One Deal You Can’t Miss!
Last Reminder: 9/11 Memorial Webinar this Thursday
Air Fares Level off after FAA Bill is Passed
7 Ways to Make Great Things Happen
Driving Alert: Dallas, Texas
Tourism Cares Awards Professional Development Internships
You’re Perfect for Promoting in the October Courier If …
Industry News and Updates
72-Hour Alert! Convention ’11 Early Bird Deadline is Friday
Don’t miss your chance to save! Register now to save on your registration for Convention ’11 in Las Vegas, Dec. 5–9. Don’t put it off and kick yourself later. Early Bird registration ends Friday, Aug. 12.
Why NTA? You get:
- 1. face-to-face appointments with the best in the business
- 2. an impressive slate of seminars
- 3. five days of all-member, all-access networking opportunities
NTA Convention is where solid business gets done. It’s where high-quality sellers meet high-quality buyers. It’s the place to be!
And this year … it’s Vegas, baby! Join us for the most valuable sales opportunity you’ll have all year.
Early Bird savings:
Tour operators: Save $110 (Plus, registering before Aug. 12 makes you eligible for the tour operator rebate.)
Tour suppliers and DMOs: Save $200
And don’t forget you can register now and pay later by clicking the "check" option on your registration form. We’ll sign you up at the Early Bird rate now and send you an invoice later.
See who’s coming, review the slate of seminars, check out the fam and sightseeing tours, and register here. We’ll see you in Vegas!
Contact: From Newport to San Diego!
Nearly 200 Contact attendees enjoyed the Newport, Rhode Island, event last week, including Jenifer Robertson, co-owner of About Tours, who came to take advantage of the multi-track education program and the business-friendly schedule.
"Contact was wonderful. It is a great format for networking and learning," Robertson said. "I have come back refreshed and ready to look at new ideas for our business."
Participants swapped ideas in table topic sessions; explored new marketing
avenues; raised money for NTA’s government relations fund; gathered blueberries on sightseeing tours; and enjoyed the local hospitality and flavor of Rhode Island.
"Contact was one of the best conferences I attended this year," said Judee Kaplan of Select Travel. "There were terrific networking opportunities, very interesting and relevant educational sessions, plus interesting sightseeing tours and evening events where you could relax and enjoy spending time with fellow NTA members. The Rhode Island staff did a great job. This was a chance to contact members and explore how we could work together. The name explains it all, Contact was great!"
Plans for next year’s Contact are already underway, with San Diego as the host city. The West Coast is ready for NTA, said Glenda Taylor, director of international travel trade for the California Travel and Tourism Commission.
"We’re thrilled to welcome NTA to California," Taylor said. "San Diego is such a diverse and exciting destination for tour operators to gather for Contact."
We’re still finalizing plans for Contact ’12; check NTA Online in the coming months for more details about the San Diego conference. In the meantime, you can go on Facebook to see the collection of photos posted from Newport. And keep in mind that it was our terrific sponsors who helped make Contact ’11 such a success.
Tour Operators: Help Us Determine the ‘Distinguished Dozen’
In the spirit of "Members First," the Courier magazine team has produced a quick, anonymous survey asking NTA tour operator members to name some of their favorite NTA partners. By answering just 12 short questions, tour operators will get to share their top choices for big-city destinations, favorite museum for groups, favorite sightseeing rail experience and more.
Look for the Distinguished Dozen survey in your inbox tomorrow and take just a few minutes to answer the questions. The winners will be revealed in the January 2012 issue of Courier and will receive a special 2012 Courier magazine Distinguished Dozen logo for their Web sites and marketing materials.
(Psssst, suppliers and DMOs: Nobody said you can’t check in with your tour operator partners and urge them to vote for you!)
A: The better your profile, the better your match!
Whether you’re looking for a life partner or a business partner, your profile is the key to finding a perfect match!
Your NTA Member Profile is your No. 1 marketing tool, but it needs to be up to date to be effective. Is your company description current? Have you added new services and travel products? Do your pictures tell your company story? Have you set yourself apart?
It’s time to review and update your NTA member profile now! Convention ’11 appointment scheduling begins Tuesday, Aug. 16.
To review/edit your profile and add a logo or business-related photos, locate the blue MEMBER LOG-IN box here and log-in with your NTA member name and password. Then just follow the prompts.
Your profile speaks for your business all day, all year. Make sure it says what people need to know! For help, e-mail our Member Services team or call 800.682.8886 or +1.859.264.6540. They’ll be happy to assist you.
Here’s the 4-1-1: Four Days. No. 1 Show in Asia. One Deal You Can’t Miss!
If you’re interested in marketing to the Chinese market, NTA can help. This year’s China International Travel Mart (CITM), held in Kunming on Oct. 27–30, is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors, including travel professionals and key consumers from all over Asia and from around the globe. As an NTA member you can work the show with a booth in the U.S. Pavilion—a tremendous and affordable opportunity to attend, explore business opportunities, and "dip your toe" in this highly lucrative market.
NTA’s limited-availability exhibitor space package (US$4,295) includes:
- BONUS: Your business will receive a free display ad on the NTA Visit USA Center Web site for one month following the show (US$250 value).
Haybina Hao, NTA director of international development notes, "CITM is sanctioned by the central government and is very important among the Chinese trade. It’s a show everyone will attend—from the government, to the travel trade and media."
For more information or to book your booth space, e-mail Haybina Hao or call 800.682.8886, ext. 6547 or +1.859.264.6547. You’ll find more on the Chinese market here and here.
Last Reminder: 9/11 Memorial Webinar this Thursday
On Sept. 11 this year, the 9/11 Memorial in New York City will be dedicated in a special ceremony for victims’ families, and it will open to the public the following day. The museum feature of the memorial will open next September.
To help tour operators make arrangements for groups visiting the memorial, NTA will host a Webinar on Aug. 11 at 4 p.m. ET. The 30-minute session will cover reservation booking procedures, bus drop-off and parking, and instructions for cancellations. To reserve a spot in the Webinar, e-mail Ken Goode, NTA communications and marketing coordinator.
And a reminder about the preservation project: NTA members are encouraged to join the travel industry’s efforts to preserve the Yamasaki model of the World Trade Center, the only remaining architectural presentation. Led by Tourism Cares, this project will provide a glass case in the 9/11 Museum to protect and display the WTC model. To contribute $10 for the 10th anniversary, text "TOUR 911" to 50555. For more information, go to the Tourism Cares Web page.
Air Fares Level off after FAA Bill is Passed
On Friday, the U.S. Senate approved legislation to end a two-week partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration, clearing the way for employees to return to work and airport construction projects to resume.
While airlines worked mostly as normal during the lapse in the FAA’s operating authority, they could not collect federal ticket taxes (which run about $30 million a day). Treasury Department officials initially said passengers were eligible for tax refunds on tickets purchased before the July 23 shutdown and used during the shutdown, and some airlines had announced plans to process those refunds. But following the FAA reauthorization, an IRS spokesperson said that language in the Senate bill eliminates the need for refunds, adding that the agency will not retroactively seek taxes from passengers or from airlines.
While some ticket buyers enjoyed lower, tax-free prices during the tax lapse, most did not, as most airlines quickly raised their base prices to match the tax, nabbing some $400 million in two weeks and irritating passengers. Yesterday, though, Southwest and Delta led the move to pare fares back to pre-July 23 levels. (Note: Alaska Air, Hawaiian and Spirit did not raise prices during the tax lapse.)
7 Ways to Make Great Things Happen
Getting rewards in life isn’t a matter of luck, fate or a generous gene pool. It’s a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities that suit your unique abilities, says Liz Strauss of Inside-Out Thinking. She advises people to take control and position themselves to usher opportunities into their lives.
Here are seven habits that can put you in the right position:
- 1. Pay attention: You’ll become a valuable resource for people around you.
- 2. Think of your work as important: If you place value on what you do, others will look for ways to use your skills, allowing you to advance.
- 3. Be aware of your impact: Get in the habit of thinking how your actions will affect those around you. Your thoughtfulness will make you more desirable as a colleague.
- 4. Imagine opportunities: Look for ideas and trends and think of ways you can improve them to work better for you and others.
- 5. Share what you do well: Tell others how much you enjoy a favorite project, and then lend your skills to help them.
- 6. Watch and record opportunities: Keep track of ideas that interest you, and other will notice—and contribute.
- 7. Don’t hesitate to take new opportunities: When you take on a challenge and grow, people will be more likely to offer you more opportunities.
Strauss says that by seeing and grasping new opportunities, you can enjoy more consistent success—not by luck, but by design. Read the full story here.
If you’re routing motorcoaches through the Dallas area, be aware of potential traffic issues. Portions of two major travel arteries in the Dallas area, Interstate 635 and Interstate 35, will be closed from time to time during construction of the LBJ Express. This four-year project, started earlier this year, will transform about 17 miles of congested roadway. And while most of the heavy construction is scheduled for nighttime, travelers can expect delays during the day, too.
To get the latest details on lane closures, you can check this page on the LBJ Express Web site.
Tourism Cares Awards Professional Development Internships
Tourism Cares, NTA’s official charity, awarded Professional Development Internships to Tiffany Kassem and Emily Schneider. The internships, funded by Luxury Travel Advisor magazine, are given to recipients who intend to enter the travel and tourism industry and seek to intern at a luxury travel agency.
Tiffany Kassem is a summer intern at Courtyard Travel Ltd., a member of the Signature Travel Network, located in Great Neck, N.Y. Upon learning she had been selected, Kassem said, "Words cannot express how much I appreciate this opportunity. Not only will I be able to grow as a businessperson, but I can also learn the techniques of the travel profession. This experience is one that I look forward to, and I intend to use the knowledge I gain from this in my future."
Emily Schneider is a summer intern at Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., a member of Virtuoso, located in New York, N.Y. She also expressed her appreciation for having been selected. "Since my first time living abroad, I have been fascinated with traveling, immersing myself in other cultures, and exploring different parts of the world," Schneider said. "Receiving this internship helps me get one step closer to starting a career where I can help people do what I love to do so much: travel! I’m so grateful to have been offered this opportunity, and it has inspired me that much more to work hard so that I can succeed in the travel industry."
You’re Perfect for Promoting in the October Courier If …
Are you in New England, the Great Plains, London or Paris? Do you offer gay and lesbian travel product? Or is music your selling point?
If so, promotion in the October Courier is for you! This issue focuses on all those topics and also includes a useful article titled "Working with UMA Members." Advertising in the October issue is one opportunity you don’t want to miss. Deadlines are quickly approaching so contact advertising@NTAservicesinc.com today!
- Travel-related jobs in the U.S., rising for the eighth consecutive month, now account for 11 percent of the total number of jobs created in 2011.
- The Transportation Security Administration will soon use scanners that are sensitive both to objects underneath clothes-and to passengers’ privacy. See stories here and here. Also, TSA is training agents to spot passengers with a "fear of being discovered."
- The hotel industry’s numbers were up during the second quarter of 2011: occupancy increased 4.5, average daily rate rose 3.5 percent, and revenue per available room was up 8.1 percent.
- Posting vacation photos on Facebook can lead friends to book a trip to the same (or a similar) destination, according to a British survey.
Click here for the Tuesday archive.