An Easy Way to Earn $100 (or more!) | The Can’t-Miss Educational Seminars at Contact ’12

An Easy Way to Earn $100 (or more!)

It’s time for our Summer Member Recruitment Drive!

You know who is the best in the industry. Tell us, so we can add them to the NTA family! When you refer new members to NTA, you’re customizing your network, strengthening your association and expanding your business opportunities. And, for the referrals you make between July 16 and August 31, you’ll receive another benefit: $100 for each referral who becomes an NTA member before November 1!

Here’s how:

• Start now. The drive begins next Monday, so start pulling your list of referrals together now so you can e-mail them to us on July 16.
• If you’d like to send a personal e-mail to your referrals explaining why you belong at NTA, feel free to use these online tools to help shape your message. Then, when they’re contacted by NTA, your referrals will already be familiar with the association.
• Between July 16 and August 31, send your referral’s contact information to Cheryl Adams at NTA headquarters.
• When your referral’s membership is approved before November 1, you’ll receive $100!

NTA is your association, and this is another opportunity for you to get even more return on your investment: new people, new products, new markets, plus cash in your pocket. 

(While this special bonus is only available during our Summer Member Recruitment Drive, you can refer new members at any time during the year and still make some cash. For each new member you refer during the rest of the year, you’ll receive a gift card [details here] PLUS your name will be entered into a drawing this December to have your 2013 membership dues paid in full.)  

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The Can’t-Miss Educational Seminars at Contact ’12 

Contact ’12 offers a great line-up of educational seminars just for tour operators! They’re all going to be must-attends, but here’s a look at some of our top picks for each track and why:

• Back by popular demand, Kelly McDonald, will present the General Session: Tips & Tricks for Taking Social Media to the Next Level . Here, Kelly will help attendees take the next steps in the world of Social Media. What are those steps? Come to Contact to find out!
• According to About.com Marketing Guide Laura Lake, "In order to market effectively to a generation you must find a way to grab their attention, by using a message that resonates with them." That’s where Kelly McDonald can help again in Building Bridges Across the Gaps: Effective Marketing for all Generations, a seminar in the Sales/Marketing track.
• For the CEO/Owner Track, the Owners Network Top Shelf is where you’ll meet members of NTA’s Owners Network—a group of tour operator owners who meet throughout the year to discuss current topics relevant to their businesses. Join them for an informal session where you get to determine the direction of conversation!
• Those in sales and marketing won’t want to miss Stand Out! Effective Branding for a Profitable Tomorrow presented by Cathleen Johnson, Global Director, Tourism, with Edelman Worldwide. A 30-year veteran with this leading independent global PR firm, Cathleen will walk you through effective branding strategies to properly communicate who you are, what values your business holds, and why customers should choose you over your competition.
• For the Operations/Product Development Track: The Motorcoach Tour Trifecta: Creating a Seamless Customer Experience is not only a pre-cursor for what’s to come at Travel Exchange 2013, but will paint a picture of how tour operators, motorcoach operators and drivers can work together to create an overall excellent customer experience.
• New this year! The China Market Forum. China—the fastest-growing market for the United States—is projected to become the sixth-largest arrival market for the U.S. by 2015. And, just recently, the U.S. was voted as top choice for Chinese ‘Dream Destination’ at the World Travel Fair in May. The China Market from Both Sides: Inbound & Outbound is a must for anyone interested in working this lucrative and expanding market.

See the rest of the seminars and full descriptions here. Then get registered to experience all the education, idea-sharing and fun of Contact ’12, Aug. 16-18, in San Diego, California. 

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Market Focus 

Tuesday’s newest feature connects you to articles about specific industry segments; with each article is a link to the NTA member to contact for more information. If you have a news story or educational article about your organization’s involvement in a key industry market, send it for possible republication to Kevin Wright, NTA’s director of growth markets.

Adventure Tourism
Louisiana’s Atchafalya Attraction: Reality TV including "Swamp People" Driving Tourists to Basin’s Ecosystem
NTA member to contact: Lafayette Convention & Visitors Bureau and Louisiana Travel Promotion Association and Louisiana Office of Tourism

Culinary Tourism
Best New Culinary Cruise Experiences: Tauck and Norwegian Cruise Line (Fodor’s)
NTA members to contact: Tauck and Norwegian Cruise Line

Urban Niche Tours are New Alaska Attraction
NTA members to contact: Visit Anchorage and Alaska Travel Industry Association

Cultural Tourism
Parks Canada Provided Free Admission to All National Parks on Canada Day
NTA member to contact: Parks Canada

Sports Tourism
Connecticut Spends $1.3M to Attract Sports Tourism
NTA member to contact: Connecticut Office of Tourism

Sports Tourism Growing Significantly—Washington Redskins Training Camp Move to Richmond Latest Feather in Cap
NTA member to contact: Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau and Virginia Tourism Corporation

Sports Tourism Helping Nashville and Neighboring Counties Enjoy Record Year
NTA member to contact: Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau and Tennessee Department of Tourist Development

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Sightseeing Tours for Travel Exchange 2013 Are Here!

Travel Exchange sightseeing tours are now open for registration! There’s something for everyone this January in Orlando. We’ve got tours lined up for nature enthusiasts, adrenaline seekers, "just for fun" fans, and last but not least, our cultural friends; we’re sure you’ll find something to fit your groove! Check out the full list of tours below and be sure to check out the Travel Exchange sightseeing page for an in-depth look at:

• "Putt" Yourself Into a Golfer’s Dream
• We Shopped ‘Til We Dropped!
• Beautiful Winter Park
• Paradise, Perennials and Playwrights
• Where Our Wild Things Are
• Get the Juicy Scoop about Orlando’s Past
• You Fly? We Fly? iFLY?
• Test your Limits Orlando-Style!
• Hang On Then Hang Out

Space is limited, so make sure you reserve your spot today!

If you’d like to join in all the fun, register for Travel Exchange, January 20-24, 2013. And, before they fill up fast, make sure you sign up for one of these spectacular sightseeing after you register!

See you there!

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"Exotic Land of Morocco" is the next NTA Montage product development trip, set for Oct. 20-30, 2012. The trip, hosted by Hospitality Marketing Services, will explore the culture and mystique of this northwestern African nation. Here’s the itinerary.

Attendees begin their journey with a tour of Casablanca, the famous port city that sits along Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Following a tour of the nation’s capital, Rabat, the group moves on to Fes for a tour of this ancient city known as "the Athens of Africa."

Next up is a scenic drive into the High Atlas Mountains for a look at the natural beauty of the Moroccan countryside around Erfoud and Ouarzazate, including spectacular kasbahs, canyons and valleys. Participants will spend the next few days experiencing Marrakech and its many attractions, landmarks, outdoor markets and legendary cuisine, and then they’ll return to Casablanca for their flights home.

The cost for the PDT trip is $1,595 (double occupancy) or $1,795 (single occupancy), which includes roundtrip air from New York’s JFK International Airport to Casablanca; participants are responsible for their own airfare to JFK. For participants who book their own air, land-only packages are available for $999 (double) and $1,299 (single). The price for spouses is an extra $250. This PDT requires the participation of at least 15 passengers. To get started, download this form or contact Lauren Ashley Pope, events manager at NTA. 

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Free Webinar Explores, Explains NTA’s China Inbound Program 

Learn about NTA’s China Inbound Program during a free Webinar on Thursday, Aug. 2, at 2 p.m. ET. The online session, "Introduction to the NTA China Inbound Program," will cover a lot of ground in 45 minutes:

• History of the NTA China Inbound Program
• Requirements for becoming a China Inbound Program tour operator
• Services China Inbound tour operators offer to the Chinese inbound tourists
• Challenges we face with the market
• Recommendations on how DMOs and suppliers can work with the China inbound tour operators to promote the U.S. inbound market and services

Questions? Contact Jason Terwilliger. 

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Set Sail for NACTA Seminars at Sea 

NTA members can participate in Fam trips organized by the National Association of Career Travel Agents and receive the same rate as NACTA members. If these Seminars at Sea sound appealing, click through for trip details, cost and more information:

• China, Sept. 10 to 17: During the NACTA Conference in Hangzhou, participants can spend afternoons exploring the idyllic surrounding area. Then catch the Superfast Train from Hangzhou to Shanghai for sightseeing and a sponsored dinner.
• Holy Land Voyage, Sept. 27 to Oct. 9: This 12-night Holy Land cruise aboard Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas begins and ends in Rome. In between, you’ll visit Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Athens and then Naples.
• Hawaiian Islands, Oct. 22 to Nov. 2: Sail from Ensenada, Mexico, on the Celebrity Millennium, with five relaxing days at sea on the way to the Big Island of Hawaii, then Maui and Oahu. Optional Fam programs are available at each part.

NACTA is one of NTA’s Strategic Partners and helps NTA members expand business opportunities and product development. 

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3 Steps to Boost Business for Everyone 

When tour operators use the NTA tracking program to give DMOs information on the number of travelers they bring to their area, DMOs can, in turn, support tour operators by providing new destinations and new ideas to package.

Here are three easy steps to help DMOs offer you their outstanding services:

1. Log in to the ROI/Tracking System, and select the country, state or province and city you wish to look up. (A list of DMO members who meet your selection criteria will appear.)
2. Check as many DMOs from the list as you wish. Next, click "Itinerary Setup" at the bottom of the page. (Useful Tip: The state/provincial/country DMOs are highlighted in green, and the system will automatically include that DMO in "cc" box on any e-mail you send. You can remove them from that field before you send the e-mail, if you wish.)
3. An e-mail message will automatically open. Include your own e-mail address in "cc" box to receive a copy.

Include your name, company, address and phone so the receiving DMO knows who to thank!

If you want, you can put all the information into the text field, or browse for a copy of your itinerary and attach it there.

When finished, click "Send Itinerary." Done!

Here’s a 2-minute demo video. 

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Welcome Aboard to NTA’s Newest Members 

If you check out the Web page with the businesses and organizations that joined NTA in June, you’ll find a list of potential new business partners. And with each tour operator, DMO and supplier, you’ll find the name of the person you’ll most likely see at NTA events down the road.

Of the 22 new members, four are tour operators, five are DMOs and the rest tour suppliers. See all the new members here.  

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Motorcoach Access to 9/11 Memorial to be Reduced by Construction 

Repair work at New York City’s Trinity Church will limit the areas on Trinity Place that motorcoaches can use for loading and unloading passengers near the 9/11 Memorial.

In the next couple of weeks, areas of sidewalks and curbs along Trinity Place, between Rector and Thames streets, will be designated work zones, where motorcoach access will be prohibited. Loading and unloading will be permitted where no work is taking place and at the bus stops on Trinity place between Exchange Alley and Rector Street.

Expect construction here to last through December. Click here for more information on motorcoach regulations. 

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Get the Words Right for Tour Descriptions  

An article in the San Francisco Chronicle, "Deciphering the descriptions of guided tours," cautions consumers to pay close attention to the wording of tour descriptions and brochures. The writer, Robert N. Jenkins, recounts his travels in Italy, where excursions from a cruise offered varying levels of access to landmarks. Jenkins says travelers can be dismayed to learn that a tour will take them close enough to photograph a site without actually entering it.

To avoid disappointment, Jenkins encourages travelers to understand the language of brochures:

• Phrases such as "see" and "take in the scenery" mean you will not be entering the site.
• "We will pause at the nearest point to view" means you’ll get a photo opportunity without entering.
• "Visit" means you will enter.
• "Also on display here" means there’s no guarantee the tour will include those features.

The article does not condemn tour operators for offering a menu of options with corresponding prices, but does promote using precise language when describing tours and excursions. 

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Is Your Destination or Specialty Being Covered in Courier‘s September Issue? 

If so, we’d love to help you promote your organization! September Courier will include coverage about Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Croatia, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine), Southwest U.S. (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas), Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ontario, Rail Experiences and Museums. Contact NTA Services by e-mail or call 859.264.6559 to reserve your space and begin reaching 1,500 NTA tour operators through Courier magazine.

P.S. We encourage you to flip through the most recent issue of Courier (July) and check out the beautiful advertisements and great space that could be yours! We also love working with custom advertisements, so if you have an idea for a creative advertisement (e.g., custom spreads), let us know. We’ll be happy to help you! 

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