Corporation for Travel Promotion Names First CEO: Jim Evans | 5 Places to Find NTA Reps in May
May 17, 2011
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TODAY’S ARTICLES
Corporation for Travel Promotion Names First CEO: Jim Evans
Grassroots Summit Connects Travel Leaders with Legislators
5 Places to Find NTA Reps in May
Miss Spring Meet? Come to Contact.
How Member Benefits Can Save You Thousands
World Travel Fair Hosts 6,000 Visitors—and NTA
A Quick Primer on QR Codes
Tourism Cares Offers Scholarships for Industry Newbies
Increase Your Visibility at Convention by 77 Percent
Industry News: Focus on Global Trends
NTA Job Center
Corporation for Travel Promotion Names First CEO: Jim Evans
The Corporation for Travel Promotion 
today named Jim Evans, a longtime leader in the hospitality industry, its first CEO. Evans will be responsible for leading the Corporation’s efforts to promote the United States as a travel destination and strengthen the U.S. tourism industry. Evans will be formally introduced to the industry and the media at International Pow Wow in San Francisco, May 21–25. NTA President Lisa Simon, CTP, congratulates Evans on this important role and offers NTA’s support "through programming like the China Inbound Program, our NTA Visit USA Center in Shanghai and our advocacy efforts in D.C."
For more details, see the full story here.
Grassroots Summit Connects Travel Leaders with Legislators
Former NTA President Mark Hoffmann, CTP, of California; U. S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama; 2011 NTA Chairman Cathy Greteman; and NTA Government Relations committee member Neil Amrine, pictured above (left to right), gathered on May 10 with other travel leaders at a fundraiser to support the Alabama tornado victims during the Grassroots Congressional Summit for Travel in Washington, D.C.
The fundraiser was one of many events surrounding the two-day Grassroots Summit last week. During the Summit, sponsored by NTA and Southeast Tourism Society, attendees held some 50 appointments on Capitol Hill with members of Congress or their staff. Summit attendees also participated in the U.S. Travel Association news conference calling for changes in the process to approve visas for international visitors to the U.S.
The following organizations participated as co-sponsors: American Bus Association, American Society of Travel Agents, Interactive Travel Services Association, Receptive Services Association of America, Student & Youth Travel Association, United Motorcoach Association, United States Tour Operator Association, U.S. Travel Association and Western States Tourism Policy Council.
A number of federal agencies also participated, including the Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, the Department of Interior and the National Park Service.
5 Places to Find NTA Reps in May
May is a busy month for NTA, as members and staff are representing the association at five industry events (in addition to the Summit in D.C.; see story above):
- Travel Professionals of Color conference and trade show, May 12–15, Louisville, Kentucky: Catherine Prather, NTA senior vice president, took part in a panel discussion, and Lisa Simon, NTA president, participated in a roundtable presentation with Joel Secundy, Department of Commerce deputy assistant secretary. Simon also accepted the 2011 Apex Distinguished Service Award on behalf of Steve Richer, NTA’s public affairs advocate.
- World Travel Fair, May 12–15, Shanghai, China: Haybina Hao, NTA’s director of international development, and David Yu, NTA’s chief representative in China, both presented at the event. (See article below.)
- National Association of Career Travel Agents, May 11, Chicago Destinational: Sherri Guiborat, NTA Board member and NACTA ambassador, presented a session and represented NTA.
- Rendez-vous Canada, May 15–18, Québec City: Stop by booth # TNA014 and look for Jim Warren, NTA Board member and the association’s Canadian ambassador; Katey Pease, NTA’s director of membership services; and Cheryl Adams, membership sales associate.
- International Pow Wow, May 21–25, in San Francisco: Operating out of booth #2443, several NTA representatives will be promoting inbound travel to the United States: Jim Reddekopp, NTA vice chairman; Prather; Hao and Yu. NTA receptive operators, please bring a sampling of your brochures or material if you would like NTA to display them.
NTA reps attend these events to promote your business interests. If you’re there, too, be sure to stop by and say hello.
Miss Spring Meet? Come to Contact.
As the direct descendant of the Tour Operator Spring Meet, Contact is not really "new." Think of it more as the next generation of Spring Meet. Contact still offers a resort setting (beautiful Newport, Rhode Island) with programming that affords plenty of opportunity for valuable operator-to-operator networking and partnering.
The show now adds a more targeted slate of seminars designed for your education needs:
1. CEOs/Owners
2. Operations/Product Development
3. Sales & Marketing
Bring additional members of your team to Contact to take advantage of all three tracks and take home three times the professional development for your company.
Register today (don’t forget to sign up for the pre-Contact FAM!), to join your colleagues at the industry show where operators connect, discuss, collaborate, develop—Contact.
NTA suppliers and destinations can attend this operator-exclusive event by sponsoring.
How Member Benefits Can Save You Thousands
We told you how you can save money with NTA corporate partners in a previous Tuesday. Combining the entire suite of NTA’s money-saving member benefits can save you even more. Which programs are you taking advantage of? Here’s a breakdown of how NTA membership can reduce the costs of your day-to-day business.
World Travel Fair Hosts 6,000 Visitors—and NTA
The World Travel Fair just wrapped up in Shanghai. The fair, in its eighth year, opened on May 13 with more than 500 exhibitors from 45 countries/regions. Organizers planned for more than 6,000 visitors to attend the show.
On the first day of the fair, Haybina Hao, NTA’s director of international development, presented a seminar that focused on the practices of NTA and the NTA Visit USA Center. Hao was also invited to speak to 70 travel agencies from across China at the China Outbound Travel Training School. David Yu, NTA’s chief representative in China, addressed the Outbound Tourism Forum with a talk about post-Expo business opportunities between China and the U.S.
The NTA Visit USA Center and Shanghai Commercial Service co-hosted the show’s U.S. Pavilion, which housed eight participating organizations from the United States. During the fair, Hao and Yu explored the possibility of organizing several more road shows this fall in conjunction with the five Commercial Service offices across China. Each road show would include eight to 10 participating companies. Please watch future issues of Tuesday for more details.
If you haven’t heard of QR codes, you probably will, as mobile marketing continues to gain popularity among both businesses and consumers. A QR code (short for Quick Response) is similar to the traditional UPC barcode, except QR codes can store significantly more encoded data than a UPC. Also, QR codes can be scanned and read by smartphones, taking consumers to more information about a business or location.
Online marketing strategist Angie Schottmuller’s recent article, "Top 14 Things Marketers Need to Know About QR Codes," provides beginners with a foundation for understanding this latest marketing tool and shares tips for anyone who’s considering the launch of their own QR code campaign.
Give it a try! First, you need to download an appropriate app for your smartphone. One of these should work:
1. i-nigma
2. RedLaser
3. AT&T Code Scanner
4. BeeTagg QR Reader
After installation, launch the app on your phone and scan the QR code below:
After scanning, follow the link provided by the app. If it brought you to the page for NTA’s Contact, the next generation of NTA’s Tour Operator Spring Meet, it worked! And, if you suddenly feel the urge to register for Contact, there’s no better time than now!
Are you using QR codes in your marketing efforts? Share your tips and experiences on NTA’s Facebook page.
Tourism Cares Offers Scholarships for Industry Newbies
Not only does Tourism Cares award grants to support tourism sites around the world (see last Tuesday‘s story), but the organization also supports the industry’s future workforce by giving scholarships to those who have recently entered the travel and tourism or hospitality industry. Tourism Cares is offering up to 30 merit-based Professional Development Scholarship and Internship awards to individuals who have completed a travel-and-tourism or hospitality certificate program—or have attended an industry conference—since June 1, 2010.
The scholarships, up to $1,000 each, can be used to reimburse the cost of the certificate program or conference or to support expenses related to an internship. U.S. and Canadian citizens or permanent residents are eligible, and the deadline for applying is June 1. If you’re interested, visit the Tourism Cares Web site to check out additional details and eligibility criteria.
Increase Your Visibility at Convention by 77 Percent
Did you know 77 percent of tour operators reported that they learn about potential products and destinations through event sponsors? Increase your odds of doing business with more than 400 NTA tour operators at Convention ’11 in Las Vegas (Dec. 5–9) by sponsoring. In addition to getting great exposure, sponsors at the $5,000+ level receive a booth on NTA’s exhibit floor for the entire event (among the many other benefits).
For more information about sponsoring at NTA’s Convention or other NTA Business Builder events (Contact, Aug. 1–3, 2011, Newport, Rhode Island, or Montage in 2012), please visit our sponsorship page or contact Karla DiNardo by e-mail or phone, +1.859.264.6556.
Industry News: Focus on Global Trends
- According to the UN World Tourism Organization, international tourism (measured by tourist arrivals) grew by close to 5 percent during the first months of 2011.
- International visitors to the United States spent nearly 9 percent more on travel and tourism-related activities in February than was spent in February 2010.
- European tourism grew during the first quarter of 2011, but the European Travel Commission anticipates slower growth in the coming months.
Gilmore Entertainment Group, a leading live show entertainment company in the Southeast for 25 years, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is seeking a Group Sales Director. Gilmore Entertainment’s flagship theater is The Carolina Opry Theater; productions include The Carolina Opry, Good Vibrations, The Carolina Opry Christmas Special and LIGHT laser shows.
Position involves leading company’s group sales department including its marketing and sales.
Skills and Experience:
- 10+ years experience in the group sales industry
- Established relationships in the travel industry including motor coach, tour operators, travel agents, etc.
- Familiarity with various group travel trade organizations
- Passionate salesperson
- Excellent organizational and planning skills
- Works well with a team as well as independently
- Ability to build and maintain partner relationships
- Positive public persona and networking skills
- Thorough knowledge of Microsoft Office
- Easily use technology for corresponding, networking, tracking, reporting, etc.
- Innovative and Creative ideas for increasing sales, productivity and/or efficiency
Responsibilities
- Achieve annual growth goals in group sales attendance and revenues
- Develop and implement strategies and tactics to achieve targeted growth goals
- Continually reinforce a customer-centric view in all strategic ideas
- Work with Marketing department to create annual marketing plans
- Implement marketing plans
- Track results of marketing efforts
- Prepare and present monthly status reports on sales and marketing initiatives
- Identify opportunities to build partnerships and cross-marketing programs
- Work with executive committee to establish pricing, policies and procedures that support sales goals
- Travel to trade shows, conventions and tourism related events as needed
- Involvement in community chamber and take advantage of local networking opportunities
For more information and to apply, e-mail GroupPosition@GilmoreEntertainment.com
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