Dear John … You won! | 75 Meet Up at NYC Road Show
June 12, 2012
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TODAY’S ARTICLES
Dear John … You Won!
75 Meet Up at NYC Road Show
Top-spending Travelers to Be Focus of New Market Forum at Contact
Do You Know NTA’s Newest Members?
NTA Meets with CTO during Caribbean Week
Tour Operators, 15 Minutes of Your Time Can Move Your Industry Forward
Grab Your Last Chance to Be Seen in Trip Planner for Group Leaders
Tourism Cares Inspires Global Stewardship
6 Tips for Taking Better Pics with your Smartphone
Industry News and Updates
Congratulations to John Meyer of the Las Vegas CVA! He was the first to correctly answer last week’s San Diego trivia question to win a San Diego gift basket. Be sure to check the NTA Facebook page tomorrow (Wednesday) to weigh in on this week’s trivia. And to find out more about Contact—our tour operator-exclusive event, held this year Aug. 16–18, in San Diego—click here.
The latest NTA Road Show made a stop in New York City last week, where 60 members and 15 nonmembers gathered to network and learn about Travel Exchange, Contact and other NTA opportunities. The event was hosted by NYC & Company and Heartland Brewery. See more photos from the event on NTA’s Facebook page.
Next stops along the road: Birmingham, Memphis and Nashville.
Top-spending Travelers to Be Focus of New Market Forum at Contact
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, "tourist arrivals (to the U.S.) from China are forecast to grow by nearly 200 percent over the next five years, eclipsing arrivals from both France and Germany by 2016." And Chinese travelers have taken the No. 1 spot in spending per traveler, with Department of Commerce numbers showing "the average Chinese tourist now spends about US$6,000 per trip, up from $3,000 just two years ago."
Have you considered how you can take advantage of this market? At Contact, tour
operators have the opportunity to take part in NTA’s first China Market Forum to get statistical insight into the market and learn how to best serve Chinese travelers.
"We created the China Market Forum to give our operators the opportunity to learn about this lucrative inbound market directly from the Department of Commerce and the China National Tourism Administration," said NTA President Lisa Simon. "We want our members to be right there, with knowledge and product ideas in hand, to welcome and serve these travelers as they explore the United States."
You’ll find more information on the China Market Forum here. And you can register for Contact here. But hurry: the deadline to register for the pre- and post-Contact fam tours is July 1!
And here’s another way to capitalize on the growing China market: Take part in a Webinar, "Catering to the Chinese Tourist," produced by our friends at the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries and U.S. Commercial Service. This Webinar on Thursday, June 21, at 1 p.m. ET will help U.S. tour operators, DMOs, retailers and hoteliers increase sales to the growing number of tourists from China. For information and registration, follow this link. Or e-mail Debra Rogers, U.S. Commercial Service, for more details.
Do You Know NTA’s Newest Members?
If not, maybe you can meet them at Travel Exchange—or visit the list linked below 
and check out their Web pages.
Professionals who joined last month include a tour operator from California, three DMOs (two North American and one Romanian) and a collection of suppliers that hail from sites ranging from Pittsburgh to Pigeon Forge and St. Petersburg. For details, see the list on NTA Online.
NTA Meets with CTO during Caribbean Week 
While in New York City for the road show last week, NTA President Lisa Simon and NTA Public Affairs Advocate Steve Richer attended Caribbean Week. Simon visited with tourism leaders of two dozen Caribbean nations and jurisdiction, updating them on the strategic partnership between the Caribbean Tourism Organization and NTA.
Tour Operators, 15 Minutes of Your Time Can Move Your Industry Forward
Tour operators, you were e-mailed a survey last week from the NTA Owners Network that will help you and other operator members compare your company’s salaries benefits with other companies of comparable size. See the story in last week’s Tuesday.
The only way these peer standards can be established, though, is with your participation. Please take a look for it in your inbox. The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete and the result will help you and your colleagues do big(ger) things!
Grab Your Last Chance to Be Seen in Trip Planner for Group Leaders
The NTA Trip Planner for Group Leaders is sent to 20,000 qualified group leaders and NTA tour operators. (Click here to view last year’s edition.) This exposure is invaluable, and with new, fresh articles (such as a Where to Go section, lodging, dining, shopping, performance, museums, national parks, sightseeing and casinos), the 2012-2013 edition will be a must-read.
The deadline to reserve advertising space is this Friday, June 15, so call 859.264.6559 or e-mail NTA Services to make sure you’re included—and seen.
Tourism Cares Inspires Global Stewardship
As the paint chipped away from the historic walls of Mercado San Pedro (Saint Peter’s Marketplace) in Cusco, Peru, it may have seemed like all hope was lost for a cultural attraction that had long been neglected.
But Tourism Cares and their supporters arrived to start a movement in Peru that will preserve the tourism experience for future generations in the markets and beyond. As the official philanthropy of NTA and other industry organizations, Tourism Cares
extended their first Global Outreach to Cusco with their GO Peru program. Their initial goal was to paint the market and make it more welcoming to visitors, but this project inspired a restoration revolution of sorts. Through their cooperation with Tourism Cares, Peruvian partners with interests in the tourism industry have created Turismo Cuida, which will award grants to other sites in need throughout Peru. By encouraging the ideals of sustainability, education and historic preservation, the tourism industry in Peru will continue to benefit from the GO Peru event for years to come.
With gifts of time, expertise and money, Tourism Cares supporters have empowered countless events and programs such as restoration projects, student programs and grants. If you are motivated by what your colleagues in the tourism industry have already accomplished, visit Tourism Cares to start creating your own impact!
6 Tips for Taking Better Pics with your Smartphone
Smartphones have become the go-to camera, but things can go wrong, especially with clarity and composition. These tips, from Final Proof, can help you make the most of the moment:
- When taking an indoor photo, position your subject under the brightest spot in the room.
- Get closer to your subject, rather than using the zoom, which gives size but not clarity.
- Tap the touchscreen-right on your subject-to improve focus and adjust the light.
- Clean your lens with a cotton swab.
- Use your (polarized) sunglasses to remove glare and soften shadows.
- Steady yourself to avoid a shaky photo, especially in low-light conditions.
For more tips see Smartphone Photography 101.
- The United States saw a 14 percent increase in international visitation during March, compared to March 2011. During the first quarter of 2012, the countries with the largest leaps in arrivals are China (44 percent), Germany (22 percent) and Brazil (20 percent).
- Orlando, the host city of Travel Exchange ’13, announced that 2011 was another record-breaking year. The destination welcomed 55.1 million visitors, up 7.2 percent from 2010.
- One hotel group, Toronto-based Four Seasons, found that people using iPads account for 86 percent of the company’s mobile revenues. Also, the conversion rate of Web site visits to revenue is five times greater from iPads than from mobile phones.
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