DMOs and Suppliers: Get an Extra Half-Day to Meet Buyers; 78 Percent of Italians Will Travel in 2010
August 17, 2010
Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kelley Burchell at kelley.burchell@NTAstaff.com.
TODAY’S ARTICLES
DMOs and Suppliers: Get an Extra Half-Day to Meet Buyers
78 Percent of Italians Will Travel in 2010
Tourism Spending in Canada Up in First Quarter 2010
Bookings Are up for Top Five U.S. Inbound Markets
New From Twitter: The Tweet Button
Tell U.S. Leaders Travel Is Important at the Virtual Travel Town Hall Meeting
Be Noticed by the Growing Inbound China Market
Get Involved with Tourism Cares at Convention ‘10
Industry News and Updates
DMOs and Suppliers: Get an Extra Half-Day to Meet Buyers 
Convention’s Destination Pavilion just got better:
Improvements:
- More Appointments—Destination Pavilion appointments will be held on Sunday, Nov. 14, AND Monday morning, Nov. 15, which gives you an additional half-day to meet with buyers.
- Larger Pavilion Stations—The Destination Pavilion booths are bigger this year, giving you more privacy for your appointments.
- State/Provincial/Country Stations for the Week—at the close of the Destination Pavilion at 11:45 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 15, each state/provincial/country DMO will be given a work station at the perimeter of the Tour & Travel Exchange for the rest of Convention. This station is designed to provide you with a location to connect with your partners for the rest of the week.
- Caucus—to help facilitate lead distribution to your partners, time has been added to the schedule on Monday, Nov. 15, from 4:15-5:30 p.m. to hold a caucus.
Haven’t registered for Convention? Don’t miss out! Register now and optimize your business opportunities for Montréal.
Already registered? Visit the Convention Web site to book your housing and secure transportation deals. Gain additional exposure by sponsoring at Convention. Contact Karla DiNardo for details.
Take advantage of all Convention ’10 has to offer. More partners. More contacts. More Business. Remember, appointment scheduling opens August 31st…that’s just 14 days away!
78 Percent of Italians Will Travel in 2010
The Italian tourism market was strong in 2008, it saw an increase in 2009 and, according to Ipsos, 78 percent of Italians will go on vacation this year as compared to the European average of 64 percent for domestic and international travel, according to the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. Even in the face of economic slowdown, Italians generally treasure spending at least one or two weeks either at the seaside, in the mountains or visiting foreign countries. 2009 showed a steady increase in all areas of the Italian tourism sector: 9.4 percent in the number of trips in general, 9.9 percent in vacation trips, 8.7 percent in outbound travelers and 4.8 percent in vacation expenditure.
As a destination, the U.S. in particular marked an increase of 23 percent in the number of Italian visitors, 38 percent growth in their total expenditures and 10 percent more overnights, with 16 percent of NTA tour operators serving the inbound traveler from Italy. The strong euro combined with the appeal that the U.S. has for Italian people of all ages are the main reasons for this success. In contrast, due to the deepening of the global recession, Italy’s tourism sector saw a significant slowdown in 2009. Overall, the Italian tourism market is suffering somewhat less than some other European countries because Italians continue to go on vacation.
While Italians may not give up traveling altogether, many are shortening the length of the trip and/or looking to reduce expenses. So called "last-minute" trips are popular this year, despite all the efforts of the advance booking policy conducted by tour operators. Inherently more expensive long haul travels are suffering, including travel to the U.S. In Italy, the tourism sector is just beginning to tap social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Big travel players are looking at how such networks might help them reach a wider audience for promotional activities and online sales. Request the full report FREE at http://www.buyusa.gov/eme/tra.html.
This report is the first of a new monthly feature in Tuesday from the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries Market Updates. Watch for detailed information on other top U.S. inbound countries in future issues.
Tourism Spending in Canada Up in First Quarter 2010
The latest National Tourism Indicators report from the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) shows Canada’s tourism performance emerging from the first quarter of 2010 with a 4 percent spending surge.
- Total tourism spending—including that 4 percent rise—reached $13.8 billion.
- Accommodation, food and beverage services as well as transportation saw the biggest bump in total revenue (5 percent).
- Canadian spending increased across the board, but the big movers were the same three categories above (7 percent, 6 percent and 5 percent, respectively).
- A large jump in the price of vehicle fuel (19 percent), along with repairs and parts (9 percent), played a significant role in the rise in transportation revenue.
- Gains from overseas visitors (4 percent) were offset by U.S. travelers making 7 percent fewer trips to Canada.
- The number of tourism jobs went down another 2 percent to 599,600 full- and part-time positions.
The report was based on first-quarter estimates of 2010 released by Statistics Canada. Read the estimates in full here.
Bookings Are up for Top Five U.S. Inbound Markets
The top five U.S. travel inbound markets, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Mexico and Germany, have all seen an increase in bookings to the U.S. for the first quarter of 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce sponsored Travel Trade Barometers for each country. Travel Market Insights conducts the Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Mexico and Germany Travel Trade Barometer programs.
- Canada—Bookings increased 10 to 15 percent, on average, compared to first quarter 2009. For the second survey in a row, the exchange rate was listed as the top motivator for travel in the next six months. This was followed by the level of promotion by U.S. destinations and businesses, accommodation rates and the economy in Canada. The collection of travelers personal information and enhanced security measures ranked as the top two deterrents for travel to the United States in the next six months
- Japan—Bookings increased 1 to 3 percent, on average, compared to first quarter 2009. Also, nearly all of the respondents projected an increase in bookings for second quarter 2010. The top motivator listed for travel from Japan to the United States in the next six months was the exchange rate to the U.S. dollar. The top deterrent was airfare and fuel charges.
- United Kingdom—Bookings increased 4 to 9 percent, on average, compared to first quarter 2009. Accommodation rates ranked as the top motivator followed by the level of promotion by U.S. destinations and businesses. In contrast, 10 factors were listed as a deterrent to bookings to the United States in the next six months, including the level of promotion by other long-haul destinations.
- Mexico—Bookings increased 10 to 15 percent, on average, compared to the first quarter 2009. Accommodation rates continued to be listed as the top motivator for travel to the United States. In this survey session, enhanced security, visa processing, and entry and exit requirements rounded out the top three deterrents to travel to the United States.
- Germany—Bookings increased 1 to 3 percent, on average, compared to 2009 first quarter bookings. The level of promotion by U.S. destinations and businesses was the only motivator listed for bookings in the next six months.
Specific (proprietary) destination data is also available through a subscription and NTA members receive a 5 percent discount. To take advantage of this NTA member discount, complete this order form or contact NTA Director of Marketing Lisa Thompson with questions. For more information on the Travel Barometer Program, please visit http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/barometer/index.html
New From Twitter: The Tweet Button
Twitter announced last week via their blog the Tweet Button, created to make sharing simple. This new feature allows you to share links on Twitter directly from the page you’re on. When you click on the Tweet Button, a Tweet box will appear-pre-populated with a shortened link that points to the item that you’re sharing. It only takes a few lines of code to add the Tweet Button to a page, which can help grow traffic and increase your Twitter following. Get the Tweet Button for your website today and let the sharing begin.
Tell U.S. Leaders Travel Is Important at the Virtual Travel Town Hall Meeting
U.S. Travel has launched an opportunity for you to put travel issues on the front burner of this year’s federal elections at a Virtual Travel Town Hall. This event will provide travel industry employees with a forum to ask U.S. House and Senate candidates tough questions. More than 150 candidates have been asked to participate.
Thousands of travel sector employees are needed to submit questions by Aug. 25. Candidates’ responses will then be posted on the Power of Travel Coalition Web site on Oct. 4 so the public can see what the candidates have to say about the most pressing travel-related issues.
Please help to get the word out to employees to submit questions and then vote on the top three to be presented to candidates. Use the provided toolkit to help you get started, including:
- Virtual Travel Town Hall Overview and Timeline
- Virtual Travel Town Hall Flyer
- Template email announcement to employees/members
By holding our leaders accountable, we can ensure that the travel industry continues to grow and strengthen and that the 10 million travel industry employees in the U.S. receive the attention they deserve. If you have any questions about this effort, please feel free to contact Candice Knezevic at cknezevic@ustravel.org.
Be Noticed by the Growing Inbound China Market
Did you know that at least 200 million Chinese are financially able to travel overseas, according to The China Outbound Travel Handbook? Also, inbound travel from China moved into the top-10 ranking for the first time last year, spending a total of $3.5 billion in the U.S.
The China Group Leisure Directory is your chance to gain exposure to this lucrative market and is mailed to all NTA members and hundreds of Chinese travel agents/tour operators approved to do business with NTA tour operators. The publication is also promoted to the projected 50,000 individual Chinese travelers at CITM in November and 3,500 Chinese outbound travel buyers at COTTM in April 2011.
Approved tour operators of the NTA China Inbound Program can upgrade their listing and/or purchase display advertising. To reserve your space, simply contact your account executive by calling 800.682.8886, ext. 3533 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.3533.
Get Involved with Tourism Cares at Convention ‘10 
There are many opportunities to become involved with Tourism Cares at Convention in November:
- NTA Gives Back—NTA and Tourism Cares will bring Convention attendees together to give back at Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount-Royal on Saturday, Nov. 13.
- Tourism Rocks—No one throws a party quite like Tourism Cares and delegates can experience that firsthand on Monday, Nov. 15, at Newtown, the trendy, chic nightclub in Montreal’s upscale Crescent neighborhood. Tour suppliers and DMOs can save by purchasing tickets when registering for Convention for US$40 or purchase on-site for US$50. All tour operators attending Convention have been invited to attend the event as guests of the sponsors—Nevada Commission on Tourism, Las Vegas or Hard Rock Cafe. Tour operators can pick up their complimentary tickets at any of the sponsor’s booths.
- Back by popular demand, the Tourism Cares Silent Auction!—NTA Convention delegates asked for it, so Tourism Cares brought it back! The Silent Auction is a great way to showcase your organization’s product or service. Donate an item to this year’s auction to show your support.
- Tourism Cares Live Auction—Each year at the NTA Convention, a live auction features items generously donated by NTA tour operator, supplier and DMO members.
- Tourism Cares Experience the Industry Student Program—The Tourism Cares Experience the Industry Student Program is an opportunity for travel, tourism and hospitality students to shadow industry professionals at the Convention. The program allows students to explore different sectors of the tourism industry while learning more about various career paths. Interested in becoming a mentor? E-mail Tourism Cares’ Jessica Ahern.
Here’s a look at recent research, statistics and news that may apply to you and your business:
- Gaylord Opryland began rehiring workers this past weekend. Gaylord Opryland Hotel is scheduled to reopen on Nov. 15.
- Obama swims in the Gulf to show support for tourism.
- Thomas Cook and TUI Travel Group say the U.K. travel market is weaker than expected.
- Union and British Airways start talks to head off latest strike.
- Brazilian carrier TAM Linhas Aereas has outlined plans to merge with LAN Airlines of Chile to create the largest carrier in South America.
The links in this article are not monitored by NTA staff. Any bad links, expired pages, etc. are due to the constantly changing nature of Web sites.
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