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Your Nov. 29 Tuesday newsletter

November 29, 2016

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NTA China Mission Opens Eyes, Doors to Business Potential

During a recent 10-day mission trip to China, NTA members learned that Chinese travelers are growing more and more interested in destinations beyond the U.S. gateways and “mini-groups” are on the rise. These were a couple of the take-aways from NTA’s mission to China.

The trip was NTA’s second sales and leadership mission to China. It included meetings with key players in the China marketplace in Shanghai and Hangzhou and participation at the China International Tourism Mart, which is produced by the China National Tourism Administration.

NTA Board Secretary Chris Babb with The Group Tour Company, NTA Board Director David Penilton with America’s Hub World Tours, Anna Pantazakos with Tanger Properties, Harry Chen with Joy Holiday and Bob Gilbert with Chinese Host Inc. joined NTA Executive Vice President Catherine Prather and Vice President of International Business Development Haybina Hao for the trip.

The NTA team met with key officials at several member companies focused on travel inbound to the United States. The companies were Shanghai Spring Tours, Hyde International Group, C-trip and America International Travel Services.

The NTA team toured the campuses of Alibaba and met with officials from Fliggy, the new brand for the company’s online travel service. NTA’s group also met with Mr. Xu Peng, deputy director general for the Zhejiang Provincial Tourism Bureau.

Themes for the meetings included strong support for the extension of visa validity for 10 years which supports the Chinese travelers’ desire to return multiple times to the United States. The NTA member companies reported that more Chinese travelers were interested in traveling in mini-groups—groups of 10 or fewer—which mirrors what travel professionals on the U.S. side have been seeing from the general marketplace. These mini-groups satisfy the desire of having a more personalized experience while still enjoying the camaraderie and value of traveling together.

NTA’s member companies also reported that learning more about U.S. destinations through meetings with fellow NTA members at Travel Exchange has helped with product development.

The mission rounded out a year of special events and fam trips NTA planned in conjunction with the 2016 U.S.-China Tourism Year. The year was designated by U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping to bolster travel between the two countries.

With NTA’s unique position of not only supporting travel inbound to the United States from China, but also outbound to China, the association has been able to bring value to members’ diverse business needs on both sides.

 

Reach thousands of travel agents

NTA Strategic Partner Travel Relations LLC is offering you the opportunity to promote your business to more than 65,000 U.S. and Canadian travel agents. This will be made possible through your partnership with NTA, and the Travel Relations travel agent brand taREWARDS.com—and it will be at no cost to you!

Each month, thousands of travel agents visit taREWARDS.com for a chance to win Fams, gift cards, travel products and more. It’s here that you have the chance to promote your business.
Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Provide something valuing at least $500 or a FAM trip to be promoted on taREWARDS.com for a month. Check out a few examples for inspiration—there will be thousands of travel agents entering to win your prize.
  2. That’s it.

The winner of your prize or product will be a qualified travel agent, so you’ll be able to add one more travel professional friend to your network. Actually, you’ll get to add thousands to your network; at the end of the month, you’ll receive a list of all the agents.

Sound good? Contact Scott with Travel Relations LLC today by email, scott@travelrelations.com or by phone, +1.856.552.0667. Space is limited.

“I’ve been a member of NTA for many years and try to take advantage of the partnership opportunities they offer. The taREWARDS offer was perfect for us, as we have been trying to increase our Travel Agent market over the past year. It was very quick and easy to set up. About a month after our offer was submitted, we received a list of nearly 1,800 Travel Agents with all contact information and the type of travel and destinations they offer.” 

—Kelly Deremiah, staySky Hotels & Resorts

NTA members play key role in transportation funding

In December 2015, President Obama signed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) which provides long-term surface transportation funding. One of the highlights of the FAST Act is the creation of the National Advisory Committee on Travel and Tourism Infrastructure, which includes the following NTA members:

  1. Las Vegas CVA
  2. Travel Oregon
  3. Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
  4. American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (strategic partner)
  5. NYC & Company, Inc.
  6. Colorado Tourism Office
  7. Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana CVB

NTA would like to give a big “congratulations” to these members; we are so proud of you! Click here to learn more about the National Advisory Committee on Travel and Tourism Infrastructure and the FAST Act.

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