NTA Announces Holy Land PDT | New! Member Markets Pavilion at Travel Exchange
October 23, 2012
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TODAY’S ARTICLES
NTA Announces Holy Land PDT
Tour Operators: Can You Smell the Ocean Air Yet?
New! Member Markets Pavilion at Travel Exchange
Courier, Blog Help You Plan a Perfect Week in Orlando!
New Courier Includes 2012 Dining Guide and Sun & Sand Special Section
Questions about Travel Exchange? Ask an Ambassador!
Where in the World is Courier?
Premium Positions for Travel Exchange Pubs Are Going, Going …
Tourism Cares Tallies Impact of Sacramento Project, Announces 2013 Sites
Industry News and Updates
NTA Job Center
After two years of building expertise and enthusiasm for faith-based tourism, NTA is leading tour operators to the Holy Land on a 2013 product development trip. The members-only trip, Feb. 10 through 22, features significant sites throughout Israel and Jordan.
"This is a key market for NTA tour operators, and we are grateful to the tourism offices of Jordan and Israel for helping NTA create an unforgettable experience," said Lisa Simon, NTA president, adding she expects more faith-based PDTs in the future.
The 13-day journey includes workshops and opportunities for participants to network
with local suppliers. View the itinerary here.
"After experiencing the rich cultures of Jordan and Israel, every participant will return home with not only the knowledge to sell these destinations, but also with a passion to sell them," said Paul Larsen, chair of NTA’s Faith Tourism Advisory Council and president of Ed-Ventures in Rochester, Minn. "These are unique, profitable and growing markets that are not limited to just the faith-based niche."
The Holy Land PDT is part of Montage, NTA’s product development initiative that offers in-depth destination experiences. It’s a unique opportunity, according to Larsen. "I know this market has changed me and our company and the travelers we have taken there," he said. "The world benefits as we in NTA break down walls and build bridges together."
See the news release here, and for more information on the PDT, follow this link.
Tour Operators: Can You Smell the Ocean Air Yet?
Join us Aug. 15–17, 2013, for an unforgettable trip to the pacific island that breathes 
fire, is rich with history and speaks the language of love: Aloha!
The Big Island of Hawai‘i is where Contact ’13 will be held this year, and we wouldn’t want you to miss out on the Early Bird Rate of just $195—let alone a unique and beautiful experience in a magnificent setting!
At Contact ’12 in San Diego, Chris Babb from The Group Tour Company said he was already looking forward to next year:
"It’s been an awesome couple of days meeting and making new friends. I made a lot of new business contacts, and it renewed my energy for working in this industry! It is an incredible, incredible experience and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to going to Hawai‘i next year for Contact! As an owner of a business in this industry, there are very few industry meetings where you actually get a chance, as an owner, to talk to other owners who make decisions in this industry, to learn best practices, and to talk about hiring practices and the expansion of business."
View photos from Contact ’12 here and make plans now for Contact ’13, Aug. 15–17, 2013! Registration is open now with an Early Bird Deadline of Jan. 24, 2013. Register here!
New! Member Markets Pavilion at Travel Exchange
Looking for new travel products, services or destinations? In addition to your business appointments at Travel Exchange, you can now seize another opportunity to expand your tour portfolio.
In Orlando NTA will unveil its Member Markets Pavilion, a section on the convention floor where delegates can collect business, educational and informational resources on markets such as faith-based, family or adventure travel. Other markets—traditional, emerging and growth—are also expected to be represented by the Pavilion operators, suppliers and destinations. Among current exhibitors in the Member Markets Pavilion is the Israel Ministry of Tourism and Meander Travel, a Turkey-based receptive operator.
To learn more about how you can secure a counter in this special Pavilion area, contact Kevin Wright, NTA’s Director of Growth Markets, by phone (859.264.6565) or by email. And to get all the details on Travel Exchange, visit the website.
Courier, Blog Help You Plan a Perfect Week in Orlando!
We’re just 88 days away from the big show (yay!), so to help you get started on your preparations, we crafted a personal Travel Exchange checklist for the entire week so you can cross-check, book, pack, plan and prepare for Travel Exchange, Jan. 20–24, in Orlando.
Each list is designed especially for your member category; find your "to-do’s" here:
- Tour operators—head to the Business Builder section of the Nov. issue of Courier.
- Tour Suppliers and DMOs—bookmark your checklist on our Do Big Things Blog.
Remember, this is the event to buy, sell, partner up, create, brainstorm, learn from each other, swap stories, share goals and build your business! So take advantage of this checklist and use it to squeeze as much out of Travel Exchange as humanly possible!
If you still haven’t registered for Travel Exchange, click here, or call +1.859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886 today. Now is the time!
New Courier Includes 2012 Dining Guide and Sun & Sand Special Section
The November issue of Courier highlights member product in India, New Jersey, New York, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Québec and Las Vegas, as well as member travel product appropriate for itineraries focused on America’s historic east.
Courier‘s business section includes trends, tips and market data about the Chinese inbound market, plus information about NTA’s new Travel Exchange app for your week in Orlando, Florida, Jan. 20-24. Our Sun & Sand Special Section covers a wide range of annual events taking place in NTA-member destinations from the Beach Boogie & BBQ Festival in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to the Saint Magi Festival in Tarragona, Spain.
The issue also features Courier‘s 2012 Dining Guide and wraps up with a photo collage and report on Tourism Cares’ recent clean-up event in Sacramento, California.
Questions about Travel Exchange? Ask an Ambassador!
NTA has assembled an all-star cast of volunteers to serve as your source of advice and answers about Travel Exchange, coming up in Orlando 88 days from now.
22 Travel Exchange Ambassadors stand ready to help; you can read their profiles and find one with a similar industry background to answer your questions about business appointments, seminars, profiles or other topics.
Here are additional opportunities for Travel Exchange tips and support, and you don’t have to be a first-time attendee to benefit from the information:
- Before you leave for Orlando, listen to a recording of the First-timers’ Webinar conducted Sept. 20 and 25. It’s on the First-timers Program page.
- And when you arrive, take a Travel Exchange floor tour to help you map out your appointments and prospects. Find a schedule of tours on this page.
- You can also attend Clayton Whitehead and Mark Hoffmann’s on-site seminar, "Travel Exchange 101," on Sunday, Jan. 20, at 2:45 p.m.
- When you’re on the Travel Exchange floor, visit NTA Central to get answers and assistance from NTA staff members.
To get more information—or to register—visit the Travel Exchange website.
Where in the World is Courier?
NTA knows that many of you catch up on your Courier reading when you travel. It’s 
not just a great way to pass the time in an airport or on a coach, but it also allows you to stay on top of all the great product ideas, NTA news and industry updates included in the magazine.
Your association wants to know where you and your Courier have gone. Next time you’re traveling with Courier, spot a landmark, grab a camera and send us a picture of you with the magazine. Who knows, you might see it in the next month’s issue! Email a high-res photo and a note about where in the world you were with your Courier to Managing Editor Doug Rentz.
Premium Positions for Travel Exchange Pubs Are Going, Going …
Travel Exchange is approaching quickly, and we have limited premium spots left in our Travel Exchange publications.
Profile Form Notebook: Guarantee that your profile is in the hands of every operator at the NTA-UMA Travel Exchange by pre-inserting your profile in the Profile Form Notebook. Back cover is available.
December Courier (Travel Exchange issue): Sent to all NTA members, this issue has bonus distribution to UMA motorcoach operators (900 buyers).
- One cover remains.
- One two-page spread spot is available.
December Digital Courier: NEW! This digital issue of Courier magazine is sent to 3,000 NTA members and 900 UMA members, including 350 motorcoach operators.
- Side banners are available.
Space is filling fast, so call +1.859.264.6559 or email NTA Services for more information.
Tourism Cares Tallies Impact of Sacramento Project, Announces 2013 Sites
Under the hot Northern California sun, more than 200 travel industry volunteers gathered in Sacramento on Sept. 28 to revitalize a number of historic and culturally significant sites across the city and celebrate World Tourism Day.
Tourism Cares for Historic Sacramento brought travel industry professionals from more than 80 companies to help restore the travel experience at three sites significant to the city’s history: Old Sacramento, Sutter’s Fort and the historic City Cemetery. Volunteers used more than 150 gallons of paint and spread nearly 600 pounds of cement. Tasks varied from painting historic buildings to rebuilding fences, planting trees and archiving more than 300 artifacts. In all, more than 1,500 volunteer hours, valued at $32,000, were donated to the city of Sacramento.
"We’ve been called ‘locusts with tools,’ and today was no different. It’s amazing the amount of work that these hardy souls accomplished," said Bruce Beckham, executive director and CEO of Tourism Cares. "What’s amazing is that they take on work that they would pay people at home to do. Somehow, doing it for the common good is so much more fun and gratifying."
Tourism Cares for Historic Sacramento is the 11th annual give-back project for Tourism Cares, NTA’s official philanthropy. The next give-back program is scheduled for May 31, 2013, at Coney Island and Jamaica Bay in New York City and will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Tourism Cares volunteer projects, which began on New York’s Ellis Island in 2003. The fall program is slated for "America’s Home Town," Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Sept. 26 and 27, 2013. For more information about Tourism Cares,visit the website. And read a firsthand account of the Sacramento event in Courier.
- An anticipated rise in U.S. air fares during the closing quarter of 2012 will not likely surpass increases experienced in 2011, leading experts to predict "contained" travel costs in 2013.
- U.S. gas prices have dropped more than eight cents a gallon in the past two weeks as a California supply crunch eases. At the end of last week, Tulsa had the cheapest gas ($3.26) and San Francisco had the priciest ($4.51).
- Business and leisure travelers are booking hotel rooms further in advance, leading hoteliers to rely less on last year’s booking pace and more on recent trends.
Sun Tours is seeking a director of operations.
Sun Tours is a traditional tour operator based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that sends mostly senior citizens on bus and intermodal tours throughout the United States and Canada. We have been under the same management for 35 years and a member of NTA since 1988. For more information about Sun Tours, please visit our website: www.suntoursus.com .
Our director of operations oversees two other people in our operations department while also handling tours him/herself.
Applicants should be very experienced in tour operations in the U.S. (and/or Canada), fearless negotiators, relentless advocates on behalf of our clients, meticulous with details, and excited to live in Albuquerque.
To apply for this position, please email your resume to Karl Storch, president of Sun Tours, at kstorch@suntoursus.com.
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