NTA Vice Chair Mark Hoffmann Reacts to UMA’s Motorcoach Expo | New Members, Courtesy of …
February 14, 2012
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TODAY’S ARTICLES
NTA Vice Chair Mark Hoffmann Reacts to UMA’s Motorcoach Expo
New Members, Courtesy of …
People Are Talking. Have You Joined the Conversation?
Greteman Company Honored at UMA Banquet
Cruise Association Addresses Safety Concerns
Members Monitor Travel to Egypt, Region
Help the Pensacola Lighthouse Shine On
Reach the Rapidly Growing China Inbound Leisure Market
3 Is the Magic Marketing Number
Industry News and Updates
NTA Job Center
NTA Vice Chair Mark Hoffmann Reacts to UMA’s Motorcoach Expo
Travel Exchange, which combines NTA’s Convention with UMA’s Motorcoach Expo, was created to expand the business opportunities for members of both organizations. After attending the UMA Expo in Long Beach, California, over the weekend, NTA Vice Chair Mark Hoffmann, CTP, called the new show concept "visionary." Here’s what he experienced at UMA’s Expo.
Don’t miss the opportunity to discover how Travel Exchange—Jan. 19–23, 2013—can work for you. Registration opens April 10! Find out more about Travel Exchange at www.NTAonline.com/Convention.
… established members! When you bring a new individual to the NTA table, everyone benefits: The new members get a well-oiled networking machine, and the rest of the membership enjoys access to yet another potential business partner. You get a bonus, too: Read about how the Recruitment Rewards Club got its middle name.
And read below to see who’s responsible for adding to NTA’s growth and diversity:
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Lisa Curtin of Brightspark Travel referred new member Richard Lyle of Wingate by Wyndham Fredericksburg.
- Margaret Holmberg of Spokane Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau referred new member Meilee Anderson of Seattle Southside CVB.
- Florence Solal of Go West Tours referred new member Pierre-Yves Mazeaud of French Incoming.
- Janice Holton of Brightspark Travel referred new member Chad Honeycutt of America’s Incredible Pizza Company.
- Ted Bravos of International Tour Management Institute referred new member David Rubens of Bay Magic Meetings & Tours.
- Sandy Haines of Myrtle Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau referred new member Sharon Kemerer of Springmaid Beach Resort & Conference Center.
- Cathy Greteman of Star Destinations referred new member Sue Kang of Korea-US Travel.
- Arlene Samonte of AAA Sojourns referred new member Deanna Ballard of Star Limo & Tour.
- Mary Bess of Mad River Boat Trips referred new member Allison Warren of Scenic Safaris.
- David O’Gorman of Discover Ireland Tours referred new member James Grieve of Europe Incoming Scotland.
Thank you all!
People Are Talking. Have You Joined the Conversation?
Right now, NTA members are actively:
- discussing how to handle the influx of Chinese tourists to North America (on NTA’s Linkedin)
- talking about the best ways to work Travel Exchange next year (on NTA’s Facebook page and @NTANews on Twitter)
- learning how to Do Big Things on the NTA blog.
Have you joined these conversations? Please do! Tap into the collective knowledge
of your association—in person at Business Builder events and virtually all year round. Jump into the exchange—you belong here!
Greteman Company Honored at UMA Banquet
Windstar Lines, a motorcoach company owned by past chairman Cathy Greteman (along with her husband and sons), received the Vision Award, the highest honor given by the United Motorcoach Association, at last week’s UMA Motorcoach Expo.
The award is given annually to a company that employs innovative marketing, operations and customer service approaches; maintains its fleet to the highest standards; raises the profile of the entire motorcoach industry and gives back to the community.
Jeff, Pat, and Scott Greteman accepted the award at the UMA Vision Awards Banquet in Long Beach, Calif. The company, which operates a fleet of motorcoaches in the central United States, was described as an innovative organization in the award nomination: "Windstar is a full-service operation continuously looking at ways to improve all aspects of their business. Whether it’s training, new ideas in the charter and tour segment, or updates in technology, they consistently make strides to stay in a lead position."
Cruise Association Addresses Safety Concerns
The safety of cruising has received intense scrutiny since the tragic Costa Concordia incident last month, and the 360 NTA tour operators who offer cruises must deal with related questions.
Cruise industry leaders are addressing safety issues head-on. Christine Duffy, CEO of Cruise Lines International Association, held a briefing in the aftermath of the accident, expressing sympathy for the victims and answering questions from the media at the Passenger Ship Safety Conference. You can view the session here.
Duffy also issued an open letter to travel industry, detailing CLIA’s areas of focus:
Safety review: CLIA’s Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review includes a comprehensive assessment of both human factors and operational aspects of maritime safety.
New muster policy: A new emergency drill policy exceeds current legal requirements and requires mandatory musters for embarking passengers prior to departure from port.
Public communications: CLIA is committed to making information and technical experts available to the media, public officials, industry partners and the public.
For continuing news, visit the CLIA’s public update page.
Members Monitor Travel to Egypt, Region
A year after the advent of the Arab Spring, and with continued political unrest, Egypt’s tourism remains depressed. (Click here for information about 2011 hotel occupancy.) A story in Travel Market Report cites an optimistic projection from the ministry of tourism-with mixed reactions from U.S. tour operators. In the story, NTA 
President Lisa Simon said the demand to visit Egypt remains strong, and tour operators are playing a waiting game as travelers monitor the situation. NTA members are doing the same.
Lena Olofsson of Galaxia Tours said that Red Sea resorts are doing well, but the rest of the country is suffering from the lack of tourists. "We hope we will be able to increase from here for the sake of our employees and the country," she said. "Although we consider things safe for tourists, we are well aware that the news from here is not always good, and that puts off a lot of visitors."
Despite a yearlong decline in bookings, Chase Poffenberger of Academic Travel Abroad remains upbeat. "Egypt is a destination that has traditionally bounced back very quickly after experiencing disruptions," she said. "Once political stability returns, we expect to attract new travelers who are interested in seeing the country’s iconic sights as well as discussing a burgeoning new democracy with Egyptians from many walks of life."
Ashish Sanghrajka of Big Five Tours & Expeditions expressed long-term optimism, despite what he sees as widespread discounting on trips to Egypt. "The concern is that the people of Egypt are damaging their ability to charge a fair wage for hotels and services in the future," he said. "The silver lining here is that many of us are using this time to design more creative itineraries to Egypt, showcasing the history that is skipped in the normal tourist path."
Egypt’s travel troubles have affected other countries in the region, too, creating even more innovative itineraries, according to Malia Asfour of the Jordan Tourism Board.
"Many tour operators are revamping their itineraries, offering more in-depth experiences that range from cooking with locals to sleeping in Bedouin tents," Asfour said. "And with 2012 the year Jordan celebrates several milestone events, it’s the perfect year to visit and gain a better understanding of the region."
Help the Pensacola Lighthouse Shine On
Tourism Cares is asking the travel industry to come together to make an impact in Pensacola-now and in the future. You can roll up your sleeves on March 29 and 30, when Tourism Cares will bring hundreds of volunteers to Pensacola, in the Florida Panhandle, for work at the Pensacola Lighthouse and the Pensacola Bay.
If you have been to a Tourism Cares event before, you know the amount of work volunteers can accomplish in a short time. It’s truly amazing.
And before the work begins, you can help ensure that it continues. Tourism Cares is asking you to join others in the industry in a fundraising campaign to help the sites in Pensacola to continue to thrive for future travelers to enjoy.
To learn how to become a Fundraising Champion, visit Tourism Cares’ Friends Asking Friends page for details. Then reach out to your friends, family and colleagues to help generate funding for this iconic landmark.
One hundred percent of the funds raised will go to the Pensacola Lighthouse so they may continue to make improvements. Tourism Cares will match donations up to $5,000.
Reach the Rapidly Growing China Inbound Leisure Market
NTA is reprinting The Best of the USA directory for the China Market for distribution
at a major travel show, the China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market, held April 18-20 in Beijing. This reprint edition will include NTA’s updated list of approved operators for inbound leisure travel from China. Not only will we distribute this edition at COTTM, but we’ll also send it to 1,250 Chinese travel agents, make it available in the NTA Visit USA Center in Shanghai, and post it on NTAonline.com and the Visit USA Center Web sites for additional exposure.
To advertise and grow your inbound leisure business from China, please contact NTA Services Inc. for information. Artwork deadline is Feb. 29, so call today! (Note: All advertisers in the current version will remain in this reprint edition.)
3 Is the Magic Marketing Number
You might read a hundred articles that give marketing advice-and then struggle to keep it all straight. But here’s a marketing tip you can remember: Three.
In "The Power of the Rule of Three in Marketing Your Small Business," Stacy Caracostas says that by using three as a ceiling in marketing and communications concepts, we reduce the chance of over-stimulating prospective customers. She applies the rule of three to seven aspects of marketing:
- Choose three main speaking points for a speech or presentation.
- Limit new marketing tactics to three at a time.
- Follow up with a prospect three times (at least).
- Your business card should have no more than three blocks of information (text or graphics).
- Don’t use more than three fonts on a page.
- Go with three colors for an ad or logo: main, complementary and highlight.
- Writing tip: When a list of items reaches three, move from sentence format to bullet points.
For more details about the rule of three, see the article.
- In Travelocity’s "Traveler Confidence Report," 53 percent of respondents said they plan to travel more in 2012, compared to last year, when only 35 percent planned to increase their travel.
- Following a decline in revenue, hotel mini-bars are set to offer more exotic food and drink selections, along with non-edible items.
- Chinese travelers will take more than 80 million trips outside of their country in 2012—up from 70 million in 2011—says the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, which correctly predicted last year’s 20 percent increase.
Academic Travel Abroad has an opening for the Director of Client Services, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the ATA Client Services Department (CSD). This department has a dual function of sales and customer service, booking callers onto programs for National Geographic Expeditions, AMNH Expeditions, Professionals Abroad and other ATA client organizations, as well as preparing and serving guests already booked on ATA programs. CSD currently has a nine-person staff and handles sales, pre-departure preparation and operations for hundreds of groups each year. The director facilitates communications between ATA’s clients and CSD staff on a daily basis, ensuring that all client needs and concerns are met in a timely manner while making sure that delivery of a high level of customer service and quality of work are the core of all that CSD does.
Skills and experience in the areas of sales and account management, customer service and team management are required. A facility with technology is important to success in this job. Excellent benefits are provided, starting with five weeks of paid time off.
Please send your resume and cover letter, as well as salary history, to Kate Simpson at ksimpson@academic-travel.com by February 22, 2012. Beyond that date, please e-mail Kate to make sure applications are still being accepted before submitting your resume. See the full job description here.
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