Register Now, Pay Later for Convention ’11 | Orlando Sets U.S. Record for Visitation
June 7, 2011
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TODAY’S ARTICLES
Register Now (Get Early Bird Rates), Pay Later for Convention ’11
Orlando Sets U.S. Record for Visitation
Save up to 60 Percent on Office Supplies
Webinar Features Travel Trends for Italy and Greece
Board of Directors Appoints New Secretary/Treasurer
New Survey Is out—Get Your Reply In!
5 Days to Vote for Tourism Cares (There’s a Quarter-million Dollars up for Grabs!)
Update on Gulf Coast Waters, Beaches and Seafood—Video
Check out These New Sponsorship Opportunities for NTA Convention ’11
NTA Staff Holds Open House at New HQ—Photos
Industry News and Updates
Register Now (Get Early Bird Rates), Pay Later for Convention ’11
Did you know you can be invoiced for your Convention ’11 registration? Register now to take advantage of the Early Bird rates described below and select the "check" option on the payment screen. It’s that simple. You’ll save up to $200 with the Early Bird rates and secure your spot at the most diverse show in the travel industry—Convention ’11.
Early Bird rates:
- Tour operators: Save US$110 on registration by registering by August 12. Plus, registering before August 12 makes you eligible for the tour operator rebate—an additional $650! And be sure to take advantage of the buy-one get-one option, which allows you to bring a delegate for free for every paid registration.
- Suppliers and DMOs: Save US$200 by registering before August 12! (Don’t forget, you can bring your CEO/executive for free, too.)
Orlando Sets U.S. Record for Visitation
Hats off to Orlando, Florida, the first destination in the United States to welcome more than 50 million visitors in a single year. The city drew 51.455 million visitors last year, up 10.5 percent from 2009. Domestic visitors accounted for 93 percent (47.78 million) of Orlando’s total visitation, a 10.3 percent increase over 2009; and international travel totaled 3.675 million, an increase of 12.6 percent from 2009. Convention and meeting visitation rose 1.4 percent. More details are here.
Orlando will be welcoming the NTA Convention in 2013, when NTA and the United Motorcoach Association hold their co-located conventions January 19–23 at the Orange County Convention Center. Vic Parra, UMA president and CEO, said Orlando is the perfect spot.
"We are looking forward to 2013 and having our Motorcoach Expo alongside NTA’s Convention," Parra said. "Orlando is one of the premier destinations in the U.S. and is the perfect venue for inaugurating what will be the premier event in our industry."
The two associations will continue their collaboration with co-located events in Los Angeles in 2014 and New Orleans in 2015. For specific dates, click here.
Save up to 60 Percent on Office Supplies
One office employee uses an average $300 worth of office supplies annually. Multiply that by the number of employees in your office and you’ll get an approximate amount you’re spending each year on office supplies. Now multiply that number by 60 percent. That’s the amount you could be saving through your NTA Corporate Partner benefit with Staples.
The NTA-Staples partnership offers U.S. NTA members:
- Discounts averaging 60 percent off more than 4,000 items in the pre-priced catalog
- Discounts averaging 40 percent off our large stock catalog
- A 10 percent credit on copy services at retail stores throughout the U.S.
- Free shipping on orders of $50 or more
- Multiple ordering channels: online, fax or phone
- Digital copy services dropped at your doorstep. (Just send your job to ccsharonestimates@staples.com for a quote your copy service needs: HR manuals, large banners and all other copy services.
- Computer and technology supplies, furniture and more
"The NTA program with Staples is a great member benefit. It has saved us money on supplies and products. It also saves us time by ordering online and having the products delivered right to our office door. We have always purchase our products from Staples. Now we get savings and convenience too … a great program."
—Ed Dresel, president, Destinations Unlimited
NTA member since 1989
To join the program, contact Brian Morin by phone (603.223.2091), fax (603.223.2517) or e-mail. You’ll get access to StaplesLink.com, which is Staples’ business-to-business Internet ordering solution. With StaplesLink.com, you’ll be able to order supplies from your computer anytime.
For more information on NTA’s Corporate Partner benefits, click here.
Webinar Features Travel Trends for Italy and Greece
With a record number of arrivals in 2010, Italy is consistently one of the top international tourism markets for the United States. And Greece, a recent addition to the visa-waiver program, is also on the rise, with double-digit growth for arrivals in 2010.
Get useful market data about these destinations, along with a regional overview of the Southern European market, in a 90-minute Webinar presented by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries and the U.S. Commercial Service Travel & Tourism Team.
The Webinar, on June 14 at 10 a.m. ET, will also cover international arrivals from Italy and Greece, U.S. destinations most visited, spending patterns and trends. The program will examine the effect of the European debt crisis on outbound travel to the U.S. and spotlight ways to make your international marketing efforts more effective in Italy and Greece.
The fee for the Webinar is $50. Register or get more information here. You can also contact Anastasia Xenias at 212.80.2685 or by e-mail; or Julie Heizer at 202.482.4904 or by e-mail.
Board of Directors Appoints New Secretary/Treasurer
The NTA Board of Directors has appointed Anne Davis, CTP, to the board’s Executive Committee as secretary/treasurer. Davis, owner of Cruises and Tours Worldwide in St. Louis, will occupy the position vacated by Nick Calderazzo, who stepped down in May to devote more time to the tour company he recently started. Davis will serve as secretary/treasurer through the remainder of 2011; her position as an elected director on the board extends through 2012.
New Survey Is out—Get Your Reply In!
Check your inbox for the NTA survey regarding the Hispanic and Brazilian markets. It was sent Thursday to all DMO, supplier, and tour operator primary member contacts.
Developed by the Hispanic/Latino Development Task Force, the survey will help the group gauge members’ interest and/or participation in the Hispanic and the Brazilian markets. Recent studies have shown a dramatic increase in both the Hispanic and Brazilian markets for travel to and from North America as well as other destinations. With your participation in this survey, NTA can better understand and serve the needs of our members as these markets continue to gain momentum.
Questions? Didn’t receive a survey? Contact Paula Stephenson, NTA’s director of research and education.
5 Days to Vote for Tourism Cares (There’s a Quarter-million Dollars up for Grabs!)
Tourism Cares, 
NTA’s official travel and tourism philanthropy, is part of the 2011 Vivint Gives Back Project. And with your online vote, you can help Tourism Cares become a regional finalist for a $250,000 award! This award would help make a critical difference in putting our common vision into action-preserving treasured tourism destinations for future travelers.
Voting is easy: To get started, click here and show your support for Tourism Cares. A few details of note:
- Voting is conducted via Facebook.
- Tourism Cares is listed in the Eastern region.
- You may vote once a day until the contest closes on June 11.
The clock is ticking, so vote early—and vote often—for Tourism Cares!
Update on Gulf Coast Waters, Beaches and Seafood—Video
In case you were wondering how well the Gulf Coast area is recovering from last year’s oil spill, take a look at this YouTube video, provided by our friends at the Tourism Division of the Mississippi Development Authority. The clip includes interviews with experts in the region’s beaches, waters and seafood. All beaches are open, and rigorous testing and monitoring show that visitors can swim, sun and dine with complete confidence.
Check out These New Sponsorship Opportunities for NTA Convention ’11
NTA is rolling out new sponsorship inventory—take a look! All the new options perfectly complement existing availabilities and give you maximum exposure before, during and beyond Convention. Plus, if you sponsor at the $5,000 level or above, you’ll receive a sponsor booth on the Convention floor!
All sponsorships are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, so contact Karla DiNardo by e-mail or phone (+1.859.264.6556) today.
NTA Staff Holds Open House at New HQ—Photos
Staff members propped open the doors of their new offices on Friday, welcoming friends, neighbors and associates to NTA’s new headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky. Pictured below with Pam Upton, (center) owner of Blue Grass Tours, are Lee Carter, NTA senior vice president, operations; and Ashley Crawford Horton, NTA account executive. Click here to see more photos (on Facebook).
- Airline industry profits are set to slide in 2011 due to fuel prices, natural disasters and political unrest.
- In a U.K. survey, 59 percent of travelers said airports don’t cater to families, leading to a more stressful and less enjoyable vacation.
- By visiting troubled destinations in person, travel professionals (including NTA leaders) can assess positives and negatives first-hand and address travelers’ concerns.
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