Save Up to $200, Register by Friday!; NTA, Edelman to Host Free Gulf Seminars
July 6, 2010
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TODAY’S ARTICLES
Save Up to $200-Register for Convention by Friday!
NTA, Edelman to Host Free Gulf Coast Seminars; First One Is July 13
Be a Hero to DMOs through the Newly Enhanced Tracking Feature
NTA Operators Continue to Benefit from The Berkely Group Corporate Partnership
Tourism Cares Awards $78,000 in Academic Scholarships
Sponsor at Convention and Receive a Booth for Free
NTA’s CTP Program Offers Convenient Professional Development
Share Your Story in Courier
Reach the Luxury Chinese Golf Market, Attend China Road Show (Quick Deadline!)
NTA and CBS Promote Members, Travel and Tourism
Deadline Approaching to Nominate a Colleague for an NTA Award
Industry News and Updates
Save Up to $200-Register for Convention by Friday! 
DMOs/Suppliers: Looking to save $200 on your Convention registration? Register by Friday and you will! Remember, you also have the option to register now and pay later. When you register online, simply choose the "payment by check" option, print out your confirmation form and mail both to NTA. Click here to save $200!
Tour Operators: Want to save $120? Register by Friday for Convention and you will! New this year-you also have the option to register now and pay later. When you register online, simply choose the "payment by check" option, print out your confirmation form and mail both to NTA. Click here to save $120!
Below are quick links for more ways to save money at Convention:
- Transportation
- Tour Operator: Buy One, Get One
- Tour Operator rebate
- Housing reservations
- Sponsor at the US$5,000 level or higher and receive a sponsor booth
NTA, Edelman to Host Free Gulf Coast Seminars; First One Is July 13
NTA and Edelman, the world’s largest independent public relations firm, are presenting a series of free seminars titled "Practical Skills for the Oil Spill Crisis: Managing Media Relations and Building Business through a Crisis." The seminars, open to all members of the tourism industry and others impacted by the crisis, have been scheduled for:
- July 13 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. CT at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi
- July 14 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. CT at the Municipal Auditorium in Houma, Louisiana.
- July 27 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. CT in Gulf Shores, Alabama (venue to be determined)
- July 28 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. CT in Pensacola, Florida (venue to be determined)
Click here to register to attend one of these free seminars.
You do not have to be an NTA member to attend, so please spread the word about these NTA-Edelman seminars. Share this information with your travel and tourism colleagues in the Gulf Coast region by posting on Facebook and Twitter. Link to the registration form by pasting this link in the feed .
Also, the U.S. Travel Association is asking the travel industry to come together and lend a hand to get thousands of travel employees in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida to sign on to a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to put in place a short- and long-term recovery plan focused on maintaining a strong travel economy in the Gulf region and attracting business and leisure travelers back to the region. To view the letter and add your name, click here. To forward the letter to your networks, click here.
Be a Hero to DMOs through the Newly Enhanced Tracking Feature
NTA has added a new "map it" enhancement helping operators see where a DMO is located within their state, province or country. It can be difficult for operators to determine DMOs who represent a region or a number of cities based simply on the organization’s name and physical address. This new "map it" feature will give operators the ability to quickly see where a DMO is located, making it even easier for them to send itinerary details for tracking/ROI purposes.
More and more tour operators are continuing to utilize NTA’s online Tracking/ROI system to share important information with their DMO colleagues. Hundreds of e-mails have already been sent in 2010 and there are more to come! NTA would like to thank these operators for taking the time to share this valuable information with their DMO colleagues in the month of June:
- Agri Travel Services, Denver, Colorado
- Heritage Tours Inc., Yoder, Kansas
- Setness Tours, Stockton, California
- Sun Fun Tours Ltd., Kamloops, British Columbia
- Wells Gray Tours Ltd., Kamloops, British Columbia
Being a hero to your DMO friends is even easier with the quick link to the Tracking/ROI system at the top right of your Tuesday newsletter e-mail! Use the Tracking System and make sure your DMO partners continue to offer their invaluable services to your company today and tomorrow.
NTA Operators Continue to Benefit from The Berkely Group Corporate Partnership!
As an NTA corporate partner for 25 years, The Berkely Group has been selected as NTA’s Official Corporate Partner for insurance services for a three-year term extension. NTA has worked with The Berkely Group to design and customize insurance products that are available exclusively to NTA members located in the United States.
Berkely offers both liability insurance and a travel protection plan for NTA members. Learn how you can earn up to 35 percent compensation by offering Berkely’s Travel Protection Plan to your customers. Also, you can earn premium credits on your liability insurance by participating in Berkely’s Annual Risk Management Seminar at NTA’s Convention.
Visit Berkely’s NTA page here and connect with representatives at Convention ’10, or contact Berkely today to learn more about how you can save/make money with The Berkely Group.
Don’t forget to use NTA’s other corporate partners to save your time and money for your business.
Tourism Cares Awards $78,000 in Academic Scholarships 
Tourism Cares is pleased to award $78,000 in academic scholarships to 54 students across the United States and Canada.
The scholarships are awarded annually to students pursuing undergraduate or graduate travel, tourism, and hospitality degrees at accredited colleges and universities.
This year’s recipients include three associates, 32 bachelors, 14 masters, and five doctoral candidates, studying at 39 different schools in 27 U. S. states and Canadian provinces.
In addition to the monetary awards, the academic scholarship recipients are invited to attend the Tourism Cares Experience the Industry Student Program at the NTA Convention. This program gives students the opportunity to shadow professional mentors and participate in NTA Convention seminars.
The awards vary annually so please check the Tourism Cares Web site for details on the 2011 offerings and application information at www.tourismcares.org/scholarships early next year.
For nearly 30 years, Tourism Cares (and its predecessor organization, the National Tourism Foundation), along with ASTA, IATA and USTOA, have provided more than 700 students with scholarships and other awards valued at more than $1 million.
Sponsor at Convention and Receive a Booth for Free
Make yourself easy to find at Convention ’10 with a booth located right on the Convention floor. Sponsor at NTA’s Convention in Montreal (at the US$5,000 level or higher) and receive a sponsor booth-a great way for the 400+ tour operators and 250 travel agents attending WRTA’s EXPO to find you. Click here to learn how sponsoring at Convention is a huge benefit to your company. Contact Karla DiNardo at karla.dinardo@NTAstaff.com at 800.682.8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.4232 to reserve your sponsorship today!
NTA’s CTP Program Offers Convenient Professional Development
As a busy professional, you need a certification program that provides quality and convenience at a cost that won’t break the bank. NTA’s Certified Tour Professional program does all of that by bringing the classroom to you.
With all the content you need posted online, the CTP program allows you to work through the different sections at your own pace and around your busy schedule. The three courses in the tour and packaged travel-focused certification cover management and leadership, sales and marketing as well as financial management.
"You have to know your business first and with the help of my CTP materials, I better understand how a business strategy works-transforming short-term business into long-term business. I encourage each and every one of you to take advantage of this opportunity NTA is offering to us as members," said Juan Romani, CTP, a 2009 graduate. "Having your CTP under your belt is a good way to get ahead in this market that changes all the time."
NTA’s CTP program, designed by a collection of your peers with the help of Temple University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, can make a difference in your career and credibility in the industry. To learn more about obtaining your CTP designation, contact NTA Communications and Marketing Administrative Assistant Andrea Richardson.
We know you are establishing partnerships through NTA that are bringing you business and expanding your reach. We’d love to hear some examples to share with other members in an upcoming issue of Courier. Send Courier Editor in Chief Penny Whitman an e-mail with details about the connections NTA has made possible for you.
Reach the Luxury Chinese Golf Market, Attend China Road Show (Quick Deadline!)
The Commercial Service of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing is organizing the first-ever American Golf Tourism Expo in Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai this September. The program is designed to put your business in front of China’s leading golf travel buyers, high-end resorts and courses and selected golfers in Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai’s booming golf markets.
The United States is the #1 destination of choice for Chinese golfers. More than 5,000 Chinese golfers come to the U.S. annually, for an average of eight to 12 days. To learn more about participating in this event, e-mail jing.wei@trade.gov or anna.ansari@trade.gov.
To reach the entire Chinese market, NTA has learned that the U.S. Commercial Service is organizing a U.S. Tourism Road Show in Hangzhou, Nanjing and Hefei, China on July 14-21, 2010. Participants will include U.S. Convention and Visitors Bureaus, state tourism agencies, airlines, hoteliers, tour operators and other tourism suppliers. The deadline to reserve your spot is July 7. Click here to see cost details and contact information.
NTA and CBS Promote Members, Travel and Tourism
Want to add a fun, free activity to your New York City Tours? Clients of NTA members are invited to be on U.S. national television during "The Early Show" on CBS.
Through this invitation, your groups that travel to New York City can be part of the audience for "The Early Show." As a bonus, the group receives an invitation to see the behind-the-scenes of the studio.
If you are interested in taking advantage of this offer, please complete the audience participation/backstage tour form and then you will be contacted by the CBS audience coordinator. If you are unable to submit the form via e-mail, you may fax it to NTA Vice President of Communications Catherine Prather at +1.859.226.4404. Please send any questions to questions@NTAstaff.com.
Deadline Approaching to Nominate a Colleague for an NTA Awards
Celebrate your colleagues and send in your Bob Everidge Lifetime Achievement Award and Pioneer Award nominations. The BELA recognizes individuals who have made outstanding, ongoing contributions to NTA and its members, while the Pioneer Award honors individuals whose accomplishments have resulted in a significant change in the travel industry from which NTA and its members (specifically tour operators) have benefited. Any person employed by an NTA member company is eligible to make a nomination which, at minimum, should include a brief narrative (approximately 250 words) about the nominee. Additional material may be included with the narrative. Pioneer award nominees do not have to be members.
The nomination criteria for the Bob Everidge Lifetime Achievement Award are as follows:
- Display active dedication to the mission of NTA and the best interests of its members
- Extensive volunteer contributions to NTA and its members
- Consistently conducted himself/herself in a manner in keeping with the ethics, quality and sense of community espoused by NTA
- A minimum of 20 years involvement in the travel industry that included service that furthered the interests of NTA and its members
Nominations for the award, which will be presented at the 2010 NTA Convention, are due by Friday, July 30, and should be submitted to NTA Executive Assistant Celeste Moore.
The NTA Board of Directors established the BELA in 2003 to honor the late Everidge, owner and president of Shenandoah Tours Inc., in Staunton, Virginia, for his lifetime commitment to NTA. The NTA Board of Directors established the Pioneer award in 2005.
The United States is phasing out its requirement for visitors to manually complete the green CBP Form I-94W paper arrival/departure document. This applies to air or sea travelers who are citizens of countries included in the Visa Waiver Program, and who have received prior travel authorization via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. Click here to read more.
The U.S. Department of Commerce forecasts that travel from Australia to the United States will increase by twelve percent in 2010 and by ten percent in 2011. Click here to read more.
The U.S. State Department on July 13 will raise the price for visas, passports and other consular services-some by more than $300-to reflect what the department determined is the true cost to provide such services. Click here to read more.
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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