Tuesday Newsletter – Aug. 18, 2009
August 18, 2009
Volume 29, Issue 33
Tuesday’s title sponsor is BusRates.com
Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kelley Burchell at kelley.burchell@NTAstaff.com.
TODAY’S ARTICLES
Final Board Candidate Slate Announced
New York City "Remarketer" Tax Set for Sept. 1 Implementation
The Price is Right for Convention ‘09
Focus Group Participants Needed
First-Timer Webinar Available on NTA Online
Call for Sustainable Best Practice Submissions
NTA Introduces New Corporate Partner, Angstrom Graphics
Contact NTA When Natural Disaster Hits
Hilton Washington Employees Donate Powerball Winnings to Tourism Cares
Tour Operators: Grow Your Agent Business at THETRADESHOW
High Visibility Sponsorships Available for Convention ’09
Final Board Candidate Slate Announced
The floor nomination period ended Aug. 14 with no candidates running from the floor. Dean Golden of West Valley Charter Lines withdrew his candidacy for a tour supplier Board seat. The final slate of candidates is as follows:
Vice Chairman/Chairman Elect
- Jim Reddekopp Jr., Fly Away Holidays Inc.
Treasurer/Secretary
- Nick Calderazzo, RMP Travel
Tour Operator (three seats):
- Jorge Cazenave, Cazenave Argentina
- Anne Davis, CTP, Cruises and Tours Worldwide
- Othmar Grueninger, Grueninger Tours and Cruises Inc.
- Mahen Sanghrajka, Big Five Tours and Expeditions Inc.
- Caria Tomczykowska, California Tour Consultants Inc.
Tour Suppliers (one seat):
- Neil Amrine, Guide Service of Washington Inc.
- Judie Blair, Blair Hotels
- Chuck Carter, Red Lion Hotels Corp.
- Bob Morris, Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
- Paul Nakamoto, Roaring Camp Railroads
DMOs (one seat):
- George Cooley, Destination DC
- Larry Friedman, Nevada Commission on Tourism
- Jennifer Sutcliffe, Arizona Office of Tourism
Candidate biographical information and essays will appear in the October edition of Courier and materials will be posted on NTA Online.
Electronic ballots will be distributed Oct. 9 and the electronic voting period will close on Nov. 9. Members also will have the option to cast their ballots in person at the appropriate Talk Time and Election for their member category at Convention ’09 in Reno, Nevada.
New York City "Remarketer" Tax Set for Sept. 1 Implementation
A tax that New York City has enacted on remarketers of hotel rooms is scheduled for implementation on Sept. 1. NTA and other trade associations have been in contact with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to urge the elimination of this new tax.
The remarketer tax, enacted in late June as an amendment to New York’s Hotel Occupancy Tax, requires that anyone who resells a New York hotel room remit a tax based on the full amount paid by the customer, including any service fees or charges. A "remarketer" is defined to mean "any person, excluding the [hotel] operator, having any right, access, ability or authority, through an Internet transaction or any other means whatsoever, to offer, reserve, book, arrange for, remarket, distribute, broker, resell or facilitate the transfer of rooms."
To gauge the potential impact of the remarketer tax on tour operators currently booking hotel room to New York City, a brief survey will be sent to tour operators tomorrow. If you currently book hotel rooms in New York City, please fill out the brief survey so that we have the best information possible on this issue. NTA is monitoring this situation closely and will report any new developments in Tuesday and on NTA Online.
The Price is Right for Convention ‘09
NTA has taken great strides to provide the most affordable prices to ensure you can attend Convention ’09. Aside from keeping registration fees at last year’s prices through the Early Bird discount and hotel rates as low as US$54 for tour operators and US$58 for suppliers and DMOs, NTA is providing options to help you pay for your Convention experience.
Tour operator rebate – Operators who take part in all prescheduled appointments, among other criteria, can earn a rebate to offset travel, food and lodging expenses.
Buy one, get one free – For every appointment-taking delegate a tour operator registers, they can bring another appointment-taking delegate for free.
Bring an operator, pay for Convention – Suppliers and DMOs who sign-up a non-member, appointment-taking operator through the NTA Guest Program will get US$500 toward their Convention registration.
NTA wants to help you work smarter, not harder. Act now to take advantage of these incentives for Convention ’09, where the price is always right.
Focus Group Participants Needed
NTA needs your input! A task force was put together this year to gather member input on the identity of the organization. To assist this Identity Task Force, member focus groups will be held by phone and moderated by NTA President Lisa Simon, CTP.
Feedback is critical as the Identity Task Force and NTA Board move forward, so two different dates and times are being offered for each category to get the most participation. Since everyone has an extremely busy schedule, if these dates don’t work for your schedule and you are willing to participate in a one-on-one interview, indicate that on the form as well.
The dates for the focus groups are as follows (all times are Eastern Standard Time):
- Tour operators — Aug. 24 and Sept. 23 at 2 p.m.
- Tour suppliers — Aug. 26 at 1 p.m. and Sept. 24 at 3 p.m.
- DMOs — Aug. 24 at 4 p.m. and Sept. 24 at 1 p.m.
Please click on your category of membership to sign-up as a focus group participant. You will receive an e-mail confirming your participation with the dial-in information shortly after. Please direct any questions to NTA Vice President of Marketing Lisa Thompson at 800.682.8886, ext. 4215 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.4215.
First-Timer Webinar Available on NTA Online
Earlier this month, NTA held one of two Webinars for Convention first-timers to offer advice on making the most of Convention ’09. The audio and PowerPoint files are now available on NTA Online.
While the First-Timer Webinars are geared for first-time attendees, they also offer a great refresher for any member. The recent session looked at how to research and prepare Destination Pavilion, Fast Pitch and Tour & Travel Exchange requests, how to navigate the online appointment request system and the enhancements to this year’s event.
More information on the second seminar, to be held this fall, will be available in Tuesday in the coming weeks.
Call for Sustainable Best Practice Submissions
Sustainable Travel International and NTA are collecting examples of industry leaders and innovators who are actively implementing sustainable tourism strategies. This information will be used in a series of member profiles that will appear in Tuesday and possibly other NTA publications.
Best practices submissions should detail how your company or destination is protecting the environment, preserving cultural heritage and/or contributing to economic development. By definition, a best practice is a process, technique or innovative use of resources that results in outstanding and measurable improvement in the operation or performance of your business.
If you would like to showcase your knowledge and how your company is making a difference, send your 250-word submissions to STI President Brian Mullis. Things you may want to address include:
- A description of your best practices, including detailed information and highlights, related policies, etc.
- What was the genesis of this best practice?
- How has it helped your company achieve its goals and objectives?
- What measurable/tangible impacts have resulted from your best practices?
- What are the benefits to the company, your guests and the destinations where you operate?
- What were the challenges that you encountered in implementing your program and how did you overcome them?
- What lessons did you learn from the implementation of your best practices that could be helpful to others?
NTA Introduces New Corporate Partner, Angstrom Graphics
NTA is happy to add a new Corporate Partner to its member benefits program. Angstrom Graphics Inc. is the latest service provider to offer programs and discounts to help NTA members save money on things they use every day. Angstrom Graphics will offer full-service graphic solutions to NTA members at a discounted rate on things like:
- Creative design and photography
- Digital, sheet-fed and web printing
- Cross-media variable data marketing
- Virtual publications
They also can meet your green printing needs with FSC Certified facilities, soy-based inks and wind powered energy.
For more information, please click here or contact David Angstrom at +1.859.552.3893.
Contact NTA When Natural Disaster Hits
When hurricanes, floods, fires, tornadoes or other natural disasters affect your business, make sure you use NTA to get the word out to other members.
If your business is damaged or your company is temporarily out of service, you can contact NTA Public Relations Specialist Madeline Vied at 800.682.8886, ext. 4275 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.4275 to relay this message to NTA members or to ask for advice/help from NTA. The NTA staff is available to help members in any way possible.
Hilton Washington Employees Donate Powerball Winnings to Tourism Cares
A group of 27 Hilton Washington team members recently won a $10,000 Powerball jackpot and many are using their winnings to participate in the Tourism Cares Volunteer Day on Sept. 11, helping to clean-up the FDR Memorial and other sites in Washington, D.C.
Steve Cowan, general manager of the Hilton Washington, congratulated the team members on their win, and expressed his appreciation for working with such a close-knit group. "I applaud many of them for giving their winnings to participate in Tourism Cares. Historic sites like the FDR Memorial are important to every American and the beautification of their surroundings is important work."
The project will bring together hundreds of committed travel industry volunteers, ready and willing to roll up their sleeves to make a difference. The event will be held Sept. 11 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C. Space is limited, so click here to register.
Tour Operators: Grow Your Agent Business at THETRADESHOW
Due to NTA’s support and partnership of ASTA’s THETRADESHOW, NTA tour operators have a special opportunity to educate agents on selling packages and tours and working with operators when you purchase a booth at the show.
NTA tour operators can be a part of THETRADESHOW’s supplier seminar series with a booth purchase. In addition to all of the business connections at the show, NTA tour operators can grow business by marketing to travel agents who sell more than $120 billion in travel each year.
THETRADESHOW will take place Sept. 13-15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Click here for more information and to register today.
High Visibility Sponsorships Available for Convention ’09
Looking for the perfect way to meet both NTA tour operators and WRTA travel buyers at NTA’s Convention ’09? Sponsor either the highly appreciated Water or Coffee & Tea station!
These beverages are hot commodities at NTA Conventions and you have the chance to sponsor either one and brand each station with your message. Numerous attendees frequent these two areas for refreshment so your message is sure to be seen. Plus, you’ll receive a booth on the floor along with a variety of other sponsor benefits including sponsor promotions, a database of attending delegate mailing addresses and more.
Sponsorships are sold on first-come, first served basis, so act now. Contact NTA Vice President of Sales Karla DiNardo at 800.682.8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.4232. For additional available sponsorships and benefits, click here.