Tuesday Newsletter – Aug. 26, 2008

To be eligible for the program, tour operators must attend the NTA Annual Convention in Pittsburgh from Nov. 15-19. For more information on the "Bargains in the ‘Burgh" program or to register for Convention, visit the Convention Web site or contact your Member Services Team.

top of page

Grand Ole Opry to Bring Country Music Star Craig Morgan to Convention

Craig Morgan has been added to the star-studded line-up of entertainment scheduled for the Annual Convention in Pittsburgh. The Sony BMG recording artist and soon-to-be the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, will perform during the Nov. 15 Saturday Luncheon, which is sponsored by the Grand Ole Opry.

Morgan was surprised by an invitation to become a member of the Opry just last week during a special concert for U.S. troops at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where the country star was stationed for two of his 10 years of active duty in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Morgan will be formally inducted into the Opry Oct. 25, just three weeks prior to his performance at the NTA Convention.

Morgan has made a name for himself with signature hits like "Almost Home," the chart-topping summer anthem "Redneck Yacht Club" and "That’s What I Love about Sunday," which spent five weeks at No. 1 and was Billboard’s Most Played Country Song of the Year in 2005. Morgan is set to release his fifth CD, "That’s Why," on Oct. 21, and the album’s lead single, "Love Remembers," is already closing in on the top of the charts.

top of page

PowerPoint Slides from Last Week’s Convention Webinar Available

More than 60 members took part in the Convention preparation Webinar Sept. 16, and heard all about the upcoming Convention. If you were unable to participate in the session but want to see what topics were covered by John Shaffer and Barb Bowman, you can view the PowerPoint slides by clicking here.

In addition to this information, several other resources to help make your Convention experience a good one, are available on the Convention First-timer Programs section of NTA Online. You also can find the comprehensive First-timer Convention Manual, which you can download and use as a reference before you head to Pittsburgh.

top of page

Leave a Lasting Impression on Tour Operators at Convention

Looking for a way to snag some prime visibility at the upcoming NTA Convention in Pittsburgh? By being a refreshment sponsor or co-sponsoring the popular Wine & Cheese Reception, your organization will be a Silver level sponsor, which means you get a free booth down where the action is on the Convention floor and you are automatically accepted into the prescheduled appointments process. Options include:

Contact NTA Vice President of Sales and Sponsorship Karla DiNardo, at 800.682.8886 ext 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4232 for more information. Also, don’t forget to check out the 2008 Sponsorship Guide for additional opportunities.

top of page

One Week Left to Reach Convention Delegates through Convention Daily

The NTA Annual Convention in Pittsburgh is right around the corner and you have a chance to promote your company to the thousands of NTA members that will be in attendance by placing an advertisement in the Convention Daily newsletter. This high-quality, four-color newsletter will be available within the Convention Mall and hand-delivered each day to attending delegates from Nov. 15 to 19.

Three- and five-day advertising packages give you a way to display up to five different ads throughout the Convention. Use this highly visible publication to promote your special, a giveaway or to draw attention to your booth.

To reach your account executive, call 800.682.8886, ext. 4241 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4241.

top of page

ASSOCIATION NEWS

NTA Board Reviews ’09 Budget, Keeps Strategic Focus on the Future

During its September meeting, which was held in Riggins, Idaho, the NTA Board of Directors reviewed the proposed budget for 2009 and discussed programming and strategies to bring new business to members in the future.

"The board made some important decisions and laid some solid groundwork for the future," said NTA Chairman and CEO Bob Hoelscher, CTP.

He said NTA will be adding a member business event in Guam – a U.S. territory – in the spring of 2009 that will focus on the China inbound market to the United States. Since NTA is the only entity approving U.S. tour operators to work with Chinese travel agents to facilitate leisure travel from China, the board felt it important to create this business opportunity.

Also, the board discussed plans for other developments that will have a significant, positive impact on the way members do business at NTA and its Annual Convention. Currently, the board, committees and staff are further developing the concepts, and the board will review the plan again at its November meeting. Hoelscher said the plans will be shared with delegates at the Business Meeting Luncheon at Annual Convention, where members also will have a chance for discussion at the Talk Times, because "We’ll need everyone’s help in polishing the details."

NTA thanks the Best Western Salmon Rapids Lodge; the Lewis-Clark Valley Hells Canyon Visitor Bureau; the Idaho Department of Commerce’s Division of Tourism; Brundage Mountain Adventures; Killgore Adventures; River Adventures; Exodus Wilderness Adventures; and Idaho’s Big River Outfitters for hosting the events during the board meeting.

To see a complete recap of the board meeting, click here.

top of page

Unique Alliance Formed by NTA and the World Religious Travel Association

NTA and the World Religious Travel Association have announced a cooperative agreement and, as part of this new collaboration, the World Religious Travel Expo will be "powered by NTA." Additionally, the two organizations will work together to educate their members on the value of the faith-based market and bring new business opportunities to both organizations’ members.

NTA will help manage WRTA’s upcoming Expo in Orlando from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1, including the operations and logistics. The event, which is the organization’s inaugural conference, will bring together the worldwide faith tourism industry, including exhibitors from more than 30 countries, travel agents, group planners, tour operators and destinations.

Through this agreement, WRTA aligns itself with NTA and its strength and position in the industry. NTA has a highly respected reputation for managing top quality conferences and will be bringing that experience and brand power to WRTA’s Expo in the coming years.

As part of the new relationship, NTA and WRTA hope to expand the overall growth of the travel industry through faith tourism, which is an $18 billion market globally. Religious-based travel has been a staple for NTA tour operators, 35 percent of which say they currently offer religious tour product.

To see the full news release on the agreement, click here.

top of page

NTA Board Endorses TIAC’s Election-focused Tourism Initiative

At its recent meeting, the NTA Board of Directors approved the position being taken by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada related to Canada’s upcoming election and offered its support of the issues identified. TIAC is urging candidates in the Oct. 14 national election to make tourism issues part of their platform and to give travel policies more attention once they take office.

The candidate outreach program includes a specially created Web site, http://www.tourismmatters.travel/, along with the 2008 Federal Election Advocacy Toolkit. Both of these resources tout the positive impact of tourism on the Canadian economy, and are great resources for industry professionals to use to help bring home the importance of travel-related issues to the candidates and other elected officials.

A special thank you goes to board member Jim Warren of Exclusively Canada Ltd. who brought TIAC’s election lobbying efforts to the board’s recent meeting in Riggins, Idaho.

top of page

Ballots for 2009 NTA Board Elections Go Out Oct. 1

The 2009 NTA election will kick off Oct. 1, when ballots will be e-mailed or mailed to each member company. Members can either return that ballot before they arrive in Pittsburgh or wait and cast their votes following their category-specific Talk Times at Convention.

To learn more about the nominees for officer positions and the tour operator director, the DMO director and the tour supplier director spots on the 2009 NTA Board of Directors, go to the Election Page at NTA Online or check out the September issue of Courier magazine. Also, you can post questions for the candidates on the member forums.

Additional inquiries regarding the election can be directed to NTA Director of Industry and Government Relations Matt Grayson.

top of page

Comment on NTA’s Endorsement of STI’s Eco-certification Program

The September NTA Question of the Month – Why is NTA’s endorsement of STI’s comprehensive Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program of importance to the industry and to your business? – focuses on one of the association’s core values, sustainable travel, and the recent announcement of NTA’s alliance with the Sustainable Travel International.

Members interested in following the dialogue or sharing their thoughts on this topic can do so by logging on to the member forums. To access the password-protected forums, you will need your member ID and password, which were included at the top of the e-mail you received showing the headlines for this week’s Tuesday articles.

Additionally, you can provide input on the previous questions of the month, which dealt with the timing of NTA’s Annual Convention, rising fuel costs, and tracking return on investment on leisure groups, green practices and online travel research. If you have suggestions for future questions to post, please e-mail them to NTA Vice President of Communications Catherine Prather.

top of page

MEMBER BENEFITS

Online Version of Courier Debuts in October

Next month, NTA will expand the reach of Courier by posting a digital version of the magazine on its Web site. While you will still receive a printed copy in the mail, you also will be able to go online to view each issue, starting with the October Convention edition. The digital version will include the same content as the printed piece, and the exact link for the online edition of the October Courier will be included in a future issue of Tuesday.

top of page

Bill Marriott honored at the 2008 Tourism Hall of Fame Gala

On Sept. 16, Bill Marriott, president and CEO of Marriott International, was honored before his family and more than 280 of his peers at the annual Tourism Hall of Fame dinner. The gala was a fitting tribute to a man who has made countless contributions to the industry and the well-being of more than 300,000 Marriott employees worldwide.

Marriott joins 19 industry leaders who have been inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame since 1998, including Arthur Tauck of Tauck World Discovery, Bill La Macchia of The Mark Travel Corporation and Dan Sullivan Jr. of Collette Vacations.

top of page