Tuesday Newsletter – Dec. 2, 2008
December 2, 2008
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| Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kelley Burchell at kelley.burchell@NTAstaff.com. | |
Volume 28, Issue 47
Tuesday Archives
TODAY’S ARTICLES
NTA Convention, Pittsburgh Receive Kudos from Travel Pulse Daily
Update from Indian Association of Tour Operators on Mumbai
Question of the Month — 2009 Convention Format
Sustainable Solutions in Trying Economic Times
NTA Board of Directors Meeting Recap from Pittsburgh
Meet Chinese Travel Agents at Upcoming NTA Event
New Tourism Cares Programs to Engage the Travel Community
2008-09 Tourism Study on Gay and Lesbian Market Available
NTA Members Receive TIA, TIAC Awards
Build Your Faith-based Tourism Business through the WRTA Buyers Guide
NTA Job Center — Experience Columbus
NTA Convention, Pittsburgh Receive Kudos from Travel Pulse Daily
From the appointments and partnering sessions to the educational seminars and entertainment, the 2008 NTA Annual Convention brought many things to delegates over the five days. David Cogswell, a travel trade journalist for Performance Media Group’s Travel Pulse Daily, was among the journalists in Pittsburgh for the NTA Convention and posted an article recapping his experience.
The story praises the city of Pittsburgh, highlights the many exciting things that are happening with NTA and gives a tip of the cap to Tourism Cares. Here are a few segments from Cogswell’s article:
You can read Cogswell’s full article on the NTA Convention by clicking here.
NTA also would like to thank the following travel trade media for attending the 2008 Convention: Group Tour Media’s Carol Smith; Matt Poe and Kasie Smith from Packaged Travel Insider; Travel Weekly’s Michelle Baran; Jeff Gayduk of Premier Tourism Marketing; Brian Jewel of Group Travel Leader; and Cogswell.
top of pageUpdate from Indian Association of Tour Operators on Mumbai
Immediately following the horror of the events in Mumbai, India, last week, NTA reached out to the Indian Association of Tour Operators to extend its condolences and offer any assistance. Vijay Thakur, president of IATO, responded with gratitude and forwarded the following statement from the Secretary Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
"There have been security concerns on account of terror strikes in Mumbai. The Indian Security forces are in control and the situation is being constantly monitored at the highest level. Central Security Agencies and the State Governments have also acted swiftly and the security all over the country is being beefed up to ensure the safety of all the citizens and tourists visiting the country. Ministry of Tourism and the tour operators, along with the hotels, are also closely co-coordinating and assure travelers that India is a safe destination. India is a large nation and an incident in one place does not impact tourism and day-to-day life in the rest of the country."
NTA will keep you apprised of any further information via "This Just In." If you have a tour currently in India and need assistance at this time, please contact Matt Grayson, NTA’s directory of industry and government relations, and he will connect you with the Indian Association of Tour Operators.
top of pageQuestion of the Month — 2009 Convention Format
The latest installment in NTA’s Question of the Month will work a little differently than others. NTA is seeking feedback on the proposed format for the NTA Annual Convention, and members have already started a discussion thread on the member forums.
To share your thoughts, ideas and questions, please log on to the member forums and go to the "New Convention Ideas" discussion thread under "General Discussion." This will keep the dialogue going under the discussion that has already been started.
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 newsletter.
The idea of posting a question of the month was developed based on member feedback. If you have suggestions for future questions to post, please e-mail them to NTA Vice President of Communications Catherine Prather.
top of pageSustainable Solutions in Trying Economic Times
(NOTE — This is part of a series of columns by Brian Mullis, president of Sustainable Travel International, which will appear in Tuesday. In August 2008, NTA announced its strategic alliance with STI that allows members to get discounts on certain STI services.)
The global financial volatility the past months has left many travelers and travel-related companies strained. In these tough financial times, the contrast between companies who are taking a traditional approach and those actively engaged in sustainable practices is becoming increasingly apparent.
A number of long-established travel industry businesses are beginning to suffer, while responsible companies are reaping a ROI in terms of clearer differentiation, stronger sales, better supplier and customer relationships, improved investor relations and more consumer and employee loyalty. These progressive companies have one thing in common — they understand that if our industry is going to continue to thrive, we are going to have to take responsibility for the very wellspring upon which we depend.
According to the current research, more consumers are gravitating toward companies engaged in "green" business practices. The businesses that will succeed in these economic times are those that speak to consumers’ values and ideals, offering solutions that create a positive net impact. Although there is little doubt that the travel and tourism industry will continue to be challenged in the short-term, those who think and act strategically and adapt their business models quickly to the new realities can overcome this challenge.
Sustainable Travel International exists to help you identify and align sustainable solutions with your existing systems and initiatives and lead the way for a prosperous and sustainable future. Interested in exploring the possibilities? I’d like to personally invite NTA members to e-mail me or call me directly at 720.273.2975. Together, we can make a world of difference!
top of pageNTA Board of Directors Meeting Recap from Pittsburgh
The NTA Board met prior to the NTA Annual Convention in Pittsburgh. Discussion and action items included the 2009 budget, proposed changes to the format of the NTA Convention and cooperative agreements with industry associations. To see an update on the complete board meeting, please click here.
top of pageMeet Chinese Travel Agents at Upcoming NTA Event
As part of an upcoming NTA event, you will have an opportunity to connect with the Chinese travel agents who will help bring an estimated 600,000 Chinese leisure travelers to the United States by 2010. This new event, to be held April 1-4, 2009, in Guam, is the latest component of the NTA China Inbound Program.
The event will bring together Chinese travel professionals, approved NTA tour operators and event sponsors for networking and relationship building. Sponsorship offers a way for your company or destination to receive complimentary registration for the event, where you can meet the Chinese travel agents. Additional benefits of being one of the sponsors include advance and onsite promotions and an electronic copy of the list of attendees.
For more information, contact NTA Vice President of Sales & Sponsorship Karla DiNardo at 800.682.8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4232.
top of pageNew Tourism Cares Programs to Engage the Travel Community
At the NTA Convention, Tourism Cares launched a pair or programs that will help it reach out in different ways to travel professionals and their clients. NTA’s official philanthropy announced the new Save Our Sites program and its Tourism Caretakers support initiative.
The Save Our Sites program, an idea developed in conjunction with the NTA Tourism Cares Advisory Subcommittee, is aimed at getting tour operators more involved with Tourism Cares and promoting awareness of both Tourism Cares and NTA to the clients of the association’s tour operators. Tour operators are provided with a short video introducing the program, which they can show to customers on the motorcoach during their trips. The travelers are asked to make a donation to Tourism Cares — as little as the change in their pockets — that the tour operator will collect, and perhaps match, and pass along to Tourism Cares to save sites in need around the world.
Tourism Cares also launched a new support program called Tourism Caretakers. People who make their living from the travel and tourism industry can now be engaged in giving back by becoming a Tourism Caretaker. For a $25 donation, Caretakers will receive a special lapel pin and an e-newsletter keeping them abreast of Tourism Cares’ activities and ways to be more responsible stewards of the world’s treasures that need to be preserved.
top of page2008-09 Tourism Study on Gay and Lesbian Market Available
NTA is proud to partner with Community Marketing Inc. on the recently released 2008-09 LGBT Tourism Study. The study has been conducted for the past several years and provides a wealth of information on trends and statistics about the very lucrative gay and lesbian travel market.
You can read an abstract of the new report on NTAOnline.com. If you would like to order the full report, Community Marketing is offering a discounted fee of $595 for NTA members — so your NTA membership saves you $300 off the regular price. As a bonus, members who order the newest report will receive a copy of last year’s report for free.
top of pageNTA Members Receive TIA, TIAC Awards
Congratulations go to eight NTA members who were recognized for their outstanding work at awards ceremonies during TIA’s Marketing Outlook Forum and TIAC’s Tourism Leadership Summit. At the TIA event in Portland, Oregon, NTA members taking home Odyssey Awards were:
Also, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman James "Jay" Rasulo was inducted into the 2008 Hall of Leaders during the event.
The TIAC National Awards for Tourism Excellence, presented by The Globe and Mail, were handed out in Gatineau, Québec. The list of 2008 recipients includes the following NTA members:
You can reach the World Religious Travel Association’s membership along with faith-based travel planners — such as tour operators, group leaders and other religious travel organizers — through WRTA’s 2009 Buyers Guide. This year-round resource, the only one endorsed by WRTA, is an effective way to help promote your company in advance of WRTA and NTA co-locating their 2009 conventions in Reno, Nevada, next November.
As an NTA member, you can save 10 percent by booking now for the publication that is geared toward travel professionals serving the $18 billion faith-based travel industry. To learn more about this great opportunity, click here or contact Kami Risk at 888.484.4678 or 859.226.4402.
top of pageNTA JOB CENTER
Position Available — Senior Tourism Sales Manager
Experience Columbus (Ohio)
Position Summary: The Senior Tourism Sales Manager promotes and sells Columbus as a leisure destination for group tours to tour operators, bus companies and wholesalers; achieves specific individual and team sales quotas; works on product development in response to current industry trends.
Qualifications: Minimum of five years experience in hotel or convention bureau sales preferred; sales account management experience; degree from an accredited institution in hospitality management or marketing preferred. Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to handle multiple projects; well organized; detail oriented, excellent customer service skills; professional and personable manner. Ability to travel, attend local, regional, national events on evenings and/or weekends.
Submit your resume and cover letter to:
Vice President, Finance & Administration
Experience Columbus
277 W. Nationwide Blvd., Suite 125
Columbus, OH 43215
614.222.6143 (fax) Resumes@ExperienceColumbus.com
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