
Tuesday Newsletter – Feb. 2, 2010
February 2, 2010
Volume 30, Issue 5
Tuesday’s title sponsor is Ripley’s New York
Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kelley Burchell at kelley.burchell@NTAstaff.com.
TODAY’S ARTICLES
MONTAGE Memo #7: Eat/Comer
Free Self-assessment Tool From STI
Preview to U.S.-Cuba Travel Summit Education Sessions
Social Media–What’s working for you?
NTA Strategic Partners Highlighted in Courier
Donate a Travel Package to Remember 9/11
Package Paradise with NTA’s Big Island of Hawaii PDT
Kudos to Members Referring New Members
Connect with Members 24/7 on NTA’s P2P Web Site
Thanks for Tracking
2010-11 Student Trip Planner Now Available
What’s New in Travel News
Friday night is the Dine Around at MONTAGE and those who attend will get more than great food, they’ll get a cultural experience. Tapas! Seville is considered the capital of the Spanish tapas tradition, so we’ve dedicated Friday evening to this bite-size cuisine. Accompanied by a local guide, MONTAGE participants will discover the history and lore of tapas as they stroll bar to bar to taste the best tapas in the city! You can read more about tapas on the MONTAGE website.
If you question why you should attend MONTAGE, here’s why: Suppliers and DMOs have the opportunity to meet the operators (international and domestic) who want to bring business to North America and bring you a new source of revenue. Operators, you’re looking for partners you can trust and you’ll find them at MONTAGE. And as an expert in product development, you can meet with local buyers in Seville and show them how you can help them while growing your business.
Don’t forget to read what MONTAGE Chair Larry Friedman has to say in tomorrow’s blog, where he’ll preview the pre- and post-Product Development Trips in Spain. Also, listen to a Travel Talk Radio interview about MONTAGE with Santiago García-Dils de la Vega, head of Promotion, Marketing and Visitors Centre at the Sevilla Tourism Board.
Get international exposure for your company throughout the entire event-become a MONTAGE sponsor and receive a variety of sponsor benefits including complimentary registration fees and sponsor promotions before, during and after the event. Contact NTA Sponsorship Manager Melisa-Beth Rooke at 800.662.8886 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.219.3549 to reserve your sponsorship today!
No restrictions on attendance. No Boundaries to Selling. That’s MONTAGE. Register today.
Free Self-assessment Tool From STI
The first 50 NTA members who contact Sustainable Travel International about the Self-Assessment Tool will receive it for free! This tool, worth US$150, is a stand-alone educational, measurement and management framework, which doubles as an application for companies wanting to become Eco-assessed or Eco-certified through STI’s Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification ProgramTM (STEP).
In a recent member survey about sustainability, you voiced the need for more information and education on sustainability. This tool can be the first step toward furthering your green education. Promoting sustainable travel is a key component of NTA’s strategic plan. If we work to preserve and protect the sites we visit, the generations that follow will continue to enjoy travel the way we do today. NTA believes that in the future, sustainable travel will drive economic expansion, connect cultures and enhance quality of life.
This is a first-come, first-serve opportunity so contact Anna Williams at 800.276.7764 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.503.488.5500 to obtain your copy. Thanks for supporting Sustainable Travel International, an NTA strategic partner.
Preview to U.S.-Cuba Travel Summit Education Sessions
The U.S.-Cuba Travel Summit, March 24-27, in Cancun, Mexico, will not only offer the chance to meet with Cuban travel officials but also will offer one-of-a-kind education. The sessions will provide an overview of the Cuban travel product, so you understand exactly what is available. There will be top Cuban travel companies, including Havanatur, Habaguanex/San Cristobal, and Gaviota, giving their perspective on the Cuban market. Youll hear about investment opportunities as well as information on legal issues related to travel to Cuba, to name a few. Click here to see the full extent of the educational opportunities provided to Summit attendees.
After attending the U.S.-Cuba Travel Summit you will walk away with the information and contacts you need to successfully work in the Cuban market. For more information on the U.S.-Cuba Travel Summit, click here.
Join NTA, USTOA and other industry partners in Cancun to ensure your access to Cuban business opportunities when travel to Cuba from the United States opens. Sponsor and you can have direct access to Cuban travel officials, including a private dinner for sponsors and Cuban officials on the opening night of the Summit. Click here to see what sponsorships are available.
Social Media–What’s working for you?
It’s no secret that social media is transforming the way we all do business. We want to know how you are currently using social media in your business. Do you have a YouTube video that you use to attract customers? Do you Twitter your products or deals to faithful followers? Let us know what you are doing so we can showcase your business’ great initiatives! Include links to your videos, pictures, etc. Post your ideas and thoughts on NTA’s Facebook page. While you are there, become a fan so you can stay up-to-date an all that is new with NTA.
The March issue of Courier will feature Catherine Heeg, international speaker and trainer, and her insights into the social media realm regarding the travel industry. Heeg spoke at Convention ’09 to a standing-room-only crowd and will be at MONTAGE with a 3-part educational series on social media. Keep an eye on Courier and Tuesday as NTA continues to give you updates and tools for your own social media strategy.
NTA Strategic Partners Highlighted in Courier
Forming relationships with partners of all shapes and sizes is a philosophy NTA utilizes to help connect members with those who can bring a whole new outlook to your company. At NTA, we call this co-opetition!
When establishing agreements with other organizations, NTA looks for a partner that will:
- Bring new inbound as well as outbound business to NTA members
- Offer an opportunity for product development expansion
Each month, Courier will spotlight one of our strategic partners to give members a better understanding of how these partnerships can work for you. In February’s issue, look in the business section online to read about NTA’s partnership with the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association.
Donate a Travel Package to Remember 9/11
Tourism Cares, in conjunction with The New York Times Travel Show, will be operating a Silent Auction Friday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 27, to help raise funds for a special travel-industry-sponsored display at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, now under construction at the site of the World Trade Center in New York City. The display will house the last remaining scale model of the WTC built by the architects in the 1960s.
Help the world remember 9/11 by donating a travel package to the silent auction. The more travel packages, hotel stays, cruises, services and items that are offered, the more funds can be raised for this great cause.
As a donor, your name will be listed on the Tourism Cares auction Web site before, during and after the event as well as in The New York Times Travel Show publications leading up to and during the event. If you are interested in donating, please click here to visit the auction site. For questions, e-mail Events Coordinator Joanna Barrett.
Package Paradise with NTA’s Big Island of Hawaii PDT
From active volcanoes and black-sand beaches to waterfalls and tranquil farms, Hawaii’s big island offers a wide range of visitor experiences. NTA tour operators can take in all the secrets of paradise and come home with new product ideas ready to sell with NTA’s Big Island of Hawaii Product Development Trip.
Taking place July 6-11 and hosted by Fly Away Holidays Inc., this PDT is open to two representatives per company and costs US$749 per participant. Registered participants are responsible for their own airfare to and from Kona, Hawaii. The deadline to register for this PDT is June 4. In addition, attendees who bring 15 travelers back to Fly Away Holidays will have their PDT cost will refunded! Visit NTAonline.com for preliminary itinerary and registration information. Questions can be directed to NTA Vice President of Marketing Lisa Thompson.
Kudos to Members Referring New Members
NTA’s growth and diversification of your association provides you with expanded access to product, more opportunities to grow your revenue and additional prospective business partners. In return, NTA’s voice grows even stronger so we can be a better advocate for you.
The following members have taken an active role in NTA’s recruitment efforts by referring a new company that joined the association:
Pat Link of Allons A’ Lafayette, Inc
Jan Watkins of Glacier Country Regional Tourism
Barbara Bowman of Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau
Hank Todd of Hank Todd Solutions Group
Jace Vogler of Holiday Vacations
Matt Schneider of House On The Rock Group
Ted Bravos of International Tour Management Institute, Inc
Malia Asfour of Jordan Tourism Board North America
Lisa Itel of Travel Oregon
Lisa Sjolund of VisitBritain
Connect with Members 24/7 on NTA’s P2P Web Site
The NTA Partner2Partner program is an online business community that connects NTA members year-round. Business doesn’t stop so neither should your access to your NTA partners! The Partner2Partner Web site facilitates member-to-member collaboration in a way that is easy, flexible and most importantly, free.
Whether you need to promote a last-minute deal, or need a partner for an upcoming tour, use P2P to connect with members and get the communication started.
- No business transactions take place on the P2P Web site. NTA simply facilitates the partnership. How and when business happens is completely up to each member.
- P2P is a member benefit. Each member, regardless of category, receives three complimentary postings. We hope to be able to add an option for members who want to purchase additional postings in the future.
Members use the same login information (e-mail/password) from NTAOnline.com to log onto the P2P site. On the homepage of the site, read the tutorial about "How to use P2P." If you have any questions or would like a demo, please call +1.859.226.4444 or 800.682.8886 (U.S. & Canada) or e-mail us at questions@NTAstaff.com.
In the month of January alone, nearly 70 e-mails were sent to various NTA-member DMOs through our Online Tracking/ROI System. NTA would like to thank these operators for taking the time to share this valuable information with their DMO colleagues:
Prudent Tours—Hillsboro, Kansas
Sports Leisure Vacations—Sacramento, California
Sun Fun Tours Ltd.—Kamloops, British Columbia
Tracks & Trails—Grand Junction, Colorado
Wells Gray Tours Ltd.—Kamloops, British Columbia
Be a hero to your DMO friends. Go to NTAonline.com, use the Tracking System and help ensure your DMO partners continue to offer their invaluable services to your company.
2010-11 Student Trip Planner Now Available
In her letter to open the NTA Trip Planner for student travel, Chairman and CEO Cathy Greteman writes, "Within these pages, you’ll read about what NTA tour operators can do for you as well as about hot student destinations and travel product. Your tour operator will work with you to create and customize your itinerary … and suggest interesting options that you may never have known existed." That, in a nutshell, is what this NTA specialty publication is about — pointing out the value of working with NTA members to student travel planners.
The Essentials section of the Trip Planner includes a story on NTA tour operators that provide authentic and immersive tours that go beyond the typical student trip, an article called "I Want to Go There" that profiles 16 top student destinations, a Q&A with two veteran operators on their work with student planners as well as the top 10 reasons to work with an NTA tour operator. The feature stories cover behind-the-scenes tours for student groups, interpretive trails that put students face to face with iconic sites and NTA-member restaurants that have entertaining and cost-effective dining options.
In addition to being mailed to 20,000 student travel planners and all NTA tour operators, the publication is available in digital form if you click here.
For advertising information on upcoming NTA Trip Planner publications, contact your NTA account executive at 800.682.8886, ext. 4241 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.4241.
Here’s a look at recent research, statistics and news that may apply to you and your business:
- Click here to read some social media tools for small businesses gathered by American Express OPEN.
- According to a ypartnerships survey of over 2,200 U.S. adults, conducted in October 2009, almost six out of 10 (59 percent) active travelers have visited a social networking site. However, consumers continue to seek and respond to information about travel services and suppliers from more established offline and online media sources.
- According to an American Express Spending and Savings Tracker travel tops the list of pursuits consumers rank most valuable to their livelihood and well-being at 72 percent, beating dining out and visiting with friends and family.
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.