Tuesday Newsletter – Jan. 6, 2009
January 6, 2009
Volume 29, Issue 1
Tuesday’s title sponsor is the Austrian Tourism Office 
Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kelley Burchell at kelley.burchell@NTAstaff.com.
TODAY’S ARTICLES
Key NTA Dates for 2009
Case Studies Needed for TIA’s New TravelGreen Web Site
Best of Britain Kicks off 2009 NTA Product Development Trips
Logging on to NTA Online Gets Easier
Deadline Approaching for Tourism Cares Grants
Advertise in the Membership Directory at Discounted Rate
Sponsor at Spring Meet and Network with NTA Tour Operators
As the new year gets underway, here is a list of dates for events and meetings and deadlines regarding this year’s Annual Convention to help you prepare to maximize your NTA membership in 2009.
- Feb. 5-8 — Board and Leadership Team (Savannah, Georgia)
- Feb. 24 — Registration opens for NTA Tour Operator Spring Meet
- Feb. 25-27 — NTA Grassroots Symposium (Washington, D.C.)
- March 22-29 — Best of Britain NTA Product Development Trip (includes attending the Best of Britain & Ireland Travel Trade Forum)
- April 24-26 — Board Meeting (Tucson, Arizona)
- May 19 — NTA Annual Convention registration opens
- June 4, 7 — Board Meeting (Monterey, California)
- June 4-6 — Tour Operator Spring Meet (Monterey, California)
- July 15 — Convention appointment scheduling opens
- Aug. 21-23 — Board Meeting (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
- Sept. 10-15 — NTA Product Development Trip to Idaho
- Oct. (dates TBA) — NTA Product Development Trip to Germany (includes attending the 2009 American Tourism Society Fall Conference)
- Oct. 9 — Convention appointment scheduling closes
- Nov. 12-13 — Board Meeting (Reno, Nevada)
- Nov. 14-18 — NTA Annual Convention (Reno, Nevada)
It is anticipated that there will be several Road Shows added to this list, and more Product Development Trips are a possibility. This information will be communicated in future issues of Tuesday.
Case Studies Needed for TIA’s New TravelGreen Web Site
TIA is seeking case studies by Jan. 10 to post when it launches the new TravelGreen.org Web site. The site will contain a wide range of content related to environmentally sustainable tourism with a focus on industry sectors.
Case studies of existing environmental sustainability programs and/or those in the process of being implemented will be included, and TIA already has received ones showcasing what is happening at convention centers, as part of green lodging programs and at wineries. By posting information on these diverse initiatives, it is hoped that travel companies and organizations can get ideas for ways they can put together their own environmentally sustainable travel programs.
If you have a case study, please click here to see the guidelines regarding what to submit. If you are not able to meet this deadline, you can send case studies later, since new content will be added to TravelGreen.org on a regular basis.
Best of Britain Kicks off 2009 NTA Product Development Trips
NTA’s first Product Development Trip of 2009 will showcase the Best of Britain for NTA tour operators. The trip, hosted by VisitBritain and partners, takes place March 22-29 and includes stops in Scotland, the English countryside of Canterbury and London.
In London, participants will take part in the Best of Britain & Ireland Travel Trade Forum where they will have one-on-one appointments with key British suppliers, networking, entertainment and more. This trip is open to one registration per company with a deadline of Feb. 2 to register.
Registration for the Best of Britain trip is available now at NTAonline.com. Also, NTA has other two Product Development Trips scheduled for 2009, one for Idaho in September and another for Mecklenberg, Germany, in October (held in conjunction with the American Tourism Society conference).
Logging on to NTA Online Gets Easier
Logging onto the password protected pages of NTAonline.com will be a little easier in the near future. Instead of using your company ID, you will be able to use your e-mail address as your username.
Many of you won’t have to do anything to get ready for in this change. However, companies that have multiple member contacts using one e-mail address need to get in touch with the NTA Member Services Team, since each NTA contact must have their own e-mail address on file.
If you aren’t sure what e-mail addresses NTA has on file for your company, please contact the NTA Member Services Team with questions at 800.682.8886 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4444 or by e-mail at questions@NTAstaff.com.
Deadline Approaching for Tourism Cares Grants
The first deadline this year for organizations to apply for grant funding through the Tourism Cares Worldwide Grant Program is coming up Jan. 30. As part of the program, Tourism Cares distributes charitable grants to worthy tourism-related non-profit organizations worldwide for capital improvements or educational programs.
Grant recipients must be classified as non-profit, tax-exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code, or the equivalent in the case of non-U.S. organizations. To date, Tourism Cares has granted funding to 120 organizations in 37 states and 25 countries, including a dozen national parks. These grants, when combined with matching funds, total nearly $2 million.
If you feel your organization’s project or program fits Tourism Cares Worldwide Grant Program’s Funding Goals and Preferences, submit a Grant Letter of Inquiry Packet by Jan. 30.
Advertise in the Membership Directory at Discounted Rate
There is no better way to put your company in front of so many tourism professionals all year long than through advertising in the NTA Membership Directory. According to an NTA survey, 84 percent of tour operators use this valuable reference guide to look up company contact information and for itinerary planning.
All NTA member companies receive a complimentary listing in the 500-page directory, but you have the option of choosing to upgrade your membership listing and/or purchase ad space within the directory, which will be distributed in June. An enhanced listing will include your company’s color logo as well as highlight and bold your contact information.
The space deadline for advertising in the Membership Directory is March 3, but if you reserve space by Jan. 30, you’ll be able to lock in at 2008 rates. Call 800.682.8886, ext. 4241 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4241 or e-mail advertising@NTAstaff.com for more information.
Sponsor at Spring Meet and Network with NTA Tour Operators
According to the 2008 NTA Spring Meet sponsors, 100 percent believed their sponsorship provided them with additional exposure and/or networking opportunities to the valuable tour operator market. You can reap the benefits of sponsoring at the 2009 event, which will take place in Monterey, California, June 4-6.
Sponsorships start at $ 3,000 and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition to being able to attend the event and spend quality time with tour operators, all sponsors receive valuable benefits including sponsor promotions both in advance of and at the event and access to a database of attending tour operators mailing addresses.
To learn more, contact Karla DiNardo, NTA’s vice president of sales at 800.682.8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4232, or click here for additional information.