Tuesday Newsletter – July 7, 2009
July 7, 2009
Volume 29, Issue 27
Tuesday’s title sponsor is FedEx
Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kelley Burchell at kelley.burchell@NTAstaff.com.
TODAY’S ARTICLES
Convention Early-Bird Deadline is July 9
NTA Developing Online Partnering Program
Survey Reveals Favored U.S. Destinations
Operators: Send Second Quarter Tracking Info Today
Final 2008 U.S. Outbound Numbers Reveal Increased Spending
Learn More about NTA’s Strategic Partners at NTAonline.com
Last Call for Volunteer Leader Applications
Submit Nominations for TIAC’s 2009 Awards for Tourism Excellence
India’s Travel Market Continues to Grow
Tourism Cares Plans Sept. 11 Restoration Project in Washington, D.C.
NTA Applauds Its Superb Sponsors
The Profile Form Notebook: Your Link to NTA Tour Operators
Convention Early-Bird Deadline is July 9
Do you know the saying, "The early bird gets the worm?" Well, if you register for Convention ’09 by this Thursday, July 9, you’ll pay the 2008 registration price. From hotel rates in Reno, Nevada, as low as US$54 for tour operators and US$58 for tour suppliers and DMOs to the discounted registration fees, Convention ’09 offers you a very affordable and diverse business forum.
To learn more about the cost-saving options available for Convention, which will take place Nov. 14-18, check out the rebates and incentives page. Register today to get the early-bird rate that saves you $100 and see how Convention ’09 helps you work smarter!
NTA Developing Online Partnering Program
At the 2009 NTA Tour Operator Spring Meet, NTA unveiled the beta version of its new NTA Partner2Partner program. Set to officially launch at Convention ’09 in Reno, Nevada, the NTA Partner2Partner program is an online business community designed to facilitate member connections 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
"In today’s business climate, our members not only need the face-to-face relationship building and business opportunities of our Annual Convention, but they also need the chance to connect instantly and move quickly to meet their clients’ requests," said NTA President Lisa Simon, CTP. "Our new NTA Partner2Partner program lets members do business all year long, anytime, anywhere, and members will receive a number of free listings as a benefit."
The new system will be maintained on the current NTA Web site, NTAonline.com. It will include an area for tour operators to post tour packages and potential partnering opportunities for other tour operator members to access. There also will be a Partner Finder search tool that enables tour operators to send requests for proposals or quotes to specific NTA members — both suppliers and destinations.
Other features include a Classified Ads section where all member types can post special offers, incentives and last-minute opportunities. The NTA Partner2Partner program also will help members track their Partner inquiries and postings as another way of helping members obtain ROI information.
"NTA has once again stepped to the plate by developing this exciting partnering opportunity for its members to work together and do more business," said Jay Smith of Sports Travel and Tours and chair of the 2009 NTA Technology Committee. "The features of the Partner2Partner program will allow easy and hassle-free access to all members and help enhance our relationships, ultimately growing our businesses."
Survey Reveals Favored U.S. Destinations
A survey released by Ypartnership/Yankelovich polled leisure travelers on their vacation interests regarding travel within the United States during 2009 and 2010. The 2009 National Travel MONITOR revealed that western destinations, including national park sites, and Florida remain atop the categories.
When asked about preferences for areas of the country to visit, 72 percent of the respondents expressed an interest in traveling to the West. The South was second at 62 percent, followed by the Northeast (33 percent) and the Midwest (21 percent).
When it comes to specific states, Florida was mentioned by 34 percent of those surveyed, followed closely by California with 30 percent. The rest of the top 10 included Arizona and Hawaii (16 percent), New York (15 percent), Washington (13 percent), Alaska, Colorado and Texas (12 percent) and Nevada (11 percent).
The National Parks dominate Americans’ wish-list in 2009, not only as the destinations with the greatest interest, but also as the destinations with the most growth over the 2008 survey. With a boost of four percentage points, approximately two-thirds of leisure travelers (66 percent) are now very/extremely interested in visiting National Parks, followed by the Hawaiian Islands (all but Oahu) at 63 percent, Honolulu (59 percent), the Florida Keys (45 percent) and Orlando, Florida (40 percent). The second five includes San Diego (39 percent), San Francisco (38 percent), Las Vegas and New York City (36 percent) and Reno-Lake Tahoe (34 percent).
For more information on the 2009 National Travel MONITOR survey click here.
Operators: Send Second Quarter Tracking Info Today
The second quarter of 2009 has come to a close, and now is the perfect time to take 20 or 30 minutes of your day and let your DMO colleagues know that you’ve visited. NTA makes it easy to provide this critical information with its ROI/Tracking E-mail System. In the current economic climate, DMOs have to justify every aspect of their budgets, so it’s imperative that tour operators help out in this small, but very significant, way.
With just the click of a mouse, you can easily find NTA-member DMOs in states, provinces or countries where you’ve sent tours over the past quarter and let them know you were there. You can either attach an itinerary or type in your own message giving the DMO the dates and number of passengers. From that little bit of information, your DMO partners can extrapolate the information they need to be around to offer all of the assistance and information you count on.
Please mark your calendars and plan to share tracking data with your DMO partners at the end of every quarter. If you have questions about the ROI/Tracking E-mail System, contact NTA Vice President of Marketing Lisa Thompson.
Final 2008 U.S. Outbound Numbers Reveal Increased Spending
Even though the number of U.S. residents who traveled to international destinations in 2008 declined by 1 percent when compared to 2007, spending by those 63.6 million outbound travelers reached a record level for the fifth-consecutive year.
Spending by U.S. citizens traveling abroad reached $112.3 billion, which is a 7 percent increase over 2007. Payments within the international countries made up $79.7 billion of the total, while the spending on air transportation, via foreign air carriers resulted in the other $32.6 billion. Mexico was again the top U.S. international destination in terms of expenditures (a record $11.1 billion), followed by the United Kingdom ($10.5 billion), Canada ($7.3 billion), Germany ($6.3 billion) and Japan ($5.2 billion).
Mexico also led in number of visitors (20.3 million), which was a 4 percent increase over 2007 and made Mexico one of only a handful of destinations to see growth in 2008. Rounding out the top five were Canada (12.5 million), the United Kingdom (2.9 million), France (2.1 million) and Italy (1.9 million), although totals for each of those four countries were down compared to 2007.
The report also included a wide range of demographics on travelers including booking trends, length of trip, preferred activities, intra-country transportation modes and purpose of trip. To see the complete report, click here.
Learn More about NTA’s Strategic Partners at NTAonline.com
Earlier this year, NTA introduced a redesigned Web site that is home to a plethora of information about your association and the industry. Among the new and useful sections of NTAonline.com is the Industry Partners page.
This page highlights NTA’s relationships with other industry organizations as part of the association’s goal to create an inclusive community. When establishing agreements with other organizations, NTA looks for a partner that will:
- Bring new and different business to NTA members
- Offer an opportunity for product development expansion
- Bring more buyers to NTA events
The current list of organizations NTA is working with includes Destination Management Association International, the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, the National Association of Career Travel Agents, Sister Cities International, Sustainable Travel International, Travel Professionals of Color, the United Motorcoach Association and the World Religious Travel Association. To learn more about these relationships and what they mean to you, check out the Industry Partners page.
Last Call for Volunteer Leader Applications
Would you like to help make a difference in your association? Do you like developing new programs, brainstorming ideas or planning strategically for the future? If so, NTA has a number of volunteer opportunities to put your strengths to work.
NTA began planning for the 2010 Leadership Team earlier this summer, and your first step toward becoming a volunteer leader is filling out the Volunteer Interest Form by Friday, July 10. This form simply lets NTA know the areas in which you are most interested, the capacities in which you’d like to serve the association and whether you prefer to be part of in-person Leadership Team meetings or conference call committees.
If you have questions about volunteering for the 2010 Leadership Team, contact NTA Senior Vice President Agnes Amos. Completed forms should be faxed to Amos at +1.859.226.4404 by this Friday.
Submit Nominations for TIAC’s 2009 Awards for Tourism Excellence
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada is now accepting nominations for its 2009 National Awards for Tourism Excellence. Winners are recognized in 15 categories and they will be presented at a gala dinner during Canada’s Tourism Leadership Summit, which takes place Oct. 26-28, in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Online nominations must be submitted by noon (ET), Friday, Aug. 10, and it’s simple to submit the name of an individual, a business or an organization. Companies may self-nominate or be recommended by another party, and you do not have to be a TIAC member to make a nomination.
The TIAC National Awards for Tourism Excellence, presented by The Globe and Mail, were developed in 2003 by TIAC to recognize and foster excellence in Canadian tourism. The awards allow Canada’s tourism industry to recognize those people, places, organizations and events that have gone above and beyond to offer a superior tourism experience to travelers visiting Canada.
Further information on the awards and the nominating process can be found by clicking here or by contacting L.A. Palamar of BTE Tourism Training and Consulting at +1.613.266.2831.
India’s Travel Market Continues to Grow
Did you know that the population of India is 1.4 billion and growing at a rate of 1.3 percent annually, making China the only country with a larger population? Additionally, India was seventh in spending on travel exports ($4.4 billion), according to data from the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries.
Want more information like that to help you make important business decisions? That’s exactly what subscribers to The Trend, NTA’s research e-newsletter, receive in their inbox each month. The newsletter includes information on consumer and economic trends, as well as industry research, to help you successfully navigate today’s travel landscape and come out on top.
The Trend is affordable, too. For only $10 a month ($120 for the year), you will have access to information that can help you grow your business, better understand your customer’s needs, target new customers and much more. Don’t worry that you’ve missed a few months, as subscribers will receive a link to archived issues. To subscribe, e-mail NTA Vice President of Marketing Lisa Thompson today.
Tourism Cares Plans Sept. 11 Restoration Project in Washington, D.C.
Tourism Cares will be conducting a clean-up project Sept. 11 on the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C. The inaugural Tourism Cares for America Volunteer Day will bring together not only travel industry members to make a difference, but their families and friends also are invited to be a part of the effort.
The project involves a few hours of volunteering to help do needed painting projects at the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and Lafayette Park. These oft-visited sites represent some of America’s historical treasures and the beautification of their surroundings is important work.
Considering the type of work being done, the National Park Service requires volunteers to be at least 16 and those who are under 18-years-old must have waivers signed by, and be accompanied by, a parent or legal guardian. Participation is limited and reservations must be made in advance. Registration is available on the Tourism Cares Web site.
NTA Applauds Its Superb Sponsors
During these tough economic times, NTA recognizes you have a lot of choices — choices regarding which associations to join, which events to attend and where to spend your marketing dollars. Your association is grateful for the support of the following 2009 Annual Convention sponsors and encourages all tour operators to learn more about what these fine sponsors have to offer.
Host City
Reno-Tahoe
Platinum Sponsors
Alaska Travel Industry Association — Best Western International — Theatre Direct & Broadway.com/groups — Tourismé Montréal
Gold Sponsors
California Tourism — Hilmar Cheese Company Visitor Center — Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority — Nebraska Travel & Tourism
Silver Sponsors
Ambassatours Gray Line and Newfoundland and Labrador — American Express OPEN — Branson/Lakes Area CVB — Broadway Inbound — Broadway In Chicago — Country Inns & Suites By Carlson — Georgia Tourism — Idaho Division of Tourism — IHG Intercontinental Hotels Group — Montana Tourism Division — NYC & Company — Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau — Red Roof — Rhode Island Tourism Division — Skydeck Chicago — Solitude Float Trips Inc. — Team Texas — Tour Illinois — Tourismé Montréal — Travel Oregon/Travel Portland — Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau — Williams Sound Corp. — Wyndham Hotel Group
Bronze Sponsors
Anderson Vacations and Travel Alberta — Boston Duck Tours — Sports Leisure Vacations
If you’re not on this list and would like to join the ranks of the fine Convention sponsors, contact NTA Vice President of Sales Karla DiNardo at +1.800.682.8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.4232 for more information.
The Profile Form Notebook: Your Link to NTA Tour Operators
The Profile Form Notebook puts your company’s information in front of NTA’s seasoned tour operator buyers during a key buying time of the year and provides you valuable exposure at an affordable price.
Your company can either choose full-page tab advertising and/or have your company’s custom 8-1/2" x 11" double-sided profile sheet inserted into the state, provincial or international section of every binder. This year, for the first time, regional tabs are available for purchase. The binder will have regional tabs and then the appropriate states/provincial/international tabs will be grouped behind them accordingly to match the layout of the Destination Pavilion.
Notebooks will be placed on every tour operator’s table at Convention, so don’t miss your chance to be included in the tool that tour operators utilize all year for itinerary development. Even if you are unable to attend Convention this year, your message can still be there!
The space deadline is July 20 and the cost of a regional tab is US$2,000 net, while a full-page tab advertisement is US$1,500 net and a profile form insert is US$1,250 net (plus 400 inserts shipped to NTA).
To reach your account executive call +1.800.682.8886, ext. 4241 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.4241.