Tuesday Newsletter – June 30, 2009
June 30, 2009
Volume 29, Issue 26
Tuesday’s title sponsor is FedEx
Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kelley Burchell at kelley.burchell@NTAstaff.com.
TODAY’S ARTICLES
A Quick Answer to What’s Up at Convention
Re-Registration of China Inbound Program Operators Continues
Tour Operators Given More Time to Pay for Oberammergau Packages
Expedited Security Program Closed at 18 U.S. Airports
Results of Recent NTA Bylaw Vote
US-VISIT Webinars for Canada and Mexico are Next Week
Discounts Available on New PhoCusWright Study on Packaged Travel
Last Call for Applicants to Run for the NTA Board
NTA Joins Orbitz Effort to Lift the U.S. Travel Ban to Cuba
Want to Host the Next Tourism Cares for America Project?
Promote Your Company in the October Annual Convention Issue of Courier
July Courier Preview
A Quick Answer to What’s Up at Convention
In order to give you quick, easy access to information, NTA has created a summary of what to expect at NTA Convention ’09, which will take place Nov. 14-18. The Convention overview document will help you see all the great opportunities awaiting you in Reno, Nevada.
The format modifications were a result of the feedback you provided on how the event should be retooled to help you get the most from your Convention experience, in terms of your investment of time and money. Your responses were crucial to implementing enhancements for this year’s event, including the modifications to the Tour & Travel Exchange.
Once you’ve read up on how the new business sessions will impact you and learned about the unmatched registration and hotel prices, you can go online and register for Convention. Or, if you have questions, contact NTA Member Services.
In a time when budgets are tight, you need to work smarter and get more for less, and that’s exactly what you’ll find in Reno at Convention ’09.
Re-Registration of China Inbound Program Operators Continues
NTA tour operators participating in the China Inbound Program who haven’t re-registered under the new program criteria are urged to do so right away. A new approved list is expected to be transmitted to the U.S. Department of Commerce and China National Tourism Administration some time in July, and even if your company was on a previous list, you must reapply to be on the upcoming list.
New requirements for participation in the program were announced in early June after NTA consulted with the Department of Commerce and the CNTA. The updated procedures are designed to heighten the Chinese group leisure visitor experience. NTA also created a Best Practices document for program participants and, even though these are not part of the new program criteria, they are considered important practices for the market.
Click here to access the form you need to reapply. If you have any questions about the application process, contact NTA Director of Industry and Government Relations Matt Grayson at 800.682.8886, ext. 4250 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.4250.
Tour Operators Given More Time to Pay for Oberammergau Packages
The June 26 issue of the European Tour Operators Association’s ETOA Briefing reported that the Organizing Committee in Oberammergau has revamped the payment deadlines for tour operators who have purchased packages for next year’s Passion Play.
Tour operators were originally allocated a block of reservations and expected to put down a 20 percent deposit in 2008 and pay the remaining balance by Sept. 30, 2009. The Organizing Committee has accepted that an interim further deposit of 30 percent should be paid by September with the final 50 percent due by Jan. 31, 2010. Additionally, cancellation terms have been amended to 20 percent, plus initial booking fee if the tickets are handed back earlier than 91 days before the commencement of the package.
The Passion Play, which began in 1634 and is held every decade in the small Bavarian village of Oberammergau, Germany, opens May 15, 2010, and runs through the first week of October. In the past this highly anticipated cultural festival has attracted approximately 500,000 visitors during its run.
Expedited Security Program Closed at 18 U.S. Airports
The efforts of travel groups to help expedite the airport security process for travelers who’d cleared a background check suffered a set back last Monday with the announcement that Verified Identity Pass was ceasing operations immediately. The company had worked with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to develop and implement the Clear program, which allowed pre-screened fliers to more quickly proceed through airport checkpoints.
The more than 250,000 travelers that had signed up and been approved through the Clear program are now left without the special privileges they paid $200 per year to obtain. The homepage of the Clear Web site currently has an FAQ document on its Web site, which addresses issues such as the unlikely possibility of refunds and information on what happens to personal information of program participants.
Verified Identity Pass’s Clear program was in use at 18 of the 21 airports with reserved security lines, including major hubs like Atlanta, Denver, Orlando, San Francisco and Washington Dulles. The similar program that’s in place at the other three airports — Jacksonville, Louisville and Reno — are still in operation.
The TSA Web site contains detailed information on the screening process, including a page of tips to help you get through the security checkpoint more quickly.
Results of Recent NTA Bylaw Vote
Neither of the issues that were on the ballot during the recent NTA bylaw vote, which wrapped up June 29, received the necessary two-thirds majority for passage.
The first proposal, which would have created a shared membership opportunity for arts and cultural organizations with nonprofit status, received 103 yes votes and 55 no votes (65.2 percent), so it fell below the necessary level. The measure also would have placed a geographic and numerical limitation on those nonprofits wishing to share membership.
The second item was defeated by an even closer margin, as 65.4 percent of the operators supported a proposed change that would have eliminated the step of the NTA Board approving tour operator membership. The voting totals were 104 for and 55 against.
US-VISIT Webinars for Canada and Mexico are Next Week
Officials from different U.S. government departments will hold a pair of upcoming free Webinars regarding the Canadian and Mexican markets and the US-VISIT program. The sessions will cover visitation to the United States, from pre-departure through the entry and exit process, by focusing on current regulations and border security requirements.
The session on Canada takes place Tuesday, July 7, beginning at 1 p.m. (ET) and the Mexico version will be held Wednesday, July 8 at 1 p.m. (ET). To receive an e-mail with a link to the Webinar sign-up and dial-in instructions, please send your name, title, organization, address, telephone and fax numbers to rsvp.webinar@dhsbiometrics.com by July 6.
These sessions will be available online a week after they’ve taken place. Recordings of previous 2009 Webinars — which covered Australia and New Zealand; Japan and South Korea; European Visa Waiver Program countries; and European non-Visa Waiver Program countries — are available if you click here.
Additional seminars scheduled for the coming months include Latin American and Caribbean non-Visa Waiver Program countries (Aug. 4), China (Sept. 8) and other Asian-Pacific non-Visa Waiver Program countries (Oct. 13).
Discounts Available on New PhoCusWright Study on Packaged Travel
A new study on the U.S. packaged travel market has just been released and NTA members can get a discount to purchase it. Sponsored by the American Society of Travel Agents and conducted by PhoCusWright, a leading travel research firm, The U.S. Packaged Travel Landscape: 2006-2010 is a comprehensive study of the tour operator and packaged travel market in the U.S.
The study was conducted in partnership with ASTA’s Tour Operator Program, NTA and the United States Tour Operators Association and it includes:
- Definitions of key market terms and product categories
- Historical market size in gross sales from 2006 to 2008 and projections through 2010
- Analysis by package type: vacation packages, escorted tours, FIT, group travel
- Distribution channel analysis and trending (online and offline, consumer direct and travel agent)
- Segmentation by tour operator size, product type and distribution strategy (travel agents vs. direct)
- Impact of the recession on market size and key distribution and product trends
- Demographic analysis of tour operator customers
The U.S. Packaged Travel Landscape: 2006-2010 costs $699, but NTA members will receive $100 off the price by entering the discount code NTA during checkout. Just visit the PhoCusWright store to purchase the report at your NTA discounted price.
Last Call for Applicants to Run for the NTA Board
If you are interested in running for a seat on next year’s NTA Board of Directors or for one of the 2010 officer positions, the deadline for submitting the necessary paperwork is July 8.
Interested candidates who have worked for an NTA member for at least two years are eligible to run for one of the director seats, and tour operators who have previously been elected to the NTA Board are eligible to run for one of the officer positions.
For information on eligibility requirements and the nominating process, contact NTA Director of Industry and Government Relations Matt Grayson at 800.682.8886, ext. 4250 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.4250.
NTA Joins Orbitz Effort to Lift the U.S. Travel Ban to Cuba
NTA has joined the Orbitz-led Open Cuba campaign, which has the goal of lifting the 50-year-old American travel ban to Cuba. The petition currently has more than 50,000 signatures and is adding roughly 1,000 per week. Members are encouraged to sign the online petition at http://www.opencuba.org/ to help lift the ban.
Want to Host the Next Tourism Cares for America Project?
Tourism Cares is inviting interested destinations to submit proposals for the Spring 2010 Tourism Cares for America volunteer project. The event generally attracts more than 300 tourism industry professionals from all over North America and, in some cases, from around the world, who come together to clean up and/or restore tourism-related sites that are in need of care and rejuvenation.
The deadline to indicate your initial interest in hosting the Spring 2010 Tourism Cares for America project is Sept. 1, 2009. Please contact Tourism Cares Publicity and Communications Coordinator Jessica Ahern to request a host packet.
Promote Your Company in the October Annual Convention Issue of Courier
The October Courier is the Annual Convention issue, which has bonus distribution at the event and offers you a great way to get your company or destination in front of tour operators at this key buying time. In addition to the Convention information, the issue includes trip planners on the Great Plains states (Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota) and also Spain, while the travel guides will highlight Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The space deadline for October Courier is July 29 so there is plenty of time to get in the magazine that is ranked No. 1 for value within the industry by NTA tour operators. To reach your account executive for more information, call 800.682.8886, ext. 4241 (U.S. and Canada), or +1.859.226.4241.
The July issue of Courier provides a look at the upcoming NTA Convention through the eyes of three members, one tour operator, one supplier and one DMO. These articles focus on the value of the event and explain how the new format will work and work for you. The month’s feature stories look at faith-based travel and zoos and aquariums, and the destination stories highlight coastal California and Mexico’s Baja Peninsula; the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia; Kentucky; Tennessee; Ohio and West Virginia. There also is a Q&A regarding the upcoming NTA Product Development Trip to Germany in October, which is linked to the American Tourism Society’s annual conference.
UPCOMING DEADLINES:
October Issue – Ad Space: July 29; Editorial: Past
Annual Convention Issue; Great Plains (Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North Dakota and South Dakota); Spain; Connecticut; Maine; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; Rhode Island; and Vermont.
November Issue – Ad Space: Aug. 26; Editorial: July 1
Dining Attractions; Shopping; America’s Historic East (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C.); San Francisco Bay Area; Italy; Delaware; New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island; New Jersey; New York; and Québec.
December Issue – Ad Space: Sept. 30; Editorial: Aug. 5
2009 Convention Coverage; The Rockies (Alberta, British Columbia, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming); Smoky Mountains (Asheville, North Carolina; Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee); Latin America; Alabama; Louisiana; and Mississippi.
The Berkely Group (TPP) — Empire State Building Observatory — Foxwoods Resort Casino — Grand Ole Opry/Gaylord Attractions — Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau — Historic Temple Square LDS Church — John G. Shedd Aquarium — Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism — Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau — Yankee Candle Company Inc.
Click here to see the 2009 Editorial Calendar.