
Tuesday Newsletter – March 16, 2010
March 16, 2010
Volume 30, Issue 11
Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kelley Burchell at kelley.burchell@NTAstaff.com.
TODAY’S ARTICLES
MONTAGE Memo 11: Push and Pull / Empujar y Tirar
30 Percent More Appointment Time Slots at Convention ‘10
Quick Deadline! Mexico to Host Buyers at Tianguis Turistico in Acapulco
Reno’s Lear Theatre Receives Tourism Cares, NTA Convention ’09 Grant
Join STI by March 26 for Exclusive Benefits
Still Time to Register to Attend U.S.-Cuba Travel Summit
What to do with a Negative Comment on Facebook
Greece Newest Participant of U.S. Visa Waiver Program
Machu Picchu Train to Reopen by March 29
Limited Space Available—Expand China Marketing Efforts with NTA, COTTM
Introducing the 2011 Courier Editorial Calendar: Book Now and Save!
What Countries Use Daylight Saving Time?
MONTAGE Memo 11: Push and Pull / Empujar y Tirarar
Push yourself. Push your product. Pull in business.
Right now the Euro is a great buy. NTA is offering reduced hotel rates and discounts on airfare. This makes MONTAGE a valuable opportunity to push yourself and your product out to a world of new business.
Tour Operators: See why NTA Chairman and CEO Catherine Greteman says signing up today for MONTAGE will put you on the "Smart Operator" list.
DMOs/Suppliers: Where else will you find a conference where the buyers out-number the sellers by 5-to-1? Push your product and destination into the hands of buyers from more than 11 countries. Check out MONTAGE Chair Larry Friedman’s blog, for pointers on making the most of the business opportunities at MONTAGE.
Push your boundaries and pull in travelers from all over the world. Sign up for MONTAGE.
MONTAGE is just one of the many ways NTA expands buying and selling opportunities for our members. Register and find out where your membership can take you.
No restrictions on attendance. No Boundaries to Selling. That’s MONTAGE.
30 Percent More Appointment Time Slots at Convention ‘10
You asked for it … NTA listened!
While the new format launched at Convention ’09 in Reno met with great reviews, you also gave us some ideas of tweaks you’d like to see for this year’s event in Montreal.
The Meetings & Events Committee took your feedback and here are some updates for Convention ’10 that will result in more business for you:
- We’ve added a half-day of 10-minute appointments—30 percent more, in fact—for DMOs and operators in the Destination Pavilion.
- Operators will still have shopping time to find new partners, yet we’ve reduced this open time based on your input.
- The supplier/operator appointment times have been taken back to seven minutes, which offers a 43 percent increase in appointments.
- You’ll have access to the World Religious Travel Association Expo at no additional cost.
A few of the great things that will continue include the five-minute Fast Pitch appointments between tour suppliers and operators, 10-minute appointments with DMOs and operators and during the Buyer-to-Buyer Exchange, and Montreal will offer its tremendous lineup of sightseeing tours on Saturday afternoon.
You tell us that NTA is at its best when it provides you with the tools you need to improve your bottom lines. Welcome to your Convention ’10! Registration opens April 6 so mark your calendars to be in Montreal, Quebec, Nov. 13-17. Also, follow us on Twitter to stay on top of important Convention ’10 dates and info!
Quick Deadline! Mexico to Host Buyers at Tianguis Turistico in Acapulco
Through its NTA membership, the Mexico Tourism Board is offering to host up to five NTA buyers at the upcoming Tianguis Turistico, April 25-28 at the International Acapulco Convention Center. Tianguis Turistico will connect Mexican and international buyers with more than 500 Mexican tourism suppliers during two and a half days of prescheduled appointments.
If you are a tour operator who has packaged Mexico in the past three years and you are interested in attending Tianguis, please respond to Andrea Richardson by Thursday, March 18. The Mexico Tourism Board is offering to host up to five qualified buyers and pay for registration fees plus three nights accommodations or airfare.
Reno’s Lear Theatre Receives Tourism Cares, NTA Convention ’09 Grant
Tourism Cares is pleased to award a US$2,500 grant, raised by attendees during the NTA Gives Back program at Convention ’09, to the historic Lear Theater in Reno.
The white-columned Lear Theater is situated on the Truckee River in an arts and culture district in Reno, Nevada. It is housed in the building that was originally the First Church of Christ Scientist, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was named after Bill Lear Jr., the famous aviation inventor (i.e. Lear jet), because a donation from his widow made the purchase of the building possible. The Tourism Cares–NTA Special Grant will support the historic renovation of this important piece of the city’s history. Although the site is not open yet, once renovations are completed, the Lear Theater is expected to serve as a catalyst for the theater district in downtown Reno, attracting large numbers of tourists and locals to this venue.
For a full listing of Tourism Cares grantees, visit the grant section of the Tourism Cares Web site.
Join STI by March 26 for Exclusive Benefits
Support environmentally responsible travel by becoming a member of Sustainable Travel International, NTA’s strategic partner in sustainability. Annual memberships start as low as US$100 and NTA members that join by March 26 will receive:
- STI’s online carbon calculator for free—a US$500 value (this is a customized calendar for your Web site!)
- A free copy of STI’s STEP (Sustainable Travel Eco-certification Program) Tool—a US$150 value
- 15 months of membership for the price of 12
- Discounts on STI products and services
- An Eco-directory listing on STI’s Web site, which attracts more than 500,000 visits per month
Gain access to information, expert advice and valuable tools to grow your business and lower operational costs, while contributing to sustainable tourism development. Join STI and become a part of the global movement to drive environmental and social change.
Make sure you also check out the carbon calculator and other discounts already available to NTA members on the Keep it Green page on NTAOnline.com.
For a complete description of STI membership benefits or to join STI click here. If you would like to speak to an STI representative please call 800-276-7764 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.503.488.5500.
Still Time to Register to Attend U.S.-Cuba Travel Summit
If you are looking to grow your business, good news! There is still time to register for the US-Cuba Travel Summit to learn how to develop new product. With the potential lift of the U.S. travel ban to Cuba, you’ll want to be informed about how to work with this new market. At the summit you’ll network with key Cuban officials and travel specialists.
Click here for opportunities for you and your business.
Visit the U.S.-Cuba Travel Summit Web site.
If you need to know more, click here to read a Q&A between Kirby Jones, Cuba trade and tourism expert, and Courier Editor-in-Chief Penny Whitman in this month’s Courier. Or, listen to interviews with Jones on Travel Talk Radio and Business Travel Radio.
What to do with a Negative Comment on Facebook
If it hasn’t happened to you, you have at least seen it—a negative post or complaint on a company’s Facebook wall. Instead of canceling the account and swearing off social media forever, take the following steps to turn this problem into an opportunity for greatness.
- Immediately forward the negative comments to the staff member that should deal with the issue. Then, follow-up with the staff to make sure someone contacts the user soon (within 24 hours of the posting)
- Respond to the user with an apology and an assurance of a follow-up
- Keep the negative comments on your wall unless they violate Facebook privacy policies (abusive comments, calling out employees by name, etc.)
By taking these steps, you can turn a negative comment into the opportunity to show off your company’s great customer service skills and dedication to your clients. It also shows that you have nothing to hide and value feedback. Problem solved!
Greece Newest Participant of U.S. Visa Waiver Program
Starting in mid-April, Greek citizens will be able to visit the United States without visas due to its recent acceptance into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Greek citizens will be required to apply for an Electronic System Travel Authorization through the Web-based system before traveling to the United States, like travelers from the 35 other nations already participating in the program. NTA congratulates its member the Greek National Tourist Organization, on this accomplishment.
In accordance with the designation process, the Department of Homeland Security determined that Greece complies with key security and information-sharing requirements—such as enhanced law enforcement and security-related data sharing with the United States; timely reporting of lost and stolen passports; and the maintenance of high counterterrorism, law enforcement, border control, aviation and document security standards. In turn, Greek citizens will be permitted to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa.
For more information about the Visa Waiver Program or Electronic System Travel Authorization, visit http://www.dhs.gov/ or esta.cbp.dhs.gov.
Machu Picchu Train to Reopen by March 29
The Peru Tourism Department announced that the railroad providing access to the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu will resume partial operations March 29, with tourists able to visit the site starting April 1. An official ceremony will take place March 29 to mark the reopening of the railway.
Tourists will be able to take a bus from Cuzco to the town of Ollantaytambo, then go by road to the rail link. Peru’s deputy tourism minister, Hjalmar Marangunich, says the combination road-rail trip via Ollantaytambo should not take much more time than the 3 1/2 hours the train journey required. The rail link between Cusco and Machu Picchu will be fully restored by July.
Tour operators planning to take travelers along the Inca trail are advised to check with Peruvian ground handlers first, as the government has issued warnings that some areas are still not safe following flood damage.
For more information go to http://www.machupicchu.org/.
Limited Space Available—Expand China Marketing Efforts with NTA, COTTM
You can make connections to a new market of leisure group travelers into the United States through the NTA U.S. Pavilion at the China Outbound Travel and Tourism Market, coming up April 28-30, at the Beijing World Trade Center.
Contact NTA Government Relations Administrator Ken Goode today to reserve your spot—space is now limited—in the NTA U.S. Pavilion.
Introducing the 2011 Courier Editorial Calendar: Book Now and Save!
NTA is proud to announce that the complete 2011 Editorial Calendar is fully accessible via NTAOnline.com or click here.
There are some new and exciting features added to the 2011 calendar, in addition to our very popular favorites. A myriad of editorial features focusing on key tour products, strategic partnerships and both domestic and international destinations are slated for Courier in 2011. Since many of you are already planning for next year, we wanted to make this information easily accessible early in the year.
Book your 2011 advertising by June 30 and lock-in the 2010 rate card rates for your 2011 insertions (a minimum savings of 5 percent). This discount cannot be combined with any other offer and is not valid on previously booked insertions.
Contact us at 800.682.8886, ext. 4241 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.4241 for more information.
What Countries Use Daylight Saving Time?
Today, approximately 70 countries utilize Daylight Saving Time in at least a portion of the country. The second Sunday in March marks when countries in the northern hemisphere of the world spring forward to gain an additional hour of sunlight in the warmer months of the year. In the southern hemisphere, summer comes in December, so the clocks are typically moved forward in October. Japan, India and China are the only major industrialized countries that do not observe some form of daylight saving. Countries on the equator do not observe daylight saving since the daylight hours are similar during every season. Click here to see what countries participate in daylight saving. Don’t forget to check the time before you call another country!
Click here for the Tuesday archive.