Tuesday Newsletter – May 11, 2010
May 11, 2010
Volume 30, Issue 19
Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kelley Burchell at kelley.burchell@NTAstaff.com.
TODAY’S ARTICLES
NTA Opposes Boycott of Travel to Arizona
Update on Ash Cloud
Nashville Flooding Update
First Increase in U.S. International Spending Since 2008
Top Ways to Make your Fan Page Dynamic
Today is U.S. Travel Rally Day
See What’s in Store at Tourism Cares for America Angel Island
Stand Out in Montréal
The Results Are in and Courier Once Again Ranks at the Top
What’s New in Travel News
CEO Position Open with Black Hills, Badlands & Lakes Association
NTA Opposes Boycott of Travel to Arizona
The NTA Board of Directors has passed a resolution opposing the Arizona tourism boycott. NTA distributed a news release and sent a letter to Arizona state travel director, Sherry Henry, announcing NTA’s official opposition of the boycott and support of tourism in Arizona.
SB 1070 allows law enforcement officials to seek proof of legal presence from individuals considered to be possible illegal immigrants. The new law has prompted a national reaction, including support for a tourism boycott of Arizona by many organizations.
NTA is willing to put an extra effort into the promotion of Arizona at this difficult time. Please contact NTA Vice President of Communications Catherine Prather to keep NTA informed on any impact of the proposed boycott.
Airlines from central Spain to the Canary Islands (except Las Palmas) and in Morocco are currently closed due to ash cloud interference from the Icelandic volcano. This past weekend, flights in Italy, Ireland, Germany, Spain and Austria were delayed or cancelled due to ash in the atmosphere.
Read this report from the Wall Street Journal about possible ash cloud interference through the end of May. Click here to read more about the recent delays in air travel due to Iceland’s erupting volcano. For future information on this or other travel delays, check NTA Headlines on NTAOnline.com for daily travel and industry updates.
Please e-mail questions@ntastaff.com if you have any questions or have had any disruptions due to these air travel delays. Also, feel free to contact NTA via Facebook with questions or concerns regarding this situation.
Nashville Flooding Update
On May 1 and 2 the city of Nashville, and some of the surrounding cities and counties in Tennessee, experienced record-breaking rains. NTA has been keeping in contact with its members in the area to offer assistance and support, and to compile the information below for you. As always, NTA Headlines on NTAOnline.com is a resource for breaking news in the travel industry as it relates to you and your business.
The CMA music fest will continue as planned June 10-13. See the official release.
NTA member Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center is currently closed due to flooding. to read the official news release. While the official facilities are closed, the Grand Ole Opry is still on. Performances will be held at the Ryman Auditorium and War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville and Two Rivers Baptist Church.
Click here to go to the official flood information site to see hotel availability, restaurant availability and the most up-to-date travel information.
Visit Hands on Nashville at hon.org for volunteer opportunities or nashvillest.com for a list of ways to help.
First Increase in U.S. International Spending Since 2008
The U.S. Department of Commerce recently announced that international visitors spent an estimated US$10.4 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States during the month of February. This is nearly US$180 million more (2 percent) than was spent in February 2009, marking the first increase in U.S. travel and tourism-related exports in more than 15 months.
The U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries is responsible for collecting, analyzing and disseminating international travel and tourism statistics for the U.S. Travel and Tourism Statistical System. To see this full report or more monthly travel and tourism-related trade data dating back to 1992, click here.
Top Ways to Make your Fan Page Dynamic 
Social media has opened a new arena for competition among businesses. Put your best face forward to your existing and potential customers by following these tips from social media blogger Glen Stansberry. Click here to see the full top 10 list.
- Be unique-Creativity and imagination is a must. Make your page different so it stands out. Check out these excellent examples of creative Facebook fan pages for inspiration.
- Don’t use a generic landing page-Facebook allows you to customize what page different types of users land on so that people who have never been to your page before see a completely different message than people who are already fans on your page.
- Tag fans in photos- If you’re somehow able to take pictures of your customers, tag them within the picture. Many people have Facebook notifications that alert them when they’ve been tagged in photos, and this will bring them back to your page. Allowing fans to upload and tag themselves and friends in your pages automatically adds a social "hook" to your page.
- Integrate multiple social networks-You can use multiple Facebook applications to pull in your accounts from other social networking sites like Twitter, Flickr and many others.
- Thank people for becoming your fans-When someone becomes a fan on Facebook, immediately thank them.
- Don’t treat your fans like kids-Write on your page in a language appropriate for ALL audiences. According to this report from istrategy labs, the fastest growing demographic on Facebook in 2009 was adults aged 55 and over. The largest overall demographic on Facebook is ages 35-54, which makes up 29 percent of all Facebook users.
Today is U.S. Travel Rally Day 
Today marks the official Travel Rally Day of the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Week. Let us know what you are doing to celebrate and raise awareness of the value of travel to the U.S. by contacting us via Facebook.
Please use the resources below from the U.S. Travel Association to get active this week and be a champion for travel:
See What’s in Store at Tourism Cares for America Angel Island 
The Tourism Cares for America San Francisco Bay 2010 volunteer restoration event on Angel Island is just three weeks away. Take a look at the schedule for June 3-5.
The event kicks off Thursday, June 3, with a San Francisco wine reception and orientation at Neptune’s Palace on Pier 39. Then, board a blue and gold ferry from fisherman’s wharf early Friday morning to head to Angel Island for a full day of work with breakfast and box lunches provided. The work day ends at 3 p.m. with a BBQ on Angel Island, followed by a beer and wine reception on the ferry while you cruise past Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. The night’s not over until after the party at Hard Rock Café at Pier 39 on Fisherman’s Wharf.
To join in on all of the fun, click here. Already registered? Bring your friends.
T-shirt sponsorships are still available and logos must be sent for inclusion no later than Friday, May 14, to Jessica Ahern. Show your support and your logo on the shirts of more than 300 volunteers. See you in San Francisco!
How can you greatly enhance your Convention experience? Sponsoring at Convention opens the door to a world of premium exposure, worthwhile benefits and lasting impressions—all of which will help to increase your company’s bottom line. With 650 buyers anticipated in Montréal, sponsoring will ensure you stand out from your competitors.
"Even in these days of ‘budget pressure,’ VisitRochester sees the wisdom in maintaining as much contact with our buyers as possible. For that reason we decided to be a sponsor for NTA’s first off-shore event MONTAGE, will sponsor at the annual convention and at the co-located WRTA event as well. Even if your promotion budget is modest—as is ours—this team can help you select a sponsorship opportunity that will translate into profitable exposure and increased sales. My recommendation is to give them a call and explore the opportunities."
—Ed Hall, President/CEO of Visit Rochester
Sponsorships are now available and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Karla DiNardo by email or by phone at 800.682.8886, ext. 4232 or + 1.859.226.4232 to discuss your sponsorship today!
The Results are in and Courier Once Again Ranks at the Top 
For the fourth consecutive year, Courier ranks as the number-one valued magazine in the industry by NTA tour operators (above Packaged Travel Insider, Destinations, Group Tour Magazine, Group Travel Leader, etc). Additionally, when tour operators were asked if they could read only one travel industry magazine, they chose Courier as the number-one choice, beating the nearest competitor by 26 percent. Courier also enjoys a new, higher average pass along rate of 3.3.
Key features coming up in the August issue of Courier will be Theaters as well as Spas and Wellness Travel. The trip planner features will showcase the Pacific Northwest (British Columbia, Oregon and Washington), Greece and Turkey. The Travel Guide features will focus on Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario and Wisconsin.
Space deadline is May 26. Don’t miss your chance to gain exposure to 1,500 tour operators moving nine million travelers annually. To reach your account executive call 800.682.8886, ext. 4241 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.226.4241. Make Courier a part of your annual strategic marketing plan.
Here’s a look at recent research, statistics and news that may apply to you and your business:
- The Canada-China Inbound Tour Operator Accreditation Office (ITOAO) is now accepting applications from tour operators and will begin posting the list of accredited operators shortly. China granted Canada Approved Destination Status (ADS) in December 2009, an arrangement that allows Chinese nationals to travel to Canada in a leisure group tour format.
- British Airways Unite union has planned four sets of strike days: May 18-22, May 24-28, May 30- June 2 and June 5-9.
- Click here to access a baggage fee reference tool when traveling by air. To see a list that includes more international airlines, use this site as a reference.
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.
CEO Position Open with Black Hills, Badlands & Lakes Association
As chief executive officer and chief operating officer of the nonprofit 501C6 Black Hills, Badlands & Lakes Association, the President is responsible for managing all aspects of the organization, tourism marketing programs and press relations for South Dakota’s #1 visitor destination: Home of the Black Hills, Badlands and Mount Rushmore. Best tourism job in South Dakota.
Qualifications will include: Ten years destination marketing experience. Degree in journalism, mass communications, marketing, tourism, business administration, or related field. Experience with non-profit Boards, wholesale food chain in the travel industry. Professional speaker, writer, marketer. Salary $70,000-$90,000 with good benefits. Send resume to ceosearch.bhbl@gmail.com
Click here for more information on the Association and essential qualifications.
Click here for the Tuesday archive.