Tuesday Newsletter – May 6, 2008
May 6, 2008
Tuesday Newsletter May 6, 2008
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This issue of Tuesday is sponsored by Elvis Presley’s Graceland. Discover the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll experience in Memphis at Elvis Presley’s Graceland. We offer three tour options to make sure your group’s experience at Graceland is all they imagined. |
| Interested in becoming a Tuesday sponsor? E-mail Karla DiNardo at karla.dinardo@NTAstaff.com. | |
Volume 28, Issue 18
NTA EVENTS
Two Weeks Until Convention Registration Begins
Audio Available for 2008 Spring Meet Seminars
ASSOCIATION NEWS
May Question of the Month – Fuel Surcharges
China Inbound Web Seminar Coming up May 22
Tour Operators: Watch for Letter Detailing NTA/NPS Voluntourism Program
Have You Considered Running for the NTA Board?
On the Road with Your NTA Leaders
NTA to Start Posting Member Fams on its Web Site
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
March on Washington at Grassroots Symposium this June
INDUSTRY NEWS
U.S. National Tourism Week Kicks Off This Saturday
Females in Travel Brunch Set for June 1 at Pow Wow
MEMBER BENEFITS
Student & Youth Product and Theaters Take Center Stage in August Courier
NTA EVENTS
Two Weeks Until Convention Registration Begins
Registration for the 2008 NTA Annual Convention in Pittsburgh will launch exactly two weeks from today, May 20, at noon ET. Be sure to keep an eye out for a special plantable promotional piece, to be mailed soon, which ties in with NTA’s green Convention.
Tour suppliers and DMOs should consider registering early, as the benefit of having a lower registration number is two-fold. First, the prescheduled appointment phase of the Tour & Travel Exchange typically sells out in two to three weeks. Second, appointments are matched based upon registration number, so a lower registration number, which is assigned to early registrants, will help ensure greater results from your appointment requests.
Note that the early-bird deadline for tour operators to sign up and make last-minute changes to profile forms is July 8.
If you need more information before you register to join us in Pittsburgh, Nov. 15-19, visit the Convention Web site or contact your Member Services Team at 800.682.8886 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4444.
Audio Available for 2008 Spring Meet Seminars
The audio recordings from the 2008 NTA Spring Meet educational sessions are now available. This year’s lineup of seminars covered hot industry topics such as going green and the inbound market from China. Other highlights from this year’s Spring Meet include two crackerbarrels and a core CTP course.
Members wishing to listen to any of the seminars can do so online by clicking here. You will need your member ID number and password to access the recordings, since they are password protected.
Questions regarding the seminars can be directed to NTA Marketing and Communications Administrative Assistant Andrea Richardson at 800.682.8886, ext. 5019 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.425.5019
A full Spring Meet recap is available at NTAonline.com.
ASSOCIATION NEWS
May Question of the Month – Fuel Surcharges
The second installment of a new feature on the NTA member forums – the NTA Question of the Month – has been posted. The May question is: How are you dealing with higher fuel costs and the handling of fuel surcharges with your customers?
Members interested in following the dialogue or sharing their thoughts can do so by logging on to the member forums. You will need your member ID and password, which were included at the top of the e-mail you received showing the headlines for newsletter articles, to access the member-only, password-protected forums.
If you have not created your password, when you click the link above to go to the NTA Member Forums, you will come to a login page. To the right of the screen you’ll see easy directions for setting a password as a first-time user. For that you will also need your company ID, which was also included with the e-mailed headlines.
The question of the month was developed based on feedback received from delegates who attended the general crackerbarrel at the recent Tour Operator Spring Meet.
China Inbound Web Seminar Coming up May 22
U.S. Commercial Service will be presenting a Webinar on the U.S. inbound market from China May 22 at 8 p.m. (ET). The 90-minute session will include a market update, best practices on entering and servicing the market and information on visas and NTA’s China Inbound Program.
Presenters will include China-based Commercial Service specialists and industry representatives. The fee to participate will be $50, and more details, including information on how to register, will be passed along via "This Just In" and in next week’s issue of Tuesday.
Tour Operators: Watch for Letter Detailing NTA/NPS Voluntourism Program
NTA Chairman and CEO Bob Hoelscher, CTP, will be sending out a letter this week to all U.S. tour operators with more details on a pilot voluntourism program that NTA is getting ready to launch in conjunction with the National Park Service. The two groups have been in discussions on the project over the past year.
The program seeks to offer enhanced experiences for the customers of NTA’s U.S. tour operator members by including a work project component to complement a regular tourist visit to park sites. NTA and the park service hope to foster a renewed and lasting sense of pride in U.S. national parks for the traveling public.
Hoelscher’s letter will give details on how tour operators can get involved in this innovative program. It also includes a list of 18 NPS sites that will work with NTA tour operators and their groups as part of the pilot program.
Hoelscher originally announced the voluntourism program at the 2007 NTA Annual Convention during the Business Meeting Luncheon.
Have You Considered Running for the NTA Board?
NTA strives to conduct the most inclusive, democratic election of any association in the industry. The opportunity to run for the NTA Board of Directors is a way for you to make a real difference in the association and the industry.
Association members are eligible for candidacy for a director seat on the NTA Board if they have been employed by an NTA member company for a minimum of two years. You’ll note that the eligibility criteria have changed significantly for non-officer positions. Committee and event attendance requirements have been eliminated in order to streamline the election process and in turn invite more candidates to participate in NTA’s governance.
This year, three tour operator seats, one tour supplier seat and one DMO seat will be contested in the director elections, while secretary/treasurer and vice chairman will be contested in the executive committee/officer position election. Tour operators with prior NTA Board experience are eligible to run for an officer position.
Eligible NTA members will vote in their respective member categories to elect their representatives to the board. The voting will be conducted electronically and by paper ballot at the category-specific business meetings at the NTA Annual Convention in Pittsburgh.
If you are interested in running for the NTA Board, please e-mail Randy Julian, chairman of the Nominating Committee, or for more information contact committee liaison Matt Grayson at 800.682.8886, ext. 4250 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4250.
On the Road with Your NTA Leaders
Your NTA leaders have been out and about attending many tourism events this spring. From presentations about group leaders to meeting with the U.S. Senate majority leader, NTA has been busy on the road promoting your business and our great industry.
- On April 9, NTA Chairman and CEO Bob Hoelscher, CTP, spoke at the African American Tourism Conference in Cleveland regarding group leaders.
- Hoelscher, NTA Vice President of Business Development Cookie Callahan, NTA Public Relations Affairs Advocate Steve Richer, CTP, and several NTA members attended the 2008 Tourism Cares clean-up event in New Orleans, April 17-19.
- On April 24, Richer, NTA Legislative Counsel Jim Santini and Nevada GAN Chair Ed Spear attended a breakfast reception hosted by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), chair of the Republican Senate Campaign Committee. The group discussed a number of issues, including the recent proposal to have airlines and cruise lines fingerprint departing international passengers. The same day, the NTA leaders also met with Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), and attended the kickoff ceremony for the National Park Centennial Challenge. NTA, in conjunction with the American Recreation Coalition, is a recipient of one of the initial challenge grants. Finally, the group visited the offices of Reid, Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), Rush Holt (D-N.J.), Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.).
- Callahan also attended the Travel Professionals of Color conference in New Orleans on April 26-28 and the International Gay and Lesbian Association Annual Convention in Las Vegas, April 30 to May 4.
May is shaping up to be another busy month for NTA. Stops include two NTA Road Shows, Pow Wow in Las Vegas and Spotlight on the Southwest in Palm Springs, just to name a few.
NTA to Start Posting Member Fams on its Web Site
NTA is adding a new page to its Web site that will promote your familiarization trips. The page will include line listings in bullet point form with details on your upcoming Fams.
To get your trip included, please e-mail the following information to fams@NTAstaff.com:
The page will be launched after the first few submissions come in, and it will be updated regularly. Listings will be taken down after the Fam has taken place.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
March on Washington at Grassroots Symposium this June
NTA’s annual Grassroots Symposium will be held June 24-26 and there is still time for you to register. The event headquarters will be the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, with educational and informational seminars held on Capitol Hill.
Transportation will be provided between the Gaylord National and Capitol Hill, courtesy of New World Bus, with lunch vouchers provided by Jones Lang LaSalle Union Station.
The room block at the Gaylord National is now open. To book your room for the Grassroots Symposium, call the Gaylord National at 301.965.2000. Please mention booking code X-NTAG8 to get the discounted NTA rate.
INDUSTRY NEWS
U.S. National Tourism Week Kicks Off This Saturday
This Saturday marks the beginning of 2008 National Tourism Week. Activities surrounding the event, which runs May 10-18, will be centered on this year’s theme, "Discover Great American Traditions."
This is the 25th anniversary of the celebration, which encourages travel to U.S. locales and highlights the role tourism plays in helping travelers discover America’s iconic destinations. Since the initiative was introduced in 1984, many NTA-member companies have participated by organizing or taking part in celebrations in their local communities.
For more information, visit the event Web site.
Females in Travel Brunch Set for June 1 at Pow Wow
The annual FIT (Females in Tourism) Brunch will be held on Sunday during this year’s International Pow Wow in Las Vegas. Now in its 17th year, the brunch is scheduled for June 1 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Piero’s restaurant, which is walking distance from the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Sharon Gaiptman, CTP, who organizes the FIT Brunch, said the event enables women from all over the globe in every facet of tourism to not only reconnect with their friends and acquaintances, but also to make new contacts. The cost is $65 per person and interested parties should RSVP by May 30 to Gaiptman via e-mail or by calling 907.321.0751.
Checks for tickets should be sent to P.O. Box 20385, Juneau, AK 99802-0385.
MEMBER BENEFITS
Student & Youth Product and Theaters Take Center Stage in August Courier
The August 2008 edition of Courier, which shines the spotlight on theaters and student and youth product, offers plenty of ways to get your company or destination in front of tour operators.
Besides those feature story topics, the trip planners for August showcase Orlando and the Pacific Northwest (British Columbia, Northern California, Oregon and Washington). The travel guides highlight Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario and Wisconsin, while one of the business section pieces looks at green hotels and resorts.
The space deadline for August Courier is May 14, so there is still time to get in the magazine read by 88 percent of NTA tour operators monthly. You can reach your account executive at 800.682.8886, ext. 4241 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4241or e-mail advertising@NTAstaff.com for more information. Click here to view the full 2008 Editorial Calendar.
| To ensure that you’re doing business with an NTA member, go to the NTA Web site home page and click on either "Tour Operator Search" or "DMO/Tour Supplier Search" at the top of the page. |