U.S. Takes Top Honor at World Travel Fair | NTA, CTO Sign Partnership Pact
June 14, 2011
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TODAY’S ARTICLES
U.S. Takes Top Honor at World Travel Fair
NTA, CTO Sign Partnership Pact
Run, Walk or Sleep for Government Relations
Texas Answers Call for More Precision in Travel Warnings to Mexico
FedEx Offers Valuable Discounts to NTA Members
Visitation to U.S. Up Two Ticks in 2011 First Quarter
Tourism Cares Awards $88,500 in Academic Scholarships
Which Inbound Market Is on Track to Exceed 800,000 in the Next Two Years?
Industry News and Updates
U.S. Takes Top Honor at World Travel Fair
There’s a new plaque on the wall of the NTA Visit USA Center in Shanghai, China. The United States won first place—the Golden Award—in the "My Dream Destination" competition at the World Travel Fair. Some 3,000 attendees cast votes at the May event for the country that presented the most desirable destination. Switzerland won the silver award in the competition, and Japan took the bronze.
The fair hosted more than 500 exhibitors from 45 countries/regions. The NTA Visit USA Center and U.S. Commercial Service co-hosted the show’s U.S. Pavilion, which housed eight participating organizations from the United States. NTA’s Haybina Hao and David Yu both presented at the event.
"I could not be happier to receive this news," said Hao, NTA’s director of international development. "This award sends a powerful message to the U.S. trade and to our destinations that the Chinese travelers’ dream is to see this country’s diverse and beautiful landscape. It also means we have a lot of work to do to prepare for the big volume of Chinese tourists coming to the United States."
NTA, CTO Sign Partnership Pact
NTA and the Caribbean Tourism Organization have created a partnership that gives NTA tour operators easier access to Caribbean destinations.
Lisa Simon, president of NTA, and CTO Chairman Senator Ricky Skerritt signed the agreement Thursday in New York City during Caribbean Week, the annual CTO event that celebrates Caribbean tourism and the rich heritage and culture of the region.
We’ll be working over the next few months to create a plan to help our members maximize the new partnership, so watch for details. But one aspect of the agreement—providing educational leadership at each other’s conferences—is already underway: Fernando Abreu, deputy director of marketing for the CTO, will be presenting the seminar "Caribbean Product Ideas to Grow Your Bottom Line" at Contact.
For more information about CTO, visit the Caribbean Week site.
-smaller.jpg "NTA President Lisa Simon and the Honorable Ricky Skerritt, Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization and Tourism Minister of St. Kitts (center) signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement on June 9, 2011 in New York during Caribbean Week. Joining them is Hugh Riley, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization from Barbados (right).")
Run, Walk or Sleep for Government Relations
5K runner’s average: 30 minutes.
5K walker’s average: 45 minutes.
5K sleeper’s average: 75 extra minutes of dream time.
Which will you choose?
One of the benefits of being an NTA member is that you have a team looking out and lobbying for the best interests of the travel industry at the government level. It’s the Government Relations Team, often referred to as GR.
Just as government never sleeps, neither does GR. That vigilance requires funding. And there’s no reason why fundraising can’t be fun. Or healthy. Or restful.
This year, NTA will host its first 5K Fun(d) Run/Walk/Sleep at Contact in Newport, Rhode Island. For just $25, all of which is donated on your behalf to NTA’s government relations fund, you can run or walk with your colleagues along the scenic views of Newport Harbor and the Narragansett Bay at Fort Adams. Or, if you find yourself in need of some extra beauty sleep, feel free to donate and "Sleep in for GR."
You can sign up for the 5K Fun(d) Run/Walk/Sleep when you register for Contact or, if you decide to participate after you register, contact the NTA member relations team at headquarters@ntastaff.com.
If you can’t make it to Contact, the next 5K Fun(d) Run/Walk/Sleep is being planned for Convention ’11 in Las Vegas. Details will be coming soon!
Texas Answers Call for More Precision in Travel Warnings to Mexico
NTA joined a group of travel associations, including the Adventure Travel Trade Association, American Society of Travel Agents and United States Tour Operators Association, calling for a more measured approach by the Texas Department of Public Safety in the issuance of travel warnings for Mexico.
American travel to Mexico represents a significant portion of U.S. outbound business, more than 14 percent. Over the past year, warnings from Texas have discouraged travel to all of Mexico due to concerns over drug wars in certain border areas. Tourism leaders believe that more precise, site-specific warnings would lessen the negative impact on travel to Mexico while still protecting American travelers.
Shannon Stowell, president of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, represented the travel associations in a meeting last week with representatives of Texas, the Mexico Tourism Board and U.S. travel businesses. He reported that the dialogue was productive.
"We have been working behind the scenes to help challenge misperceptions about this destination. There are specific places, especially along the Mexico/US border experiencing challenges. But most of Mexico remains safe, far away from the areas of concern, just waiting to be explored. We believe in Mexico," Stowell said. "The Texas Department of Public Safety engaged in a positive dialogue with the Mexican Tourism delegation and the U.S. business interests and promised to take into consideration information that Mexico provides them about more precise information on the issues of where travelers should not travel."
Stowell added that Rodolfo Negrete-Lopez, chief operating officer of the Mexico Tourism Board, expressed profound gratitude to NTA, ATTA, USTOA and ASTA for their support. For more information, see this story in Travel Weekly.
FedEx Offers Valuable Discounts to NTA Members
Shipping, printing and copying costs are common (and substantial) line items in most company budgets. Being an NTA member, though, gives you a way to control those costs.
NTA Corporate Partner FedEx offers NTA members discounts on select shipping, printing and copying services. For example, NTA member Bob Rogers Travel Inc. saved $790.79 on their FedEx shipments during just the first quarter of 2011. Savings such as that can significantly affect a company’s bottom line.
Todd Rogers, director of sales at Bob Rogers Travel, said the company uses FedEx because they need to get things quickly and securely to customers, vendors and tour directors. The discount is an additional reason to use them. "We save between 10 and 15 percent per shipment with the Fed Ex corporate partnership program," he said. "What a nice bonus we receive by being an NTA member."
You can find more information or enroll in the FedEx Advantage Program here, or call 1.800.MEMBERS.
Visitation to U.S. Up Two Ticks in 2011 First Quarter
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced that visitation was up two percent (to 12.9 million) during the first three months of 2011, compared to the same period in 2010. Spending was also up during that period, as international visitors spent 9 percent more than they did during the first three months of 2010.
Of the 10 countries that sent the most visitors to the United States during the first quarter of 2011, six posted increases. Here is the list of countries, ranked by U.S. visitors. ("Percent change" is over the first quarter of 2010):.
| Country | # of arrivals | % change |
| Canada | 4,572,669 | 5.4 |
| Mexico | 2,902,174 | -2.5 |
| Japan | 839,365 | -1.8 |
| U.K. | 697,850 | -4.0 |
| Brazil | 343,335 | 28.7 |
| Germany | 306,412 | -11.7 |
| S. Korea | 266,843 | 15.3 |
| France | 258,171 | 19.8 |
| China | 217,931 | 32.7 |
| Australia | 188,675 | 20.8 |
More details are available here from the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries.
Tourism Cares Awards $88,500 in Academic Scholarships
Tourism Cares, NTA’s official philanthropy, has awarded $88,500 in academic scholarships to 62 students across the United States and Canada. The scholarships, funded by NTA, the American Society of Travel Agents and the International Airlines Travel Agent Network, are awarded annually to students pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees in travel, tourism or hospitality at accredited colleges and universities.
"There are few better ways to make a difference than by supporting the education for our travel and tourism students. Through the National Tourism Foundation, NTA provided scholarships and grants like this for a long time, and we are proud to be a part of the Tourism Cares scholarship program," said Lisa Simon, CTP, NTA president. "Congratulations to all these students for earning a Tourism Cares scholarship-they are the future of our industry."
For nearly 30 years, Tourism Cares (and its predecessor organization, the National Tourism Foundation) has provided nearly 800 students with scholarships and other awards valued at nearly $1.1 million.
Which Inbound Market Is on Track to Exceed 800,000 in the Next Two Years?
A. The China inbound market.
Q. How can you reach all of these visitors to the U.S. now, while they’re planning?
A. With NTA’s China Group Leisure Directory:
The China Group Leisure Directory is your chance to gain exposure within this lucrative market. It’s mailed to all NTA members and thousands of Chinese travel agents/tour operators approved to do business with NTA tour operators. The publication is also promoted at both the China International Travel Mart and the China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, China is the fastest-growing travel market in the world and is estimated to top 100 million international travelers by 2020. Make your mark now by reaching them early and developing important and profitable relationships. For information regarding this directory, please contact NTA Services by e-mail or +1.859.264.6559.
- A new Travelclick survey suggests that business travel will surge during the summer, while leisure travel will remain about the same as a year earlier.
- It’s full steam ahead for U.S. domestic cruise scene, according to the Cruise Lines International Association, whose members will launch 24 ships this year and next.
- Egypt tourism officials seeing gradual recovery, expect numbers to "return to normalcy" by fall.
- Two leaders of the President’s Jobs and Competitiveness Council call for improved visa processing, among other measures, to boost U.S. jobs.
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