UMA, NTA Meet to Discuss Co-located Shows | Deadline Alert!
June 28, 2011
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TODAY’S ARTICLES
UMA, NTA Meet to Discuss Co-located Shows
Deadline Alert!
Washington State Tourism Office to Close Doors. Is Help on the Way?
NTA Taps Experts in Faith-based Tourism
Interested in Playing Host to an NTA Meeting in 2012?
Tourism Industry Friends to Lead New U.S. Senate Caucus
Greteman and Reddekopp Find Japan ‘Safe and Fascinating’
Sponsorships Are a Hot Ticket Item at Contact ’11
Registration Now Open for Tourism Cares’ Valley Forge Project
Industry News and Updates: U.S. Summer Travel
UMA, NTA Meet to Discuss Co-located Shows
Victor Parra, president and CEO of the United Motorcoach Association, and Maggie Masterson, UMA’s meetings and operations manager, visited NTA headquarters today to meet with members of the NTA staff to discuss the two association’s upcoming co-located shows (see the archived story).
Pictured are (left to right) Lisa Simon, NTA president; Catherine Prather, senior vice president, strategic development; Lee Carter, senior vice president, operations; Masterson and Parra.
Stay tuned for details on Convention ’13.
Don’t miss these Contact and Convention deadlines:
June 30
Three lucky operators who register for both Contact and Convention (and are participating in the Convention Exchange) by June 30 will have their names drawn to win a clambake dinner for two (a $173 value). The winners will receive a gift card to B&M Catering Company, for a dinner that includes lobster, steamers, mussels, chourico, corn on the cob, red bliss potatoes and onions, a lobster cracker, bibs and a red and white table cloth-all in a reusable pot. You’ll have all the ingredients you need to enjoy a Traditional Old Fashioned Clambake. Get registered now to enter the drawing!
July 1
Explore Rhode Island’s culinary treats and history as you visit (and taste test) such sites as Modern Diner, Johnson & Wales Culinary Museum, Block Island, Kenyon’s Grist Mill and Top of the Harbor. The pre-Contact Fam is $50 per person (limit two per company) and will take place July 29–31 (plan to arrive in Newport on July 28.) The deadline to register is July 1, so reserve your spot now!
Register for Convention.
Register for Contact.
Washington State Tourism Office to Close Doors. Is Help on the Way?
An AP story released Monday passed along news that NTA members have known for months: By the end of next week, Washington state will shutter its tourism office, making it the only state without official funds to promote tourism. The story, found here, says that Washington isn’t alone in its budget struggles:
"[Washington’s] transition is the most extreme example of the widely varying strategies among states trying to balance budget cuts with ways to spur economic growth. Some are pouring millions of dollars into fresh marketing, while others like New York and Arizona are slashing their promotional spending to help shore up state budgets."
One remedy, supported strongly by NTA, lies in a new version of the Travel Regional Investment Partnership Act, currently under development in the U.S. Congress. The TRIP Act promotes domestic tourism through partnerships with tourism offices and local destinations. The act was introduced by Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.).
"Even small investments in domestic marketing can have large positive impacts on local economies and the visitor industry," Sen. Begich said. "We look forward to reintroducing this important legislation very soon."
Tourism is an economic engine that will always play a vital role in stimulating our local economies, said Rep. Farr. "For that reason we need to support local tourism and invest in promoting local travel destinations," he said. "At a time when our economy needs to grow, the TRIP Act provides the right incentives to invest in tourism and much needed job creation."
As Washington’s tourism office closes, the Washington Tourism Alliance, composed of industry stakeholders, will take over the job of marketing the state as a tourism destination. The group, featured in a previous Tuesday story, maintains a Web site and an electronic mailing list to keep stakeholders connected and informed about statewide marketing and advocacy. For more information, visit the Web site or send a request to be included on the mailing list.
NTA Taps Experts in Faith-based Tourism
Expect to see new opportunities in the $18 billion faith-based tourism market. NTA is taking big steps toward engaging this industry segment, which include hiring Kevin Wright, the leading authority in faith-based tourism, as a consultant; creating an advisory council; and providing faith-based tourism programming for Convention ’11: education, roundtable discussions and appointments.
Forty percent of NTA tour operators report involvement in faith-based tourism, which has a wide reach that includes conferences, volunteer vacations and adventure trips, said Lisa Simon, NTA president. "Many people think of religious travel as a trip to the Holy Land, but it involves many aspects of the tourism industry right here in North America."
To help guide NTA decision-making in regard to this market, the association has formed a Faith-based Tourism Advisory Council, composed of the following members:
- Paul Larsen; president, Ed-Ventures Inc. (council chairman)
- Torre Ossmo; vice president & general manager, Faithful Holidays
- Malia Asfour; director, Jordan Tourism Board North America
- Paula Bohaty; group travel manager, Nebraska Travel & Tourism
- Linville J. Johnson; deputy director, religious market, The Bahamas Tourist Office
- Mirko Capodanno; manager, Central USA & Canada, Switzerland Tourism
- Tim Moulder; director of sales, Sweet Magnolia Tours
- Roger McCurry; former pastor and current group travel leader
- Jim Reddekopp Jr;. 2011 NTA vice chairman (NTA board liaison)
For added insight into faith-based tourism, see the story in the July Courier.
- 3rd quarter board meeting (August 15–18, 2012)
- 4th quarter board meeting (November 7–10, 2012)
- U.S. gas prices have dropped 37 cents since a May 6 peak and may slide further this summer. See current-price highs, lows and in-betweens.
- Even before the drop in gas prices, a survey reported that Americans will spend nearly $16 billion more on summer travel in 2011 than they did in 2010.
- Travelocity’s top 10 travel destinations for Fourth of July weekend includes popular attractions and average hotel rates.
Hosting an NTA meeting is a great way to showcase your destination or venue to your association’s leaders. The bid process is now open for destinations interested in playing host to a 2012 NTA Board of Directors meeting. Meetings available for bid are:
Interested? Please complete the bid specification form and return it to NTA Events Manager Lauren Ashley Pope by July 22, 2011.
Tourism Industry Friends to Lead New U.S. Senate Caucus
For the first time in a quarter-century, the U.S. Senate has a caucus focused on travel and tourism. Last week U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) launched the U.S. Senate Travel & Tourism Caucus. Klobuchar, Begich and Blunt serve on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the U.S. tourism industry.
The news is significant, said Lisa Simon, NTA president. "Senators Klobuchar, Begich, Blunt and Kirk recognize that the travel and tourism industry is a major contributor to the national economy," she said. "Their leadership will pave the way for increased U.S. domestic tourism—and international tourism to the United States—resulting in much-needed revenues and jobs throughout the country."
Simon said the senators’ previous leadership in travel and tourism will keep the industry moving forward. "These four Senate leaders have already established themselves as strong advocates of the successful Travel Promotion Act and other pending legislation that will enhance this growing sector of our national economy," she said. "We at NTA look forward to working with them—and with all members of the Senate Travel & Tourism Caucus."
Greteman and Reddekopp Find Japan ‘Safe and Fascinating’
NTA 2011 Chairman and CEO Cathy Greteman and NTA Vice Chairman Jim Reddekopp Jr. visited Japan June 21–26 as delegates for "Rediscovering Japan-USTOA/NTA Mission 2011." The delegation met with Japanese tourism officials, visited popular destinations and assessed travel conditions. Reddekopp’s preliminary report is that "Japan is both safe and fascinating" for visitors.
Sponsorships Are a Hot Ticket Item at Contact ’11
Contact is proving to be a seller’s dream. The event, Aug. 1–3, offers one-on-one time with approximately 100 tour operators in beautiful Newport, Rhode Island. Given that sponsorship is the only way sellers can attend this one-of-a-kind tour operator-exclusive event, Contact sponsorships have been in high demand! Don’t miss your chance to not only gain access to this event, but to also receive great additional sponsor benefits (promotions, database of attending delegates, etc.).
Take a look at the available sponsorship opportunities and e-mail Karla DiNardo (or call +1.859.264.6556) to lock in your Contact sponsorship today!.
Registration Now Open for Tourism Cares’ Valley Forge Project
Tourism Cares has opened registration for its annual Tourism Cares Volunteer Day on Friday, September 9, 2011, at the Valley Forge National Historical Park in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
One of the travel and tourism industry’s most highly anticipated give-back events, the Tourism Cares Volunteer Day is held in conjunction with the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. Tourism Cares’ one-day event is expected to attract more than 200 travel and tourism professionals to improve the 3,500-acre landscape, as well as some of the historic buildings and facilities.
Travel industry professionals and students studying tourism or hospitality are invited to attend. The registration fee ($49 per person; $29 for students) includes continental breakfast, lunch and a barbecue celebration. Space is limited and advance registration is required. The deadline for registration is Thursday, September 1, 2011. Volunteers are welcome to register online or call +1.781.821.5990, ext. 206, for more details.
Industry News and Update:U.S. Summer Travel
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