February 2013 NTA News
NTA News is a compilation of stories from Tuesday newsletter, which NTA members receive each week.
Questions about NTA? Contact us today. We'd love to have you join us.
February 2013 Top Stories
Industry & Association News
Are You Looking for New Business This Year and Next?
Hawai‘i Sightseeing Tours Increase Island's Intrigue
Make Washington, D.C., Your Destination for April
NTA's Wright Speaks in Jordan
NTA Leads Exploration of China Inbound Market
Travel Exchange '13 Coverage Headlines March Courier
The Buzz this Month: Business-building Benefits!
Join Now to Be Included in NTA's 2013-2014 Membership Directory
NTA Young Professionals Look to Stay Connected
Tourism Cares Scholarships Now Available
Are You Looking for New Business This Year and Next?
If you buy from or sell to any segment of the North American travel market, you need to be a member of NTA!
Travel Exchange '13, NTA's annual convention, brought together more than 3,600 tour and travel buyers and sellers in Orlando alone, including a grand total of 1,176 buyers from 632 companies.
Here's a look at the numbers from the show:
- 380 NTA buyers attended from 230 companies.
- 796 UMA buyers attended from 402 companies.
- 34 countries were represented among the attendees.
- 26 members of the media attended, including trade magazines and bloggers.
- 42 motorcoaches hit the road that Sunday night for the Icebreaker at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center.
- The convention show floor took up 450,000 square feet.
Plus, the event photographer snapped 27 gigabytes of memory-making photos. You can check many of those photos out on the NTA Facebook page here.
View Travel Exchange '13 in action and take a look back at the week below. Enjoy!
Become a member of NTA and join us next year at Travel Exchange '14 in Los Angeles, Feb. 16-20, for an opportunity to get even more business! It's the smart way to frontload your year with new product, new partners and new business. Don't wait too long to join NTA: registration for Travel Exchange '14 opens May 16, 2013.
Join us today. You belong at NTA!
Hawai'i Sightseeing Tours Increase Island's Intrigue
Registration for Contact '13 sightseeing tours is now open! Join NTA today and register for Contact '13, the industry's only tour operator focused retreat. Attendees will experience the broad range of tour opportunities on Hawai‘i, the Big Island: from ziplining through the rainforest canopy to golfing on the Kohala coast; deciphering ancient petroglyphs to swimming with dolphins. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience the Island of Hawai‘i as a guest of the island itself!
Sightseeing tours include:
- Kohala Waterfalls Adventure
- Petroglyph Tour at Mauna Lani
- Kohala Canopy Zipline
- Golf Day outing at Waikoloa
- Dolphin Quest at Hilton Waikoloa
- Beach Day at Hapuna
- Snorkel Sail at Mauna Lani Bay
Each tour is complimentary to operators and suppliers. You'll find all the details of each tour here.
There's also a Moko Nui Sunset sail on Wednesday evening before the event and an oceanside Icebreaker on Thursdsay.
Join your tour operator colleagues this summer for an intimate and in-depth learning experience; plus a chance to experience Hawai‘i's history, stunning scenery and calming culture. Once you've become a member of NTA, register for Contact '13! Space is limited on each sightseeing tour, so hurry and Join NTA today!
To become a member of NTA, call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mail, or visit NTAonline.com.
Make Washington, D.C., Your Destination for April
Registration is now open for Destination: Capitol Hill, April 10 and 11, 2013. This event, held in partnership with the U.S. Travel Association and the Southeast Tourism Society, is a new, bigger version of NTA's Grassroots Congressional Travel Summit and maintains the spirit, purpose and elements of the meeting. Join this definitive event for tourism advocacy to:
- learn about the legislation that most impacts travel
- mingle with key travel industry professionals, and
- meet with members of Congress to stress the importance of travel to the U.S. economy.
Prior to the event's 3 p.m. kickoff on Wednesday, April 10, NTA will host a complimentary educational seminar from 8 a.m. to noon: "National Travel and Tourism Strategy and its Role in Domestic Tourism Marketing." To see the full schedule of events and activities for Destination: Capitol Hill, follow this link.
NTA's official hotel for the event is the Hyatt Fairfax at Fair Lakes in Fairfax, Virginia. Transportation will be provided to and from the all DCH events from this hotel. If you prefer to make other housing arrangements, a list of hotels and accommodations can be found here.
Kevin Wright spoke at a "Know Your Niche" seminar in Amman, Jordan, on Saturday. Wright, NTA's director of growth markets, addressed 150 local travel professionals and outlined Jordan's potential for reaching deeper into the North American faith-based travel market.
"As more people travel on faith-based trips than ever before, Jordan is well-positioned to capitalize on a bigger share of the North American religious market," Wright said. "The reason for this is simple: Jordan delivers a biblically rich destination combined with a dynamic vacation experience of culture, history, adventure and fun. This is what today's faith-based traveler is searching for."
The seminar was organized by the USAID Jordan Tourism Development Project in cooperation with the Jordan Tourism Board and the Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association. Prior to the event, Wright and a group of NTA tour operators participated in the Holy Land Product Development Trip. To see images from the PDT and the seminar, follow this link to the NTA Facebook page.
NTA Leads Exploration of China Inbound Market
With a year-to-year increase of nearly 40 percent, the growing China inbound market continues to command the attention of the U.S. travel industry. And NTA continues to provide insight. Last month, Haybina Hao, NTA's director of international development, conducted seminars and training sessions on the nuts and bolts of the market.
Here's where Hao has presented in 2013:
- Travel Exchange in Orlando ("Journey Together for Success in the China Market")
- Go West Summit in Fort Worth, Texas
- ONE Travel Conference in Costa Mesa, Calif.
- Outlook Forum, organized by Visit California
At ONE Travel Conference, Hao and Daniel Shen (of Lion Tours USA) participated in the Are You China Ready panel, which started with the preview of "China-Ready Shopping," a white paper developed by Shop America Alliance and supported by NTA. Contact Hao if you want NTA to help your company or your partners make the most of the China market.
If you want to become a member of NTA, please contact us at 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, by e-mail, or by visiting NTAonline.com today!
Travel Exchange '13 Coverage Headlines March Courier
One of the many benefits of being an NTA member is receiving Courier magazine, NTA's monthly publication, ranked No. 1 in the industry. The current issue of Courier celebrates the successful coming together of NTA and the United Motorcoach Association at Travel Exchange 2013. Click here to see our coverage including plenty of photos and attendee comments from the Jan. 20-24 event in Orlando.
The March issue also provides the following:
- Updates on member travel product in the Holy Land, the Toronto and Niagara region and along old Route 66 as well as in the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
- A terrific Beer, Wine & Spirits special section that is bound to make you thirsty as it covers beverage-themed festivals in member destinations from California to Scotland.
- The business section, which offers U.S. market information on the Canadian inbound traveler, a travel industry government relations update and a member Q&A that explores product in Germany focused on commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
- Tips for members attending Destination: Capitol Hill on how to prepare for appointments with legislators or their staffs and how to follow up afterward.
- An interview with Norwegian Cruise Line Vice President Andy Stuart, who explains what the cruise line is doing specifically for tour operators.
If you'd like to receive Courier magazine and get involved with NTA, visit NTAonline, call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886 and join us today!
The Buzz this Month: Business-building Benefits!
Here are a few examples of NTA member benefits that can help improve your bottom line:
- NTA Online: provides research and information, a calendar of upcoming NTA Business Builder events, dynamic member searches and digital versions of Courier and Tuesday.
- Partner2Partner: the place to partner and buy and sell, all day every day!
- Professional development: pathways for enhancing your professional career through NTA's CTP program, association webinars, podcasts and Business Builder seminars.
- China Inbound Program: the only program that can register tour operators to work with the Chinese leisure inbound-to-U.S. market. The program also offers translation services and market expertise.
- Sponsorship and advertising privileges: allowing members to promote themselves in NTA publications and at member-only events.
Once you've become a member of NTA, don't miss any of your member benefits, designed to advance your business, increase your revenue and extend your network.
"At the end of the day, it is all about the bottom line. From the time I joined NTA, I know for a fact that through the partnerships, the networking, the new ideas and knowledge-sharing, NTA has made a significant difference in the way I do business and, more important, in my bottom line."
—Cathy Greteman, Star Destinations Inc., NTA member since 2000.
Let the strength of the association and the support of your fellow members help you reach your business goals for 2013 and beyond!
Join Now to Be Included in NTA's 2013–2014 Membership Directory
Now is the time to become a member of NTA. While the benefits are many and available year-round, one major benefit has a deadline that's right around the corner: To be included in the 2013-2014 NTA Membership Directory, you'll need to join by April 9.
Being listed in the directory is important to your business because it's where other NTA members go to find qualified partners. In fact, 80 percent of NTA tour operators report they count on the directory as a critical, day-to-day business resource.
You can join by clicking here for more information and membership applications, or by calling 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mailing, or visiting NTAonline.com.
And for added exposure, advertising opportunities are available in the NTA Membership Directory. Please email NTA Services or call 859.264.6559 for more information.
You belong at NTA, and we hope to see you in the new NTA Membership Directory this spring. It's right around the corner!
NTA Young Professionals Look to Stay Connected
Opening day of Travel Exchange '13, NTA's annual convention, was also the debut of the NTA Young Professionals group, which gathered for a town forum-style meeting. With the five members of the NTAYP steering committee serving as facilitators, the group explored topics that included generational marketing, professional development and social media. And it wasn't just for the under-40 set, according to Jigger Abendano of the San Diego Tourism Authority, one of the facilitators.
"The town hall bridged gaps between generations, as several members attended because they want to mentor those who are new in the industry," he said. "There is a group of Millennials at NTA that is very eager to learn how to work with other generations."
And the rest of the association is eager to work with Millennials, said NTA President Lisa Simon, who noted a coming generation shift. "A lot of our volunteers who are baby boomers will be leaving our leadership in the next several years," she said. "We need to make sure we've got good strong leaders coming in."
The meeting at Travel Exchange was a good first step in growing new NTA leaders, said Elizabeth Baranik of Hard Rock International, another facilitator. She looks forward to the challenge of staying connected as a group.
"The key is to use new technology and create opportunities that keep the NTAYPs engaged throughout the year," said Baranik. "The NTAYP Committee will build a sounding board and initial program for the community, but it will evolve as we receive feedback, and it'll grow to be an amazing resource within NTA."
Along with Abendano and Baranik, the steering committee for NTA Young Professionals (#NTAyp on Twitter) includes NTA members Eric Lynberg from Super Sightseeing Tours, Anbritt Stengele from Sports Traveler and Stephanie Dilling from Wells Gray Tours. If you'd like to participate in this new group, become a member of NTA today and then contact Chris Reed, NTA's manager of e-services to learn more.
Tourism Cares Scholarships Now Available
Tourism Cares, the official philanthropy of NTA, announced the opening of its 2013 Academic Scholarship program. This year, the organization is offering 50 academic scholarships, with awards ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 and totaling more than $70,000. These scholarships not only provide essential funding but also include an invitation to the Tourism Cares Mentoring program, which serves as an entryway for the best and brightest students to move into our workforce.
Tourism Cares looks to NTA members to encourage eligible students to apply for a scholarship. The awards are for undergraduate students pursuing a degree in travel, tourism or hospitality in a two- or four-year program as well as for graduate students with a concentration in travel or tourism. Follow this link to find additional information, along with the online application. The deadline to apply is Monday, April 1.
These scholarships are funded by individual donors as well as members of NTA, ASTA and the International Airlines Travel Agent Network.
For more business information and tips like these delivered to your inbox weekly, call +1.859.264.6540 or 800.692.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com to join NTA.