January 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.
January 2013 Top Stories
Industry & Association News
You Need to Become a Member of NTA!
Travel Exchange by the Numbers
What Others Are Saying about Travel Exchange 2013
Tour Operators: Hawai'i is on the Horizon!
Save the Date for Destination: Capitol Hill
NTA Holds First Forum for Family, Adventure Travel
NTA Welcomes Delta Aboard as Official Airline
NTA Enters Next Phase of China Inbound Program
Earn Your CTP in 2013!
With this Issue, Courier Enters its 40th Year
The Student Market is at Your Fingertips. Don't Let it Slip Away!
Tourism Cares for New York City!
You Need to Become a Member of NTA!
NTA connects you with the people, the products and the markets so you can do big things in your business!
In January, NTA members attended their first-ever Travel Exchange. The event was a great success and we are extremely proud to announce that more than 3,600 delegates came together, making this convention the industry's premier business-building event.
The interview below, featuring NTA President Lisa Simon, recaps the inaugural event.
It's simple. Wherever you want to take your business in 2013, NTA gives you access to the business-to-business partnering opportunities to help you get there.
- Face to face - at NTA's Business Builder events: Contact 2013 in Hawai‘i, Travel Exchange '14 in Los Angeles and regional get-togethers.
- Online - NTA members can search and download a targeted leads list from the member database and have 24/7 access to the Partner2Partner business community on NTA Online, so they can buy and sell all day, every day!
- In association publications - NTA's monthly magazine, Courier; weekly e-newsletter, Tuesday; annual membership directory and specialty publications.
- Through strategic partnerships and programs that stretch around the world and put NTA members at the forefront of burgeoning markets.
If you buy from or sell to any segment of the North American travel market, you need to be a member of NTA!
Join us today. You belong at NTA!
Travel Exchange by the Numbers
Travel Exchange in Orlando brought together more than 3,600 tour and travel buyers and sellers, including a grand total of 1,176 buyers from 632 companies.
Here are a few other numbers you might find interesting:
- 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.
The show photographer snapped 27 gigabytes of memory-making photos. You can check many of them out on the NTA Facebook page, along with the full week in review video. Enjoy!
What Others Are Saying about Travel Exchange 2013
News stories, columns and blogs about the people and events at NTA's annual convention, Travel Exchange 2013, have already been published or posted. Here's a sampling:
Thom Singer, an expert in branding and networking, blogged about Monday's Broadway Luncheon. (Click here for the link.) His post included:
"The lunch program on Day One was one of the most amazing events I had ever attended at a conference. It was sponsored by (Group Sales Box Office/Broadway.com) and it was more than a luncheon, it was a happening. ... The production value of the "Stars of Broadway" lunch was top notch, and the audience of 3,000 people was driven to their feet for a standing ovation following the final performance. How often do conference audiences get that kind of experience that touches their souls and drives them to a multi-minute applause?"
Robin Amster, Travel Market Report, covered several aspects of Travel Exchange; her story is here.
"The younger and more diverse nature of the tour market took center stage at the National Tour Association's annual Travel Exchange, which presented sessions on faith-based, family, adventure, culinary and Hispanic travel."
David Cogswell, a writer for TravelPulse.com, is a veteran of several NTA conventions and now, Travel Exchange '13. Read his entire column here to get his full impression of the show.
Interested in attending next year's Travel Exchange 2014 in Los Angeles? Become a member of NTA today by calling 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mailing us, or visiting NTAonline.com, and sign up to attend the industry's premier business-building event February 16-20, 2014!
Tour Operators: Hawai'i is on the Horizon!
That's right, NTA tour operators are headed to Hawai‘i, the Big Island, this summer and we want you join us! Don't miss out on the chance to spend quality time with other tour operators in a tropical paradise for an unforgettable weekend, Aug. 15-17!
This is your opportunity to become a member of NTA and immerse yourself in a tropical resort setting at the Hilton Waikoloa Village with your peers for three full days of in-depth education, conversations, partnerships, intimate networking and amazing Hawaiian cultural experiences. Visit the Hawai‘i Pinterest page here for a taste of what the Big Island has to offer.
Registration for sightseeing tours and pre-event Fam tours for this retreat is open now; make sure you apply for an NTA membership and register for Contact '13 today to reserve your spot!
Sightseeing tours for this Hawaiian getaway include:
- Kohala Waterfalls Adventure
- Kohala Canopy Zipline
- Golf at Hilton Waikoloa
- Petroglyph Tour in Mauna Lani
- Dolphin Quest at Hilton Waikoloa
- Beach Day at Mauna Kea/Hapuna
- Snorkel Sail at Mauna Lani Bay
Pre-event Fam tours include:
- Three-day adventure through the Big Island exploring Kona and Hilo, Monday through Wednesday, Aug. 12-14.
- Four-day cruise through the pacific on Norwegian Cruise Line, Saturday through Wednesday, Aug. 10-14.
NOTE: August in Hawai‘i is the peak season for tourism, so make sure you register and book your flights soon, before it's too late!
Save the Date for Destination: Capitol Hill
Make your voice heard in Washington, D.C.! Join with tourism industry colleagues from across the country at the travel industry's premier legislative fly-in on April 10-11, 2013.
Travel professionals from all segments of the industry will converge on Washington to speak directly to lawmakers about issues that impact the travel industry. Don't miss this opportunity to:
- learn about upcoming legislation that impacts travel
- mingle with key influencers and travel industry professionals at the third annual Policymakers Reception
- and meet with members of Congress to stress the importance of travel as an economic driver.
Join us on Capitol Hill this April and become a member of NTA today. Call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com.
Hurry; the Early Bird rate for registration is $95 on or before Feb. 22! After that date, the standard rate will be $135.
This event is powered by the U.S. Travel Association, along with NTA, Destination Marketing International Association and the Southeast Tourism Society. To learn more about Destination: Capitol Hill, click here.
NTA Holds First Forum for Family, Adventure Travel
NTA broadened its convention focus on specialty markets this year by hosting the first Family Travel and Adventure Tourism Leaders Forum during Travel Exchange 2013. The session featured Nancy Schretter, managing editor of Family Travel Network, who advised participants they are missing opportunities for growth if they limit their definition of family travel to two parents with children under 12.
"I propose we define it as any combination of family members traveling together, regardless of age," Schretter said. "It's the bonding experience that's important."
Bonding can also play a role in adventure travel for groups, said Keith Baron of Abercrombie & Kent USA during a panel discussion. "When like-minded people come together, they can build a bond very quickly," Baron said. He was joined on the panel by Bart Donnelly of Travel Alberta and Debra Asberry of Women Traveling Together.
After hearing from the panel and Schretter, participants generated ideas for further developing niche markets. NTA will compile those ideas and suggestions, distribute them to participants, and use them to develop more programs and education.
NTA Welcomes Delta Aboard as Official Airline
NTA and Delta Air Lines are now traveling together as business partners. Delta, the official airline of NTA, played a prominent role at Travel Exchange '13 and will also offer discounted airfare rates for Contact '13 attendees going to Hawai‘i.
NTA Enters Next Phase of China Inbound Program
Fresh off a successful partnership with Brand USA at the China International Travel Mart in Shanghai, NTA is moving into the next phase of its award-winning China Inbound Program.
Since 2008, NTA has maintained a list of U.S. tour operators registered to handle inbound-to-the-U.S. Chinese group travelers, and in 2010 the association opened the NTA Visit USA Center in Shanghai as a hub for marketing travel to the United States and facilitating business connections with the U.S. and Chinese trade.
"When we created our China Inbound Program and opened the NTA Visit USA Center, there was no national, comprehensive program to market the United States as a destination. Now that Brand USA and the Visit USA Committee are becoming active in the market, NTA will not operate the Visit USA Center in Shanghai," said Lisa Simon, NTA president. "NTA has played an important role in promoting the United States and helping the industry gain market share, so we will remain very active in the market."
While establishing a dynamic presence in China at trade shows and road shows organized by the association, NTA has garnered several awards, including the Chinese Tourists Welcoming Award from the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (2012) and the Gold Award at the World Travel Fair (2011, 2012).
NTA will continue to provide consulting and educational sessions, organize trade events, and present the second China Market Forum during Contact '13, which will be held in Hawai‘i Aug. 15 -17. For more information on the China Inbound Program, contact Haybina Hao, NTA's director of international development.
If you're interested in attending Contact '13 and becoming a part of the only program that can register tour operators as approved for working with the Chinese leisure inbound-to-U.S. market, then you belong at NTA.
As a member of NTA, you'll have the opportunity to attend our annual events, trade shows and roadshows throughout the year, plus you'll meet hundreds of other buyers and sellers ready to do business with you! Call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com and become a part of this award-winning association today!
Here's a way to give yourself the competitive edge you've been looking for: Earn your Certified Tour Professional certificate through NTA's educational program, one of the many benefits of being an NTA member. Become a part of NTA and make this goal come true. Simply contact NTA Headquarters by email or call 1.859.264.6540 and start earning your certificate now!
NTA teamed with Temple University's School of Tourism and Hospitality Management to develop the most comprehensive and specialized certification program in the industry. Packaged travel professionals who obtain, and maintain, their CTP designation demonstrate to the industry that they are experienced, knowledgeable and motivated professionals who care about the industry and the colleagues with whom they work. A CTP is considered the hallmark of professional competency and an excellence in the packaged travel industry.
Becoming a CTP is now more affordable than ever. As a member of NTA you pay $150 upon enrollment. If you complete the program and graduate within two years of enrollment, that's all you pay! If you do not complete the program in two years, that's OK. However, you must pay the full $600 enrollment fee prior to graduating. You'll be invoiced the $450 once your two-year term expires.
The program has three phases:
Phase I - Application.
Phase II - Coursework. After you've been accepted into the program, the next step is to complete three modules through an online Blackboard system. The three modules are:
- Strategic Packaged Travel Leadership, Management and Administration-be trained to lead within the industry, manage human resources and operations, and create the total customer experience through quality service.
- Strategic Packaged Travel Marketing and Sales-learn how to develop and market innovative products and services, maximize sales, and manage public relations efforts.
- Strategic Packaged Travel Financial Management-get a firm grasp on managing financial performance, forecasting business needs, establishing budgets, understanding payroll systems and identifying sources of funding.
Phase III - Learning Portfolio: Once your coursework is finished, the next step is to create a comprehensive learning portfolio that encompasses everything you've learned throughout the program. The Learning Portfolio will be submitted online and evaluated by Temple University.
That's it! If you're interested in joining the NTA family and making the CTP Program your objective for 2013 (and we think you should!), call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com today!
With this Issue, Courier Enters its 40th Year
The January 2013 issue of Courier marks the beginning of the 40th year that Courier has been produced and sent to all NTA members.
The business section in January's Courier included two informative Q&As and a great primer for 2013. Nancy Schretter, family travel expert, gives the 411 on this emerging market and NTA's Haybina Hao, provided an update on the China market and NTA's China Inbound Program.
The article "10 Steps to a Profitable New Year," offers advice for starting 2013 off right and maximize your business opportunities this year. January's destination articles cover the United Kingdom and Ireland, Alaska, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and the Great Lakes.
To become a member of NTA and receive Courier, ranked No. 1 in the industry, call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com today!
The Student Market is at Your Fingertips. Don't Let it Slip Away!
Reach 1,500 qualified tour operators, plus qualified student trip planners, for a total distribution of 20,000 by advertising in the 2013-14 NTA Trip Planner for Student Travel. This valuable resource is only offered to NTA members. If you're interested in advertising in NTA's Trip Planner for Student Travel, become a member of NTA and call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com today!
Tourism Cares for New York City!
Tourism Cares, the official philanthropy of NTA, will be celebrating its 10th anniversary by heading to the Big Apple! Join your industry colleagues May 30 and 31, by volunteering at world-famous Coney Island and Jamaica Bay. Volunteers will paint playground benches and light posts at Coney Island as well as help with dune preservation at Fort Tilden Beach on Jamaica Bay. And as part of this program, special grants will be awarded to tourism-related sites that suffered losses attributed to Hurricane Sandy.
Interested in making a difference? Click here to volunteer in NYC this summer!
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.