May 2012 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.
May 2012 Top Stories
Industry & Association News
What's in Your Wallet? Could Be More Money!
Work with an NTA Tour Operator: Here's Why
IBM Study Reveals Power of Partnerships for CEOs
The (Broadway) Hits Just Keep on Coming
Register Now (Get Better Appointments), Pay Later for Travel Exchange
NTA Chairman's Quarterly Update [VIDEO]
Operator's Adventure Travelers Looking for the ‘Real Deal'
Help Tourism Cares Save Summer Vacation
4 Common (and Costly) Legal Mistakes Businesses Make
5 Ways to Play Social Media Catch-up
What's in Your Wallet? Could Be More Money!
Are you making the best-possible profit when accepting credit or debit card payments? NTA members can contact NTA Corporate Partner Capital One® to find out.
Capital One Bank offers a hassle-free credit card processing analysis at no charge. Their free analysis helps NTA members identify specific ways to increase their profit, and show them how to reduce related expenses through Capital One's Merchant Services Program.
Benefits include*:
- No underwriting fees
- Transparent and competitive rates
- Gift & Loyalty card programs to help increase sales and repeat business
- Ability to utilize existing equipment and interface with major point-of-sale systems
- No annual or monthly minimum fees
- 24-hour customer support
One of the nation's top 10 largest banks, Capital One® can deposit settlements directly into your existing bank account. They also offer a 90-day risk-free trial with no set-up fees to try their service.
You can find information on more NTA Corporate Partner programs here. But, you have to be an NTA member to take advantage of this benefit! To join NTA, call +1.859.264.6540 or 800.692.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com.
*Available to NTA members with a U.S.-based Tax I.D. number.
Work with an NTA Tour Operator: Here's Why
There are plenty of reasons to use a member operator, of course. Besides being insured, globally networked and passionate about their work, NTA operators provide:
- Volume pricing
- Networked knowledge
- Valuable experience
- Relief from planning
- Worldwide reach
If you want more reasons, find them on "Why Work with an NTA Tour Operator?"—and see if they apply to you.
IBM Study Reveals Power of Partnerships for CEOs
"Extensive partnering is providing the edge CEOs need to take on radical innovation."
—Anthony Marshal, program director of IBM's 2012 Global CEO study
IBM's recently released 2012 Global CEO Study reveals that "amplifying innovation with partnerships" is one of the top three "essential imperatives" for CEOs. To conduct the study, the company talked to more than 1,700 CEOs and senior public sector leaders in 18 industries across 64 countries.
"Combining partnering and innovation together is correlated very strongly with performance," said Anthony Marshal, program director of IBM's 2012 Global CEO study, in a series of videos on the study. "We find that ‘outperformers' use innovation 28 percent more than underperforming organizations in the sample of CEOs that we interviewed."
Commitment to external partnering has grown significantly since IBM's 2008 Global CEO Study, from 55 percent to 69 percent. "Partnering in a very real sense has become an engine of growth and a key source of sustained economic value," said Marshall. You can watch Marshall's videos here and learn more on the study here.
Fostering partnerships and innovation among our members is a key driver at NTA, shaping the majority of our benefits and programming. Contact, NTA's operator-exclusive Business Builder, grew specifically out of that drive. This event was built to bring operators together in a relaxed, collaborative environment to build relationships, swap ideas, share successes, commiserate on challenges and find solutions, or, in other words: partner and innovate.
Jenifer Robertson, of About Tours, attended Contact last year and said she came back to work "refreshed and ready to look at new ideas for our business."
Select Travel Service's Judee Kaplan said Contact was one of the best conferences she attended last year: "This was a chance to explore how we could work together."
Plus, it's in an ideal setting for relaxation and innovation: gorgeous San Diego! Check out this video of the Contact hotel, the San Diego Hotel & Marina—it's lovely. Then, join NTA, register for Contact and meet your next partner and co-innovator.
The (Broadway) Hits Just Keep on Coming
Travel Exchange '13 will mark a 20-year run of bringing Broadway to NTA. Last week, NTA and Group Sales Box Office/ Broadway.com signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement that will keep the hits coming-not only in Orlando but also in Los Angeles (2014) and New Orleans (2015).
Group Sales Box Office, which recently merged with Broadway.com, will showcase the best of Broadway during the Group Sales Box Office/Broadway.com Luncheon during Travel Exchange on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (Follow this link for the full schedule.)
At last year's Convention (you can see photos here), NTA members enjoyed musical productions from top Broadway shows that included "Lion King," "Sister Act," "Spiderman," "Mary Poppins" and "Godspell." Stay tuned for details of the performances in Orlando!
Register Now (Get Better Appointments), Pay Later for Travel Exchange
Tour Suppliers and DMOs: Did you know the earlier you register the better-matched your appointments will be at Travel Exchange? If you have to wait for a fiscal year budget to roll over before you can register, we may have a solution to help you get your best appointments plus Early Bird savings. By choosing the "Invoice me" option on the registration payment page, you can register now for Travel Exchange and pay later via invoice. You'll save up to $200 with the Early Bird rate and secure your spot at the most diverse show in the travel industry: Travel Exchange, Jan. 20-24, in Orlando, Florida.
And, don't forget: Sellers, you can bring your CEO/executive for free, too.
But, you have to be an NTA member to register! To join NTA, call +1.859.264.6540 or 800.692.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com.
NTA Chairman's Quarterly Update [VIDEO]
NTA Chairman and CEO Jim Reddekopp was at NTA headquarters this month and recorded a quarterly update just for the membership. Find out how many travelers NTA operators move each year, where NTA has been in the last few months and how the association is working with Brand USA, among other things.
To get more information on the events Jim discusses, see the links below:
Contact 2012, Aug. 16-18, in San Diego, California
Travel Exchange, January 20-24, 2013, in Orlando, Florida
Operator's Adventure Travelers Looking for the 'Real Deal'
When Cazenave Argentina opened 21 years ago, the company specialized in agricultural tours. But since the late '90s, when the company first offered overland and horseback expeditions in Patagonia, the adventure department kept growing, adding wildlife watching, trekking, mountain climbing, fly fishing, and bicycle and kayak expeditions into national parks.
Adventure now holds nearly a third of Cazenave Argentina's business, and the market is still on the upswing, said Jorge Cazenave, director of the company. "What used to be exceptional, say white water rafting, is something that lots of people have experienced in the last few years," he said. "People are willing to accept less comfort for an authentic outdoors experience. We have seen this not only with young people but also with senior travelers who want to take a walk on the wild side."
Key ingredients of adventure travel, Cazenave believes, are close contact with nature, pushing outside your comfort zone and authenticity. "Travelers are looking for the real deal," he said. "You can ‘experience' Africa in a U.S. theme park, but riding a horse among a herd of zebras is a totally different experience."
Cazenave believes that adventure travel is becoming more popular with inspiration from television, including Dora the Explorer, Discovery, Animal Planet and National Geographic. And if you're thinking about adding adventure travel, Cazenave advises that you know your partners.
"The key in adventure travel is working with the right outfitters and local operators," he said. "Accidents do happen, so knowing who you work with—and their safety standards—is very important."
And speaking of safety, Cazenave suggests you assess your customers' level of fitness and experience. "Some people think they can do absolutely everything, and others think they are not able to do anything more than step in and out of a bus," he said. "Usually both are wrong!"
Ironically, safety can conceivably hamper adventure travel. Cazenave said that with advances in communication technology, travel to previously isolated destinations now seems less, well, adventurous.
Want to learn more about adventure travel? Join NTA. The association now has focused programming in the following lucrative growth markets: adventure, family and faith. To join, call +1.859.264.6540 or 800.692.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com.
Help Tourism Cares Save Summer Vacation
For many of us, the longer days and warmer nights of summer are here, and with them come vacations and adventures. Whether it's a family vacation to a national park, a day spent at the seashore, or a road trip with friends, spending time in awe of the historic and natural treasures creates the best memories. But every day we are in danger of losing these places. How often do we tell stories that begin with, "There used to be..."? Too often. Thankfully, though, we have the power to change that.
NTA supporters work in partnership with Tourism Cares to reach out to sites all over the world. In 2011 alone, Tourism Cares gave more than $200,000 through grants and volunteer work to dozens of sites including Yellowstone National Park, Gulf Coast National Seashore and the Maine Maritime Museum. Internationally, Tourism Cares reached to all corners of the world including Egypt's Antiquities Museum, Mount Matutam in The Philippines and traditional marketplaces in Peru through its inaugural Global Outreach program. The grants continue to fund conservation projects, educational programs and the preservation of important sites.
If you share this passion for preserving the travel experience for future generations, join us! Your charitable donation to Tourism Cares will have a lasting positive impact. To find out more, and to empower projects, grants and student programs, give a gift through the Tourism Cares Web site. Ensure the sites you love will be here for this summer and every season to come!
4 Common (and Costly) Legal Mistakes Businesses Make
When you operate your own business, you're constantly juggling details concerning clients, staff, projects, technology, etc. And while you might turn over legal matters to your lawyer and accountant, you still need to be alert to common mistakes. SmallBizBee.com identifies several legalities often overlooked by business owners. Be sure you're not making these missteps:
- No formal contract: Handshakes work well during introductions, but not for sealing a deal with clients and vendors. A contract will protect you and your business.
- Unregistered trademark: You can't stop someone from trademark infringement if you failed to trademark your brand (name or slogan).
- Careless filing: Determining how your business operates—whether as an S corporation or an LLC, for example—should be left to an attorney.
- Unnecessary Incorporation: On the other hand, don't assume your business must be incorporated. Get professional advice about the need to incorporate.
For details on these and other common mistakes, see the full article.
5 Ways to Play Social Media Catch-up
If you predicted that tweeting, blogging and Facebooking would be passing fads, you probably haven't been paying attention to social media innovations and strategies. Alastair Turner, on B2Bmarketing.net, provides some basic steps that can help you jump aboard and make the most of social media outlets to market, build brand awareness and gather feedback. Here are five of his recommendations:
- Define your objectives: Deciding what you want to accomplish and how you can measure it will help you determine your strategy.
- Match your media with your target audience: Not all social media channels are created equal. Find out how your audience stays engaged and connect with them accordingly.
- Develop a social media policy: Employees should be clear about what they can and can't say online about your organization.
- Keep up your end of the conversation: What makes social media social is its interactive nature. You'll need to allot time (yours or staff members') to respond, repost and retweet.
- Measure your results: You'll need to know what's working, and there's a range of tools (some free) available online.
Turner has more suggestions. To read the article, follow this link. And to get more industry-specific advice, tour operators can attend Contact '12 to learn from Kelly McDonald in her general session, "Tips & Tricks for Taking Social Media to the Next Level." Click here for the list of Contact seminars.
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.