November 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.
November 2012 Top Stories
Industry & Association News
Our Members Are Looking for You!
You're Invited to Party with Us!
NTA Included in White House Meeting
U.S. Travel Overseas Rise 7 Percent in 2012
Successful Small Biz Owners Have Common Traits
Take a Tour of Travel Exchange via Courier
Millennials Meet with NTA Board and (soon) at Travel Exchange
Grassroots Gathering in D.C. to Grow and Change in 2013
Tourism Cares Gathers Volunteers for America's Hometown
Our Members Are Looking for You!
Our members want to do business with you! And NTA provides those opportunities for members to connect, meet each other and work together:
- face-to-face at NTA's Business Builder events like Travel Exchange and Contact;
- online, with 24/7 access to the member directory (downloadable leads lists are free to members) and the Partner2Partner business community on NTAonline.com;
- through association publications, including NTA's monthly magazine, Courier; weekly e-newsletter, Tuesday; annual membership directory and specialty publications;
- through strategic partnerships and programs with other associations from around the globe.
We're so excited about what NTA can do for your business, which makes us wonder ... Why aren't you a member of NTA? Is it because ...
You don't feel like you have money in the budget? If so, please check out our blog for member stories of how they've increased their business by thousands through their membership. Plus, NTA provides avenues—like our NTA Corporate Partner discounts—that can pay for your membership. Here's an overview of your ROI here.
You don't know who NTA is? Then, let us introduce ourselves! Simply put, if you are buying from or selling to any segment of the North American travel market, then you need to be a part of NTA. NTA (the National Tour Association) is people—1,500 tour operators, 600 destinations and 1,500 tour suppliers—just like you, who have all chosen NTA as their avenue for expanding their businesses. When people network, share expertise and form partnerships, their businesses can grow exponentially. And that's what NTA is all about. You can learn more about us here.
Hmmm... other than that, we can't think of any other reasons you wouldn't belong to NTA! So, what are you waiting for?! Join now so you can come to Travel Exchange, meet your next and newest industry partners and increase your business!
You're Invited to Party with Us!
Have you heard about NTA's annual convention, Travel Exchange? Become a member of NTA and attend the event built for organizations looking for growth! At Travel Exchange, Jan. 20-24, 2013, in Orlando, NTA members will gather to get a year's worth of business and networking in a single week! Travel Exchange is five full days of focused buying and selling:
- Attendees at last year's NTA convention booked more than $78 million in new business alone.
- On average, tour operators booked more than $58,000 each in new business.
- Tour suppliers averaged close to $45,000 each in new bookings.
- DMOs averaged just under $40,000 each in new bookings.
How much new business will you book in 2013? Join NTA now to attend Travel Exchange to frontload your year with new bookings, new contacts and new business.
It's not all work and not play, though! Networking is an important factor of any convention and Travel Exchange adds plenty of great food and drink, music, dancing, games and amusement park rides to the mix. Here's a day-by-day look at all the fun events we have planned throughout the week:
Sunday, Jan. 20
- Welcome Reception/Icebreaker. On the first night of the convention, you'll get a sneak peak of the Space Shuttle Atlantis Exhibit, explore the eight vintage rockets in the Rocket Garden and watch live theater and multimedia presentations during your time at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Monday, Jan. 21
- Broadway Luncheon. This hour-long cabaret performance will feature performances from "Annie," "Chaplin," Rodgers + Hammerstein's "Cinderella," "Kinky Boots," "Motown: The Musical," "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," Nice Work if You Can Get It," "Once," and "Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark."
- Wine & Cheese Reception/UMA Expo Sneak Preview . Enjoy wine and cheese on the NTA floor and see the UMA floor for the first time.
- Dine Around Night. After the reception, meet up with colleagues and friends to experience the restaurant offerings of Orlando!
Tuesday, Jan. 22
- 5K Fun(d) Run. Bright and early mid-week, wake up and pull on your tennies to run, jog or walk with your peers and support NTA's government advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C.!
- Awards Reception, Dinner, Dance, Cigars and Cordials. Mixed with new traditions and old, NTA's formal night is an event not to be missed. Come dressed in your best for an evening of conversation, cordials, laughter, great food, a "Flip for Friends Affected by Hurrican Sandy" fund-raiser through Tourism Cares, and a dance move or two to the tune of a favorite Florida band, Wonderama!
Wednesday, Jan. 23
- Party at NASCAR Sports Grille. Enjoy dinner with other attendees at Travel Exchange and race on over to the NASCAR Sports Grille for food, games and dancing. In other words, just plain fun!
- Tourism Rocks at the Hard Rock Café Orlando. A favorite party each year, Tourism Rocks is a rockin' great time and a fun cause to support! If you plan on attending the convention once you've joined NTA, make sure to grab your tickets when you register!
Thursday, Jan. 24
- New York Street Party at Universal. A fitting close to wonderful week, you'll enter the party via red carpet to enjoy fine cuisine, thrilling attractions and an interactive DJ. It's a great way to bid farewell to your newly made NTA friends and Travel Exchange 2013!
What NTA members are coming to the party? See the full list of registrants here!
Want to join in on all the fun? Become a member of NTA and register for Travel Exchange today! Call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com. We hope to see you in Orlando!
NTA Included in White House Meeting
The White House Business Council continues to reach out to business leaders on matters of national policy and recently held a meeting to discuss the upcoming "fiscal cliff." (In January, billions of dollars in tax increases and automatic spending cuts are set to go into force.) Other topics included strategies to expand job creation and efforts to reduce the national deficit.
Attending the meeting were more than 30 national business leaders—10 from the travel sector—including Steve Richer, NTA's public affairs advocate.
The discussion focused on preserving middle class tax cuts, adding tax cuts for small businesses, increasing taxation on singles and couples earning over $250,000 (with tax increases on the portion over $250,000), the Affordable Healthcare Act, and budget cuts.
Speakers included Patrick Hildalgo, deputy director, White House Business Council; Jason Furman, assistant to the president and principal deputy director, National Economic Council; Benjamin Page, Office of Management and Budget; Jose Fernandez, assistant secretary of state for economic affairs; and Felicia Escobar, senior policy director, White House Domestic Policy Council (on immigration issues).
U.S. Travel Overseas Rises 7 Percent in 2012
Through the first eight months of 2012, U.S. travel to overseas markets included 20 million trips. Europe and the Caribbean attracted the most travelers, 7.9 million and 4.7 million, respectively, while the Middle East and Central America recorded the largest increases from last year, 14 percent and 12 percent.
At 22.2 million, U.S. travel to other North American markets was higher than to overseas destinations, but that number was flat compared to 2011. Mexico attracted 13.7 visitors (down 2 percent) and Canada drew 8.5 million visitors (up 3 percent).
Here are the top five destinations from January to August 2012, with market share:
- Mexico, 32 percent
- Canada, 20 percent
- Europe, 19 percent
- Caribbean, 11 percent
- Asia, 7 percent
For more information, see the Office of Travel & Tourism Industries report here.
Successful Small Biz Owners Have Common Traits
There's no magic key for opening and maintaining a successful business, but there are insights to be gained by examining successful business owners. An American Express OPEN survey of business owners reveals several traits and behaviors shared by the highest achievers:
- They take more risks: More than two-thirds have increased their appetite for risk compared to one year ago (67 percent, versus 35 percent of the total population).
- They don't just plan for growth, they make it a priority: A majority of high achievers say they are planning to grow their businesses over the next six months (93 percent, versus 69 percent of the total survey group).
- They invest in their business: More than three-quarters (78 percent) are planning to make capital investments (versus 49 percent of the total survey group).
- They provide incentives to customers to get repeat business: Forty percent offer loyalty rewards (versus 22 percent overall), and 41 percent offer differentiated products or services (versus 23 percent overall).
- They leverage social media: Seven in 10 use social media (70 percent versus 49 percent overall).
- More than three quarters (79 percent) use social media to attract new customers (versus 57 percent overall).
For the full report, including details of the survey, see the American Express OPEN release.
Take a Tour of Travel Exchange via Courier
One of the many benefits of an NTA membership is receiving Courier magazine, the official trade magazine sent out to 1,500 tour operators monthly. The latest December issue of Courier, the Travel Exchange '13 edition, features several pages of information to help NTA members prepare for the big event next month in Orlando, Florida, Jan. 20-24.
Topics include tips on what to pack, how to connect with UMA attendees, information about appointments, ideas on ways to use social media before, during and after the event, volunteer opportunities and lots more. The issue also includes great destination coverage of Spain and Portugal, Yukon, the Rockies, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, along with our special section on the Lincoln Highway's centennial.
Receive your very own copy of Courier each month! All you have to do is become a member of NTA. Want to browse the current issue? View the digital version of Courier here.
Millennials Meet with NTA Board and (soon) at Travel Exchange
Several young professionals who are part of the Millennial Generation (born between 1980 and 1995) attended NTA's Board of Directors meeting in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, yesterday. The group, mainly from nearby tourism businesses and organizations, shared their perspective on the world and the travel industry.
Meeting with the board were Abby Howard of the Pennsylvania Association of Travel & Tourism, Alyssa Rader of Dutch Apple Dinner Theater, Nicole Sutton of American Music Theatre, Sheila Contento of Crowne Plaza Reading, Kelsey Dixon of Heritage Hospitality, Jenny McConnell of Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Ian Reddekopp of Earth Bound Tours.
The board's interest in young professionals made an impression on McConnell. "Wow," she said. "NTA really cares about us."
Interested in takeaways from this meeting? Read NTA's Do Big Things Blog here. If you're interested in becoming an NTA member or want to learn more about the association, call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com today!
Once you've joined NTA, sign up for Travel Exchange and be sure to attend a presentation on this demographic. The session, "Pathway to Understanding the Millennial Generation," will be led by Cathleen Johnson of Edelman at 8:15 Thursday morning, Jan. 24.
The industry's next generation of leaders will be also be coming together at Travel Exchange through the newly formed NTA Young Professionals group, which will hold its first meeting on Sunday, Jan. 20, at 4:15 p.m. The session will be a chance for younger members of the association to connect with peers and explore common challenges and opportunities. (You can connect on Twitter at #NTAyp.)
If you're interested in the full lineup of education at this convention, follow this link.
Hope to see you in Orlando!
NTA sends a special thanks to the members that sponsored the board meeting in Pennsylvania:
- Pennsylvania Dutch CVB
- Sight & Sound Theaters
- Marriott Lancaster at Penn Square
- Dutch Country Roads
- Plain & Fancy Farm Restaurant
- Doubletree Resort Lancaster
Grassroots Gathering in D.C. to Grow and Change in 2013
Next April, NTA will join with three other associations for Destination: Capitol Hill on April 10 and 11 in Washington, D.C. The event is coordinated by U.S. Travel Association, with support from NTA, Southeast Tourism Society and Destination Marketing Association International.
Destination: Capitol Hill will replace NTA's Grassroots Congressional Travel Summit, building on the tradition of the event's focus on important legislation, said Steve Richer, NTA's public affairs advocate.
"We're expecting a much bigger event at a time when it's critical for members of the travel sector to speak in a well-coordinated voice," Richer said. "During the 113th Congress, we will work together for reauthorization of the Corporation for Travel Promotion, which funds Brand USA."
Richer added that attendees will target other important issues and legislation, including the JOLT Act (Jobs Originated through Launching Travel). "NTA understands that nothing gets done in D.C. without working together as strategic partners," he added.
Make our voice heard and fight for your industry! Become a member of NTA and attend the Destination: Capitol Hill this April. Call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com to join the NTA family today!
Tourism Cares Gathers Volunteers for America's Hometown
Tourism Cares, NTA's official philanthropy, has announced Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts, as the site of the fall volunteer restoration on Sept. 26 and 27, 2013.
Plymouth is where Colonial English Pilgrims landed nearly 400 years ago, and Plimoth Plantation is a living museum dedicated to telling the history of Plymouth Colony from the perspective of both the Pilgrims and the native Wampanoag people. Plimoth Plantation is visited by 350,000 tourists and more than 100,000 students every year. Its small maintenance staff takes care of a 130-acre campus that includes a visitor center, Wampanoag Homesite, 17th century English Village, Mayflower II, a craft center and three barns with rare-breed farm animals.
The Plimoth Plantation staff is preparing a number of work projects for Tourism Cares volunteers, including rebuilding the English Village palisade, landscaping and clearing brush at the Wampanoag Homesite, painting at the Visitor Center and preparing Mayflower II for the winter season. The important work completed by volunteers will allow the museum's staff to focus on projects for the 2020 celebration recognizing the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock.
"We are very grateful for the support of Tourism Cares," said Plimoth Plantation's Executive Director Ellie Donovan. "Plimoth Plantation is not only one of the nation's foremost living history museums, but it's also a vibrant civic space where people of all ages discover the past, experience the present and help to build the future."
For more information on this project, visit www.TourismCares.org/volunteer.
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.