October 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.
October 2012 Top Stories
Industry & Association News
You Belong at NTA!
Tour Operators: Can You Smell the Ocean Air Yet?
Courier, Blog Helps You Plan a Perfect Week in Orlando!
Bruce Beckham to Retire in 2013
Tame the Roller-coaster Ride of Owning a Business
New England Wins 'Destination of the Year' Commendation
Year-round Business & Promotional Opportunities
Old Sacramento Makes New Friends with Tourism Cares Project
Simon Elected to Caribbean Tourism Board
"I came to NTA to build a business and that's what it did for us. Sales came in. For me it's the only outlet for new ideas." —Othmar Grueninger, Grueninger Travel Group/Ambassadair, NTA member since 1993
NTA connects you with the people, the products and the markets:
Face to face—at NTA's Business Builder events: Contact and Travel Exchange.
Online—the NTA Online member search engine is used nearly 8,000 times a month. With 24/7 access to the Partner2Partner business community on NTA Online, members 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.
Wherever you want to take your business, NTA gives you access to the business-to-business partnering opportunities to help you get there.
Join us today. You belong at NTA!
Tour Operators: Can You Smell the Ocean Air Yet?
Become a member of NTA to join us Aug. 15-17, 2013, for an unforgettable trip to the pacific island that breathes fire, is rich with history and speaks the language of love: Aloha!
The Big Island of Hawai‘i is where Contact '13 will be held this year, and we wouldn't want you to miss out on the Early Bird Rate of just $195 (through Jan. 24)—let alone a unique and beautiful experience in a magnificent setting!
At Contact '12 in San Diego, Chris Babb from The Group Tour Company said he was already looking forward to next year:
"It's been an awesome couple of days meeting and making new friends. I made a lot of new business contacts, and it renewed my energy for working in this industry! It is an incredible, incredible experience and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to going to Hawai‘i next year for Contact! As an owner of a business in this industry, there are very few industry meetings where you actually get a chance, as an owner, to talk to other owners who make decisions in this industry, to learn best practices, and to talk about hiring practices and the expansion of business."
View photos from Contact '12 here and make plans now for Contact '13, Aug. 15-17, 2013!
To become a member of NTA, call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com and meet other buyers today!
Courier, Blog Helps You Plan a Perfect Week in Orlando!
We're less than 80 days away from the big show—yay! See how you can work the show with these Travel Exchange checklists designed especially for a member category here:
- Tour operators—head to the Business Builder section here of the Nov. issue of Courier.
- Tour Suppliers and DMOs—bookmark your checklist on our Do Big Things Blog here.
Remember, Travel Exchange is the event to buy, sell, partner up, create, brainstorm, learn from each other, swap stories, share goals and build your business!
If you'd like to attend Travel Exchange, become a member of NTA and then click here, or call +1.859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886 today!
Bruce Beckham to Retire in 2013
After serving more than 12 years as the first executive director and CEO of Tourism Cares, Bruce Beckham is stepping down. A former tour operator and past president of NTA (1983), Beckham helped create Tourism Cares in 2005.
"I was there on the first board of trustees of [NTA's] National Tourism Foundation back in the '80s," Beckham said. "Combining it with USTOA's Travelers Conservation Foundation—and adding student programs to the other ways we give back—has taken Tourism Cares to a different level."
The organization Beckham launched and leads is now the official philanthropy for not only NTA and USTOA, but also ASTA, the Receptive Services Association of America, and the International Airlines Travel Agent Network.
NTA President Lisa Simon recalled Beckham's influence on her career. "Bruce was a mentor to me in the early days of the National Tourism Foundation, when he was the foundation's chair and I was its director," she said. "He taught me so much about the industry and how giving back through scholarships, research and grants would help build a sustainable future for travel and tourism."
During Beckham's tenure, Tourism Cares brought more than 3,500 tourism industry volunteers to 20-plus iconic sites across the United States for restoration projects. In addition, Tourism Cares awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships to students studying travel and tourism, and gave more than $2 million in grants to tourism-related sites in 42 states and 31 countries.
"His passion and leadership have resulted in thousands of people and businesses getting involved in Tourism Cares in various ways," said Simon. "And Bruce has been a mover and shaker in the travel industry for decades. Even before Tourism Cares, he worked tirelessly for NTA as a volunteer through committees and board service."
Last year in Las Vegas, Beckham was the recipient of NTA's Pioneer Award, which honors individuals whose accomplishments have resulted in a significant change in the travel industry.
Beckham's time at Tourism Cares will end June 30, 2013; leading up to that he will work with the Tourism Cares Board of Directors to provide a seamless transition, said Simon. "As a member of the board, I know we have big shoes to fill to follow Bruce, and it gives me great comfort that he'll be there to lead the transition for us."
For more information about the people and projects behind Tourism Cares, visit the website.
Tame the Roller-coaster Ride of Owning a Business
Entrepreneur expert Rhonda Abrams equates owning a small business to the white-knuckle ride of a roller coaster: Both have exhilarating highs and frightening plunges. To level out the ride (of your business, anyway), she makes the following suggestions:
- Maintain your bread-and-butter business: Identify your most reliable source of income, which can be a customer or a product, and make sure to never turn your back on it.
- Pay yourself a regular salary: Rather than spend money freely during an up-cycle, give yourself a consistent monthly draw, and sock away the rest for tough times.
- Open a tax account: Avoid tax-time anxiety by establishing an account dedicated to taxes and feed it monthly.
- Remember your retirement: Take advantage of a tax-sheltered retirement plan available for the self-employed.
For more suggestions, see Abrams' article in USA Today.
New England Wins 'Destination of the Year' Commendation
New England received a Highly Commended award for "Destination of the Year" at the Travel Trade Gazette's 2012 TTG Travel Awards, finishing second only to Malta Tourism Authority in the finals. New England was the only U.S. destination to reach the finalist list, and the only finalist that was a region rather than a country.
Discover New England, the official tourism organization for the New England region, is a nonprofit cooperative marketing entity funded by six states, all of which are NTA members: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The Destination of the Year was awarded to the country or region judged to have been most effective in engaging with the UK travel trade in the past 12 months based on innovation in marketing, brand positioning, joint marketing activities with tour operators and best use of marketing funds. The awards ceremony was held on Oct. 4 in London's Leicester Square.
For more information about Discover New England, visit the organization's website.
Year-round Business & Promotional Opportunities
"What NTA does is provide the right buyers. They absolutely provide the right people who make decisions. This is what makes this organization one that I can't afford to take off my list."—Laura Elkin, Crescent Hotel & Resorts
As a member of NTA, you're able to do business 365 days a year with access to these important tools:
- NTA Online—Conduct business 24/7 through NTA Online dynamic member searches, downloadable member databases, news, benefit details and more.
- Professional Development—Achieve professional certification and competitive edge with NTA's CTP program, Business Builder seminars, webinars, podcasts and an Eco-Certified Program.
- Research and Information—Be first to know—and understand—what's happening in the industry and with consumers through NTA's publications and reports: Tuesday (weekly e-newsletter), Courier (monthly magazine), industry research reports, member research, an online ROI/Tracking system, and media assistance and news releases.
- Sponsorship and advertising privileges—Take advantage of your member status by sponsoring or advertising at NTA members-only events and in NTA's monthly magazine, Courier, and other publications.
To become a member of NTA and start utilizing these benefits, call 859.264.6540 or 800.682.8886, e-mail us, or visit NTAonline.com and meet other members today!
Old Sacramento Makes New Friends with Tourism Cares Project
Tourism Cares for Sacramento took place Friday, Sept. 29, in Old Sacramento, a California National Historic Landmark District and State Historic Park located along the Sacramento River. More than 200 travel industry volunteers, from every coast and representing more than 70 companies, participated. Volunteers painted, landscaped and rebuilt areas in the historic district, at Sutter's Fort State Historic Park and at the Historic City Cemetery. In just one day, travel industry participants donated more than $32,000 in labor costs to the city. Old Sacramento and Sutter's Fort welcomed more than 1.1 million visitors a year.
The impact of Tourism Cares' recent efforts in California, including 2010's clean-up event on Angel Island, includes $48,000 in grants, $50,000 in scholarships and the efforts of 575 volunteers who provided more than 4,000 labor hours to the state.
Simon Elected to Caribbean Tourism Board
NTA President Lisa Simon was elected to the board of directors of the Caribbean Tourism Organization last week at the CTO's annual State of the Industry Conference in Basseterre, St. Kitts. As a member of the CTO board, Simon will help guide the organization's efforts to develop policies for increasing tourism to its more than 30 member-nations.
NTA formed a strategic partnership with CTO last year to cross-promote and provide resources to the members of each organization.
"With NTA's focus on enhancing travel to, from and within North America, there are powerful synergies between NTA and CTO," said Simon. "Our primary purpose is to help tour operator members find ways to increase their business, and with the extensive variety of cultural, natural, historical, and outdoor attractions throughout the Caribbean, I believe there are tremendous opportunities for product development in the Caribbean."
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.