NCSTD's Stateside

Volume VI, Issue 5: May 2008

The mission of the NCSTD is to leverage the collective strength of state tourism offices to influence public policy, and to provide leadership and the forum for information sharing and education on issues impacting tourism.

This Issue:

ESTO 2008: Early Bird Registration
Travel and the Environment Resources Needed
Washington Legislative Update
07-08 State Budget Report Released
International Visits Up 15%
TLS Registration Opens Mid-June
Chinese Group Leisure Travel Begins in June
STD of Year Ballots Due
DiscoverAmerica.com Launches in Japan
RFP for Future Pow Wow Dates Available
Odyssey Awards Deadline
2008 MOF Announces Dates
News Inside the States

ESTO 2008: EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS JUNE 13!
ESTO 2008 will be held August 23-26 in Bonita Springs, Florida. To save $100 on the ESTO registration fee, you must register prior to June 13. For anyone waiting for a new fiscal year (after July 1) you are encouraged to register prior to June 13. Payment can be submitted after July 1.

The 2008 Education Committee has put together another high quality, industry specific program. Speakers will identify best practices, trends, and offer tips to help every destination to maintain its competitive effectiveness. Your issue might be measuring the effectiveness of new media, building and motivating a great team, building brand value, or understanding sustainable tourism and green initiatives. Regardless of your "hot-button, ESTO 2008 promises something for everyone. To view the pre-conference brochure click here. To complete your registration visit www.tia.org/esto.

NEEDED - INFORMATION ON TRAVEL AND THE ENVIRONMENT!
TIA is working with American Express on a special project related to travel and the environment and is collecting and aggregating as much information from industry sources as possible to be shared with the industry. Many states are working on this issue as well and have shared information on programs such as the Minnesota Travel Green Task Force Report and Recommendations and Florida's Green Lodging program. If your state has reports or programs such as these, TIA would appreciate receiving the information. Please send copies electronically to jbrown@tia.org. All submissions will be shared with the TIA Research Department and placed in the NCSTD Resource Center for all state tourism offices to access.

WASHINGTON LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
The Travel Promotion Act bill in the House (H.R. 3232) has now garnered 200 co-sponsors and is closing the gap toward getting a majority of the House (218) on board with this critical legislation. The Senate has 41 co-sponsors for S. 1661. You can help move this legislation forward by encouraging your Congressional delegates to support these respective bills. To determine whether you delegates have signed on as co-sponsors, click on the House or Senate.

Both houses of Congress are strongly supportive of the National Parks Centennial Initiative which provides additional federal funds for projects in national parks. The House Natural Resources Committee approved legislation (H.R. 3094) to provide $30 million annually in funding over the next decade with the hope of identifying ways to move that number to $100 million annually.

2007-2008 STATE BUDGET REPORT RELEASED
State tourism offices can now access the 2007-2008 Survey of U.S. State & Territory Tourism Office Budgets by logging onto the NCSTD Resource Center. Simply visit Resource Center and enter your TIA member user ID and password to download a .pdf version as well as a spreadsheet of the raw data. If you've forgotten your user ID or password, feel free to contact Valerie Hutchinson at vhutchinson@tia.org. A printed report will be available to TIA basic and premier research subscribers and survey participants in mid-June.

Fifty state tourism offices participated in this year's survey. Collective projected budgets for fiscal year 2007-08 total $868,797,153 (or $17,375,943 on average per state with 50 states responding), 20.4 percent higher than last year's $721,628,045 actual budget. The sum of budgets for the top ten states alone represents 50.1 percent of the total projected spending for 2007-08.

National Councils would like to thank everyone who submitted budget data for this important project.

INTERNATIONAL VISITS UP 15% IN FEBRUARY
The Commerce Department announced that 3.3 million international visitors traveled to the U.S. in February, an increase of 15% over February 2007. Total visitation year-to-date in 2008 was up 13% from the first two months of 2007. International visitors spent $11.6 billion in February, up 26% from February 2007. Overseas arrivals were up 11% in February and 10% year-to-date. Overseas markets have grown for 10 consecutive months. Canadian visitations grew 24% over February 2007, while arrivals from Mexico, among those traveling to interior U.S. points, were up 8% in February. Visitation from Western Europe, a key market for the U.S., was up 17% in February and 14% year-to-date, accounting for 43% of all overseas arrivals. As encouraging as these statistics are, the U.S. received two million fewer visitors in 2007 than it did in 2000. Click here for additional information.

TLS REGISTRATION OPENS MID-JUNE; 16 STATES AND GROWING
Registration begins in mid-June for the 3^rd Annual Travel Leadership Summit in Washington, DC on September 24-25, 2008. To date and with commitments still coming in, delegations are being formed in at least 16 states. Plans are also underway for welcome events the night before. The Great Lakes Regional states, for instance, are joining forces to host a regional reception. The advance registration fee for this year is $95. After August 25, the fee will be $135. The location of this year's general session will be just steps from the Capitol Building at the Washington Court Hotel (525 New Jersey Ave, NW). To lead your state's delegation, contact Melissa Gong at (202) 408-2137.

CHINESE GROUP LEISURE TRAVEL TO THE U.S. BEGINS IN JUNE
US & China The China National Tourism Administration (NCTA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce announced in mid-May that starting June 17 Chinese leisure travelers may travel to the U.S. in group tours under a memorandum of understanding sighed by both countries. The National Tour Association (NTA) is the first and only U.S. organization approved by the CNTA to facilitate Chinese inbound leisure group travel to the U.S. CNTA Chairman Shao Qiwei will lead the inaugural Chinese tour group on June 17 to Washington, D.C. Chairman Qiwei said, "The launch of business for Chinese group leisure travel to the U.S. will continuously expand promotion of China-U.S. tourism and help broaden the exchange and cooperation between the two countries."

STATE TOURISM DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR BALLOTS DUE
State tourism directors should have received an email dated Monday, May 12, with the necessary material to vote for the 2008 State Tourism Director of the Year. The email contained supporting material on each of the three candidates nominated for the award along with a ballot on which to cast your vote. Please vote for the individual you believe best represents the accomplishments outlined in the criteria and return your ballot by email James Brown or fax to 202-408-1255. All ballots must be received by close of business on Wednesday, June 11th! The State Tourism Director of the Year Award will be presented on August 26, at the annual awards gala at ESTO 2008 in Bonita Springs, Florida.

DISCOVERAMERICA.COM OFFICALLY LAUNCHED IN JAPAN
TIA has begun to roll out and officially launch DiscoverAmerica.com on a market-by-market basis beginning with the first of six launches in Japan. A successful media and trade event took place in Tokyo on Tuesday, May 20. The website was very well received with 40 members of the press and an additional 40 industry representatives in attendance. TIA will launch in Toronto, Canada the last week of May and the remaining launches will take place after International Pow Wow.

DiscoverAmerica.com will serve as the first-ever official travel and tourism website of the U.S. The site was developed through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce and initially will serve the five leading inbound markets – Canada, Mexico, UK, Japan and Germany. Interested in exploring opportunities with DiscoverAmerica.com?

Email discoveramerica@smallworldpublications.com

TIA ANNOUNCES RFP FOR INTERNATIONAL POW WOW 2012-2015
TIA has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for future International Pow Wow dates. The RFP is being sent to destinations with convention centers able to accommodate at least 375,000 square feet of exhibit space, the minimum required to hold the busy Marketplace Hall. This year, buyer registrations have returned to pre-911 numbers with international media registrations far exceeding any previous year. This continuing growth demonstrates the tremendous opportunity that International Pow Wow offers a destination to showcase itself to pre-qualified buyers and media. The host city and state are expected to realize approximately 10%, or $400 million, of the $4 billion dollars of business conducted at Pow Wow each year. If you have any questions or would like to request an RFP, please contact Barbara Logan, Vice President, Meeting and Event Services at blogan@tia.org.

DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR ODYSSEY AWARDS
June 16, 2008 is the last day to submit an entry for the Odyssey Awards. The TIA Odyssey Awards, in partnership with National Geographic Traveler, honor excellence in advertising and marketing campaigns along with geotourism and sustainability programs. All sectors of the U.S. and international tourism industry are eligible including; governments, state tourism offices and DMOs, tour operators, attractions, transportation companies and more. The Odyssey Awards will be presented during TIA's Marketing Outlook Forum, October 27-20, 2008 in Portland, Oregon. For a complete list of categories and the official entry form please visit www.tia.org/odysseyawards. For more information on MOF visit www.tia.org/mof.

2008 MARKETING OUTLOOK FORUM DATES ANNOUNCED
The 2008 Marketing Outlook Forum will be held October 27-30 in Portland, Oregon. The Marketing Outlook Forum is one of the industry's most important conferences to learn about significant trends, the latest in research and to hear forecasts for the months ahead. The chair of this year's Marketing Outlook Forum Planning Committee is Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon. Registration opens June 20, 2008. Visit www.tia.org/mof for more information.

Inside the States

CALIFORNIA- Rural tourism in California accounts for $27 billion in travel spending and supports 357,000 jobs. In January 2008, the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) unveiled its new Rural Tourism Strategic Plan, which focuses on extending awareness to the state's eight rural tourism marketing regions and increasing the partnerships among rural tourism stakeholders, the California Welcome Centers and the California Cultural and Heritage Tourism Council. Marketing strategies include building the brand and repositioning rural tourism, research, product development, technology, partnership collaboration and funding. For more information on the program, contact Jonelle Tannahill, rural tourism development manager at 916-319-5438.

PUERTO RICO- First-quarter 2008 hotel bookings in Puerto Rico's west coast, known as the Porta del Sol region, spiked 60% above last year's numbers, according to the Puerto Rico Tourism Co. Record waves from January through March brought surfers from around the world to Rincon and its nearby beaches. Helping drive visitor numbers in the Porta del Sol region is hotel and infrastructure development, according to the PRTC. The tourism agency said it plans to invest an additional $1.5 million in marketing and promotional efforts for Porta del Sol.

RHODE ISLAND- The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC) in Rhode Island won a World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Tourism for Tomorrow Award in the destination category. The award recognizes and promotes best practices in sustainable tourism development all over the world. The BVTC was the only U.S. nominee among the 12 finalists, which were selected from 150 applications from more than 40 countries representing travel and tourism on all seven continents. Winners and finalists were honored at a ceremony during the 8^th Global Travel & Tourism Summit on April 21 in Dubai. For more information visit http://www.blackstonevalleytourismcouncil.com/news.htm

For a comprehensive listing of upcoming state and regional tourism conferences, industry meetings, conventions, and trade shows, check out TIA's online Meetings Calendar.

StateSide is the official e-newsletter of the National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD), an industry council of the Travel Industry Association (TIA). StateSide is a benefit of your NCSTD membership within TIA, produced by its National Councils Department.

If you would like to subscribe to Stateside, please contact jbrown@tia.org.

The NCSTD is comprised of the tourism directors of the 50 states, the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. For more information on NCSTD programs and activities, visit http://www.tia.org/councils/ncstd/index.html. Please direct comments or suggestions to James Brown, Director of State Relations at ncstd@tia.org or 202.408.8422.

For information on TIA programs and activities, visit www.tia.org.

Travel Industry Association
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202.408.8422
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TIA DEADLINES

STD of Year Ballots
Wed., June 11, 2008

Odyssey Awards
Mon., June 16, 2008

NCSTD BOD Ballots
Fri., June 20, 2008

TIA EVENTS

IPW 08
May 31-June 4
Las Vegas, Nevada

ESTO 2008
August 23 - 26
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa
Bonita Springs, Florida

Travel Leadership Summit
September 24-25 Washington, DC

Marketing Outlook Forum
October 27-30
Portland, OR

Culture & Heritage Tourism Alliance Conference
November 5 -8
Delray Beach, FL

China/US Tourism Directors
Summit/CITM
November 17 -21 Shanghai, China

INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

EXPLORATORY MISSIONS

TRADE EVENTS

For more information about TIA, go to www.tia.org.