The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development announced in February the appointment of Hannah Byron to the post of assistant secretary for Tourism, Film & the Arts. Byron is a department veteran having previously served as executive director of the Maryland Office of Tourism Development and acting assistant secretary and deputy assistant secretary of the Division of Tourism, Film & the Arts.
D.T. Minich will be the new executive director of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Minich leaves the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau on April 27 where has been for 15 years, the past seven as the executive director.
Beverly Nicholson-Doty has been appointed commissioner of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism. Her career spans 25 years in the tourism and hospitality industry, most recently as president of the U.S. Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association.
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has appointed Kelli Trumble to Secretary of Tourism. Tremble brings experience as a tourism promoter and business owner to the position having served as executive director of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau, owner of a marketing and communications firm as well as an Inn and spa.
Tourism Toronto, the Toronto Convention and Visitor Association, has announced that David Whitaker will be its new president and CEO, effective April 30. Whitaker has been with the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau for 17 years, most recently as executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
ESTO is all about making connections with new ideas and concepts, with new tools and techniques, and with each other. ESTO 2007, August 15-18 in Phoenix, Arizona, will connect you to quality speakers and panels on cutting edge topics and offer more opportunities to connect with your peers. Each morning's program will be filled with mind-stretching general sessions while the afternoon sessions will feature targeted programming developed by and for the NCSTD Professional Development Sections (PDS). Registration for ESTO will open soon. In the meantime, mark your calendar and look for more program details to be available by mid-April.
On March 13 the Senate adopted three key provisions put forth in the Blueprint to Discover America, which was introduced by the industry just six weeks ago. They are:
Expanding the Visa Waiver Program to a greater number of allied countries upon the implementation of new security procedures, including a reliable "exit" tracking system at U.S. airports;
Establishing "model ports" at America's top 20 international arrival airports including instructional videos, enhanced line management and assistance for international travelers upon arrival; and
Authorizing the hiring of at least 200 new Customs and Border Protection officers to alleviate staff shortages at the top 20 arrival airports.
TIA, the Travel Business Roundtable and the Discover America Partnership will work closely with the Senate and House conference in the coming weeks to ensure the three provisions remain in the legislation.
On Tuesday, March 20 the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on visa and entry reform and the need for a nationally coordinated effort to promote international travel to the United States. In addition to Federal agency representatives, state travel industry leaders were called to testify. Appearing were: David Borlaug, president, Lewis & Clark Fort Mandan Foundation; Rex Johnson, president & CEO, Hawaii Tourism Authority; Ron Peck, president & COO, Alaska Travel Industry Association; and Chad Prosser, director, South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Their testimonies are posted at http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=1834.
Check out a new service on TIA's website – Travel Marketing Search – which is a search engine that provides members with direct and immediate access to products and services geared to industry needs. You can find business and financial services, consultants, advertising agencies, media, marketing software, printing and packaging services and much more. Travel Marketing Search can be accessed through a link on TIA's home page, www.tia.org.
For the first time in more than a decade, a comprehensive travel guide featuring U.S. destinations has been produced and distributed throughout Western Europe. The Discover America – USA Travel Guide produced by Small World Publications, has been published in English, French, German and Italian. The guide is being distributed at travel shows and travel agencies with the help of tour operators and Visit USA Committees. For information about the guide visit www.eusatravelguide.com or contact Small World Publications at 425-289-3462.
The Colorado Tourism Office has officially unveiled its $6.9 million new spring/summer marketing campaign, which centers around the theme "Let's Talk Colorado." Key markets for the new effort include Boston, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix and San Diego. The campaign will dedicate 32% of the budget to online media, 27% to broadcast, 26% to magazines and 7% to newspapers. Last summer the state legislature boosted the tourism office's annual budget to $19 million up from $5.5 million previously.
At the end of March Travel Michigan, in conjunction with the Michigan Hotel, Motel and Resort Association and Michigan State University concluded a two-day conference where a comprehensive Tourism Industry Strategic Plan was unveiled. The Plan calls for the industry to join in an initiative to increase state funding for tourism promotion to $30 million.
According to figures released at the recent Governor's Conference on Tourism, New Jersey received more than 71 million visitors in 2006, an increase of 1.2 percent over the previous year, and they spent $37.6 billion, an increase of 5.1 percent.
NYC & Company, New York City's tourism marketing arm, extended its international presence by opening offices in Stockholm and Moscow last month. This brings its total number of overseas locations to 11.
The list serves hosted by TIA are continuing to experience technical difficulties. We apologize for any incovenience this may be causing. TIA will notify list serve participants via email when the service is back on-line. Please contact kriley@tia.org if you need additional or immediate assistance.
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 free service of TIA, produced by its National Councils Department under the direction of Patty Hubbard, Vice President, National Councils. You receive this communication as a benefit of your NCSTD membership within TIA. Please direct comments or suggestions to Kathleen Riley, Manager, Council Programs at 202.408.8422.
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The National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD), an industry council of the Travel Industry Association (TIA), is comprised of the tourism directors of the 50 states, the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. The mission of the NCSTD is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and leadership on travel industry issues impacting states and territories. For more information on NCSTD programs and activities, visit http://www.tia.org/councils/ncstd/index.html.
The Travel Industry Association (TIA), in existence since 1941, is:
The Washington DC based, non-profit association that represents and speaks for the common interests and concerns of all components of the U.S. travel industry;
The recognized leader in promoting and facilitating increased travel to and within the United States in order to make America the world's number one tourism destination; and
The authoritative and recognized source of research, analysis and forecasting for the entire industry and its primary spokesperson to the domestic and international media.
For information on TIA programs and activities, visit www.tia.org. For additional consumer destination information, visit www.seeamerica.org.
TIA members get one year of free, unlimited job postings and resume access on the only comprehensive online job board in the travel industry, GetATravelJob.com. Follow the link to learn more.
For more information about TIA, go to www.tia.org.
