At the NCSTD meeting on Monday, October 22, in Charlotte, North Carolina, tourism directors received a final briefing and explanation of the new TIA dues structure and approved a motion in support of the increase. The new dues will be reflected on the membership invoices that will be sent later this month. On November 2, state and territorial tourism directors were sent a worksheet on which to calculate the budget amount on which their respective membership dues would be based. This information should be returned to Gary Oster at TIA (goster@tia.org or 202-218-3626) as quickly as possible. Any questions should also be directed to Gary Oster.
Momentum continues to build for the Travel Promotion Act of 2007 in both the Senate and House. S.1661 now has 29 Senators signed on and H.R.3232 has 129 House Members with more being added daily. To move this legislation forward, a majority of the House is needed as co-sponsors. Tourism directors are asked to communicate the importance of this legislation to your Senators and Representatives and urge them to co-sponsor the respective bills.
Reminder! The completed questionnaire for the annual NCSTD Survey of State and Territory Tourism Office Budgets was due November 16th! If you or someone in your office did not receive the questionnaire, please contact kriley@tia.org or visit www.tia.org/Councils/NCSTD/Budget.html to download the Excel file. Please direct any questions to Kathleen Riley at kriley@tia.org or 202.218.3645.
Travel 2.0: Interactive Trend Report is a weekly blog that presents views and opinions on the ever-changing landscape of interactive marketing and how it relates to the travel industry. Originally created to provide insight into these fields for the Arizona Office of Tourism, the blog now has over 70 regular subscribers. Troy Thompson, Arizona Office of Tourism, and Mo Sherifdeen, Travel Oregon, collaborate to discuss popular topics including industry trends, online ad campaigns, social networking, statistics, maps and user-generated content.
Travel 2.0: Interactive Trend Report can be found at: traveltrendreport.blogspot.com. Sign up for a RSS feed or email updates to receive of the latest news and posts.
Tourism Directors, mark your calendars and make your reservations for the third NCSTD Spring Forum at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC, February 27-29. The tentative program schedule calls for arrivals and an evening event on Wednesday, February 27; a TIA program update, strategy session and hosted dinner on Thursday, February 28; and an open forum discussion followed by a brief business meeting on Friday morning, February 29, ending by noon.
Watch your inbox for more details on the program. In the meantime, don't forget to make your reservations at the Grand Hyatt, conveniently located in downtown Washington, DC, at 1000 H Street NW. To make your hotel reservations, please call 800-233-1234 and reference TIA or the National Council of State Tourism Directors Meeting to receive the group rate of $239 single/double, plus applicable local taxes (14.5%).
There are lots of reasons to not only make plans to attend TravelCom 08, but to register now. Being held in Chicago, April 8-10, 2008, TravelCom is a must attend e-commerce event for the travel industry. This year's program will deliver lots of practical advice without the hype found at other conferences. You'll learn about the latest in trends and best practices, plus how to get technology to really work for you and your state. If you register by December 31, 2007, you'll get the special TIA member rate of $995 - a savings of $300 off the regular rate and a $600 savings from the onsite fee. Visit www.tia.org/travelcomreg to register and learn more!
History was made October 24-25 in Charlotte, North Carolina when representatives from 36 state tourism offices met with 31 leading Chinese tourism officials to explore ways for the two countries to increase cooperation on travel-related matters. The discussions were informative and centered on opportunities to expand outbound travel from the two markets. The summit ended with both parties signing the "Initiative on Establishment of China-U.S. Strategic Cooperation Framework in Tourism," and an enthusiastic invitation to hold the next meeting in Shanghai.
After more than 20 years with the tourism office in Idaho, Carl Wilgus is relocating to Pennsylvania to become President/CEO of the Pocono Mountain Visitor Bureau on November 16th.
Ann Bierbower joined the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism on November 1. She will primarily be responsible for overseeing the Welcome Center program and the Tourism Grant program in Nebraska.
New York is looking to hire a Managing Director to lead the Division of Tourism, inlcuding the iconic I LOVE NY brand. Interested individuals should fax cover letters and resumes to Thomas Ranese, Chief Marketing Officer, at 212.803.3805.
Virginia is looking for a high-energy, experienced National Sales Manager to market Virginia as a premier meeting, convention, and group tour destination. If you know of someone who may be interested, please direct him/her to www.vatc.org/administration/employment.asp. The deadline for receiving applications is November 30.
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.
ESTO 2008 Bonita Springs, Florida August 23-26, 2008
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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.
