FROM THE EDITOR
Bob Rouse
Editor
101 Prosperous Place, Suite 350
Lexington, KY 40509 USA
+1.859.264.6548
[email protected]
ON BEHALF of humans everywhere, I welcome you to 2018.
Wouldn’t you know, I made a resolution to be less flippant
in the new year … and it’s not going well.
I do understand the appeal of New Year’s resolutions: Putting
a promise into words can stiffen your resolve to see it through.
I prefer to back into resolutions, and I’ll give you an exam-
ple: I published a collection of short stories in 2017, just in
time for Christmas. (They were, as it turned out, Christmas
stories.) A reporter from my local weekly newspaper asked
why I did it, and I told him I was determined to publish a book
before I reached the age of 60, and boy, am I cutting it close.
I’m not sure why I said that. I can blame it on inexperience
with being interviewed, or with being published … or with
staring into the eyes of, um, that age.
(And in case you’re wondering, the book ranks on Amazon’s
Best Sellers list! Granted, it’s No. 547,298—literally—but that’s
not the point.)
All this is to say that as Courier enters its 45th year (a mere
babe), we’re developing a plan to make the magazine more
accessible and responsive. This isn’t a resolution, mind you; it’s
just a plan. I’ll let you know later what our resolution was.
I can promise, though, you’ll be satisfied with this first
issue of the year.
Coming off a 2017 with two conventions and no Contact,
NTA is rolling out a revitalized retreat for tour operators and
sponsors: Now held in the spring, Contact will feature more
mixers, a double dose of dine-arounds and experiential edu-
cation. (Note: We do not charge extra for alliteration.) See
Gabe Webb’s preview, starting on page 21.
This month’s City Spotlight turns to Toronto, which I
explored for a few days following a Tourism Cares volunteer
project. My Canadian episode starts on page 30. (pssst …
there’s pizza.)
Our Compass points include the western U.S. states; Pat
Henderson gives us a nice, long look that begins on page
34. Kendall Fletcher makes a few nautical connections with
Ireland and the U.K. (pages 43 and 44), and Gabe updates tour
product in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. And don’t
miss his personal note on page 46.
Two more of my NTA HQ colleagues contributed to this
issue. Catherine Prather represented the association on a
high-level industry summit/Fam trip in Buffalo, New York, and
her reflections in AfterWords (page 56) should inspire other
DMOs to cook up similar events. And Mary Catherine Dorsett
added to the City Spotlight feature on page 32.
I could go on and on about additional highlights in the
January Courier, but it’s better that you start turning pages.
Also, I’m trying to not ramble so much this year.
It’s like a resolution. But I’ll finalize it later.
Read on,
January Courier Destination Index
Alaska 36, 42 Louisiana 49
Austria 19 Mississippi 27
Belgium 46 Montana 50
British Columbia 50 The Netherlands 45
California 34–35, 48 New Jersey 26
Charleston, S.C. 21–24 Nevada 41
Connecticut 50 Oregon 38
England 43, 49 Scotland 43–44
Idaho 48 Toronto 30–32, 50
Illinois 18 Washington 40
Ireland 44 West Virginia 18
Kentucky 50
4
January 2018
On the cover:
You can feel at home among
Charleston’s historical houses on
a carriage tour of the city during
NTA’s Contact. Turn to page 21
to learn more about the event.
Photo: Courtesy of
Explore Charleston