BUSINESS
InBrief
COMPILED BY PAT HENDERSON
New year’s resolution:
Renew your NTA membership
It’s that time again when we make resolutions for the year ahead to save money, make
money, get active and grow professionally. You
can check all of these off your list by renewing
your NTA membership for 2017. You should’ve
received your invoice in the mail last month,
and dues must be returned by Jan. 31.
Among the benefits are online access to a
searchable database of NTA members; discounts on products and services; education and
market insights through webinars and Courier
magazine; inclusion in printed and online directories; a chance to serve on an NTA Leadership
The votes are
in, and NTA
to ur operators
have selected
their top partners as part of
the 2017 Courier
Distinguished Dozen balloting. This is the sixth edition of the awards program, which recognizes excellence among NTA tour supplier and DMO
members in these 12 categories:
North American DMO Partner (City/Region)
North American DMO Partner (State/Province)
Overseas DMO Partner
Group-friendly Restaurant
Casino/Gaming Property
Independent/Boutique Hotel Property
Corporate Hotel Chain
Shopping Attraction
Theater/Show Venue
Museum for Groups
Big-ship or River Cruising Company
Sightseeing Tours
The February issue of Courier will include a feature story announcing the
gold, silver and bronze winners in each category. Additionally, the 12 gold
winners will be recognized during a luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at
Travel Exchange in St. Louis.
8
January 2017
Todd Probus,
NTA Member Solutions Manager
UNWTO stats show
arrivals growth in 2016
The 2016 Courier Distinguished
Dozen gold winners
ROBB COHEN PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO
And the
winners
are…
advisory group; and of course, attending NTA
events such as Travel Exchange and Contact.
“There are many ways to make your membership work for you, and I’m here to help
you do it,” said Todd Probus, NTA’s member solutions manager. “It’s more than just
attending convention; your NTA membership
really is a valuable resource year-round.”
To learn more about how to use your
membership to the fullest, flip to page 18. If
you have any questions about your member
benefits, email Todd at todd.probus@
ntastaff.com or call +1.859.264.6578.
According to the latest UNWTO World
Tourism Barometer, global tourism arrivals
(defined as overnight visitors) remained
robust through the first nine months of
2016. Destinations around the world welcomed 956 million international tourists
between January and September, which is
34 million more than the same period of
2015 and represents a 4% increase.
Asia and the Pacific led the way with yearover-year international arrivals increasing
9% for the first three quarters, including
better than 25% growth in the Republic of
Korea, Vietnam and Japan. Higher visitation
numbers also were recorded in the other
three regions: Africa (up 8%), The Americas
(up 7%) and Europe (up 2%).
The majority of source markets saw
increases in international tourism expenditures during the first nine months of
2016. China, the world’s top source market,
reported a double-digit increase in spending (up 19%). The other countries in the top
five all reported growth: the United States
(second-largest, up 9%), Germany (third, up
5%), the United Kingdom (fourth, up 10%)
and France (fifth, up 3%).
To see the final 2016 data, which should
be available in March, go to mkt.unwto.org/
barometer.