TIA ANNOUNCES FALL
TRAVEL PROMOTION
TIA has once again designated November 11th SeeAmerica Day following the
popular fall promotion of the same name that debuted last year as part
of travel industry recovery efforts. "Every TIA member who participates
will contribute to a national buzz about fall travel," explained
Betsy O'Rourke, senior vice president, Marketing at TIA. The tag line
for the campaign is "SeeAmerica. Now More Than Ever." Members
are asked to send any special offers to be posted on the SeeAmerica.org
website. All Members will receive a free video e-mail that ends with a
link to the SeeAmerica deals section by October 20th to be forwarded to
their customer, partner, employee and other e-mail lists and to post on
their websites. Submit your travel deals to SeeAmerica.org here and leverage
a national campaign.
LOUNSBERRY CALLS FOR FEDERAL SUPPORT OF TRAVEL INDUSTRY
TIA National Chair Fred Lounsberry, senior vice president, Universal Parks
& Resorts, told a Senate Subcommittee that 2002 is shaping up to be
even worse overall than 2001 for the travel industry. He cited declines
in nearly all key sectors. Lounsberry asked Senators on the Subcommittee
on Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce and Tourism for help. Specifically
he asked the Senate for federal funding for a national brand and marketing
campaign. "In short, our industry has coalesced around the notion
of a public-private partnership that would promote travel to and within
the United States for the benefit of every state in the union," Lounsberry
explained. Click here to read his Senate testimony.
SEEAMERICA WEEK DEBUTS
IN JAPAN
The first-ever SeeAmerica Week events in Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka, Japan
were attended by a combined 1,200 Japanese tour wholesalers, travel agency
professionals, consumer and trade media and Japanese and U.S. travel industry
professionals. SeeAmerica Week Japan 2002 followed a SeeAmerica Educational
Seminar in Japan in 2001 and represents the continued expansion of the
SeeAmerica brand and cooperative promotion of the U.S. travel industry
in key international markets. SeeAmerica Week activities, put on by TIA
along with the Japan Visit USA Committee and the U.S. Commercial Service
featured a series of consumer and trade seminars and media events. Click
here for more information. A SeeAmerica Week was held in the UK last June
and another SeeAmerica Week is scheduled for November in Brazil.
UPDATE SHOWS DOWNWARD
SPIRAL FOR AIR
The Air Transport Association (ATA) Office of Economics reports that average
domestic airfares declined 9.4 percent in August, compared to the same
month in 2001. A summary of the report is included in TIA's latest Travel
Industry Performance Update that provides a twice-monthly overview of
TIA and other industry research. According to ATA, the average fare for
a 1,000-mile domestic trip was $108.83. The average fare for a 4,000-mile
international trip dropped to $403.40. ATA said that passengers flying
in coach are currently enjoying prices that have not been available since
the late 1980s. In fact, the average coach fare for a 1,000-mile trip
(excluding taxes) actually fell below $100 in August.
MEDIA MARKETPLACE
SELLS OUT AT WTM
The first ever SeeAmerica Media Marketplace at World Travel Market November
11th through 14th in London sold out in three weeks. The event, which
will be the sixth media marketplace hosted by TIA and its partners this
year, includes 35 exhibitors from around the U.S. More than 1,000 U.K.
and European media have been invited to this table top event where they
will meet one-on-one with U.S. exhibitors in a private room open only
to the press. During the Media Marketplace, writers can discuss story
ideas, pick up press kits and photographs and tell American destinations
about themselves and the publications they work for. The Media Marketplace
is part of SeeAmerica Day at WTM on November 11th. The day will feature
a ribbon-cutting for the new SeeAmerica Pavilion, a TIA press conference,
the Media Marketplace and a closing press reception. For information about
upcoming Media Marketplaces, contact mpina@tia.org.
TIA MEMBER E-DIRECTORY
UPDATED AND AVAILABLE
The October update to TIA's exclusive digital membership directory is
available online now. The directory is a powerful membership database
that provides quick searches for individuals, companies, and by other
categories such as zip code, state, and country. The directory is designed
to enhance networking among TIA member contacts. The TIA Electronic Membership
Directory is updated monthly and takes only a few minutes to download
and install. If you need help downloading and using the e-directory, contact
Debbie Moore, dmoore@tia.org. The directory has been updated twice since
the last story about it was published in e-Newsline.
NORMAN REPEATS
CALL FOR SEEAMERICA TOURISM MARKETING ORGANIZATION
TIA President & CEO William S. Norman updated the travel industry's
recovery during the opening speech at the annual Texas Travel Summit hosted
by the Texas Travel Industry Association September 23rd. Norman told the
audience of travel industry professionals from across the state that leisure
travel nationwide has shown some signs of recovery, but slow business
and international travel have hurt the airlines and others. Norman called
on the federal government to join hands with the travel industry and boost
the national economy. "I envision a SeeAmerica tourism marketing
organization," which Norman described as a private-sector body that
would be funded jointly by the travel industry and the federal government.
"And it would focus promotion of the travel industry in ways that
are not currently possible."
TIA'S O'ROURKE DELIVERS
KEYNOTE ADDRESS IN NEW YORK
TIA's Betsy O'Rourke, senior vice president, Marketing, outlined a number
of TIA domestic and international travel promotions during her keynote
address at the New York Governor's Tourism Conference October 2nd. She
also explained the dismal outlook for international inbound travel and
TIA's pursuit of a partnership with the federal government. She said the
existing SeeAmerica infrastructure will serve as a model. "If we
gain just one percent in market share, we would create 172,000 jobs, deliver
$1.2 billion in federal tax revenues, in short, repay the government in
eight minutes based on funding of $100 million," O'Rourke explained.
She said that tax revenues for the rest of the year would be pure profit.
NORMAN
INDUCTED INTO HALL OF HONOR
TIA President & CEO William S. Norman was recently inducted into the
Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor at the Conrad N. Hilton College of
Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. Norman joins
other travel industry and restaurant executives who have received the
honor in the past including J. Willard Marriott (Sr. and Jr.), Marilyn
Carlson Nelson, Lyn and Ed Hogan and Conrad Hilton among others. Inductees
are recognized for their achievements and their business leadership. Norman
rose though the executive ranks at the National Passenger Railroad Corporation,
AMTRAK, to become the number two officer at the organization before joining
TIA as President & CEO in 1995.
