Pam Inman
President
101 Prosperous Place, Suite 350
Lexington, KY 40509 USA
+1.859.264.6551
[email protected]
EXPERIENTIAL AND SUSTAINABLE. Those are not only trends
in tourism; they are also important ways to bridge the gap
between cultures.
Running an association doesn’t provide me with the same
level of expertise as what you exhibit in managing and plan-
ning tour programs that explore new and exciting destina-
tions—or in welcoming groups as a supplier or DMO. But I do
travel a lot, mostly to meetings, and often those meetings are
held in very nice places.
As a member of the Tourism Cares board of directors, repre-
senting NTA and FTA, I was part of a delegation of more than
60 people who witnessed the launch of the Meaningful Map
of Jordan, which includes 12 incredible examples of experien-
tial and sustainable tourism.
Visiting the social enterprise sites that are part of this new
initiative made a huge impact on me. It is awe-inspiring to see
the work that the Queen Noor Foundation has done to empower
local women and to enable them to use their talents to earn
an income and provide for their families. Of course, our visits
enabled us to buy handmade souvenirs of jewelry, rugs and
mosaics. I even learned a thing or two myself (see photo above).
We also savored the beautiful sites and flavors of Jordan—and
sleeping in a Bedouin tent in the middle of the desert was cer-
tainly a highlight (see photo below). What stands out in my mind
is the hospitality of the Jordanians; I always felt safe there.
The experiences
I had with Tourism
Cares and the Jordan
Tourism Board put
travel in perspective.
Certainly, though,
fantastic journeys
aren’t limited to
Jordan. All NTA
members provide
memorable experi-
ences that maximize
the expertise of
qualified masters of
travel and tourism.
You’ll have the
opportunity to meet
Morning at our Bedouin camp in
many of them at
Wadi Rum
6
April/May 2018
I’m stirring the pot at Beit Sitti, a cook-and-dine establishment
in Amman that employs neighborhood women and imparts
appreciation for Jordanian dishes.
Contact in Charleston, where you can build relationships and
expand your programs. It’s not too late to register for this pre-
mier tour operator retreat, which starts April 18.
In addition to Contact seminars that will help you improve
your ROI, we’ll also have themed educational outings—cov-
ering Agritourism, Historic/Heritage and Faith—that allow
you to sightsee and gain product insight at the same time.
In addition, our new DMO Network and Supplier Network—
groups not offered anywhere else—will both meet to discuss
timely issues that are pertinent to members.
On the advocacy front, we continue to have discussions
with the U.S. Department of Interior and the National Park
Service to share our concerns about their proposals for
Commercial Use Authorizations and fee increases. We are also
pursuing other avenues, such as requesting a meeting with
the Office of Management and Budget and getting behind leg-
islation that would require a federal rulemaking process for
increasing fees and for revising the CUA process.
At the time of this writing, the NPS is still waiting for a
compilation of the more than 100,000 comments the agency
received regarding proposed pricing changes. And we have
submitted names of members of our industry to represent
you on the National Parks Advisory Board; we’re waiting to
hear back from NPS about their selections.
Be sure to note that registration has opened for Travel
Exchange in Milwaukee. Our team and Visit Milwaukee are
planning some exciting events for us.
I hope to see you all at Contact. Springtime in Charleston is
awesome!