Courier August/September Courier | Page 63

COMMUNITY NEWS NTA members are indicated in bold text. Do you have news you’d like to share with the NTA membership? Please send it to Gabe Webb, Courier writer, at [email protected]. Anderson to lead Amtrak Richard Anderson is the new president and CEO of Amtrak. He comes to the railroad company as a 25-year veteran of the airline industry, having served as an executive at Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines. Anderson will serve alongside outgo- ing CEO Wick Moorman through the end of 2017 to ensure a smooth transi- tion. Moorman will then take on an advisory role. “Richard brings to Amtrak his experi- ence running one of the largest global commercial air carriers. The board believes he is the right leader at the right time to drive the quality of customer ser- vice that our passengers, partners and stakeholders expect and deserve while continuing our path towards operational and financial excellence,” said Tony Coscia, chairman of the board of Amtrak. “It is an honor to join Amtrak at a time when passenger rail service is growing in importance in America. I look forward to working alongside Amtrak’s dedicated employees to continue the improve- ments begun by Wick,” said Anderson. Anderson was recognized as Aviation Week’s Person of the Year in 2015, and in 2014 he was selected as one of Business Travel News’ Top 25 Most Influential Industry Executives. Tauck names Peters small ship cruising specialist Scott Peters was appointed as a new small ship cruising specialist for tour operator Tauck. In his new role, he works with Tauck’s partners to pro- mote its portfolio of cruises as the com- pany increases its cruising capacity. Peters has been with Tauck for 19 years. He has worked as a director on the company’s maritime cruises and European river cruises, and he most recently served as a national account manager for the long-time NTA member’s travel agent sales in the northwestern U.S. Denver sets tourism record for 11th consecutive year Denver hosted 31.5 million visitors in 2016, an increase of six percent from 2015, which represents an 11th straight year of record-setting visitation. “This is a milestone year, marking the first time Denver surpassed 30 mil- lion total visitors,” said Richard Scharf, president and CEO of VISIT DENVER. “Tourism is a huge economic driver for our city, and we are pleased we have been able to build on our success in driving visitor demand that fills our hotels, restaurants and attractions.” Much of the growth came from increased overnight leisure trips, with business trips holding steady from 2015 levels. NTA Chair Jay Smith says … Just Bring One! And we’ll put money in your pocket. Making $ is fun when you Just Bring One! W hen you refer or recruit a member who joins NTA from May 1 to Oct. 1, you’ll get $50. And if that member also signs up for Travel Exchange ’17 in San Antonio, we’ll make it $100. (Or NTA can credit you $100.) You’re also eligible for a grand prize! Call 800.682.8886 or email [email protected] with your referrals today! #JustBringOne NTAonline.com 61