VOICES OF LEADERSHIP
Before he assumes the role of NTA chair this month , Chris Babb makes sure he is current with Courier .
Pam Inman President 101 Prosperous Place , Suite 350 Lexington , KY 40509 USA + 1.859.264.6551 pam . inman @ ntastaff . com
DECEMBER SEEMS TO come around faster than any other month , doesn ’ t it ? And this year we ’ ve added another Travel Exchange to the mix , which makes this holiday season even more exciting .
Just as all of us on staff enjoy seeing you at Travel Exchange , we also like to welcome visitors to our headquarters in Lexington . Your chair , Jay Smith , and vice chair , Chris Babb , came to town in November to catch up on staff initiatives and to give input on all that you will see at Travel Exchange . Let us know what you think about the new features of our convention , which will include more networking opportunities to do business .
The India market is beginning to surge , just like the China market did many years ago , and NTA will be ready to help members understand and capitalize on it . I traveled to India last month for the Tour Operator Roundtable hosted by the India Ministry of Tourism and the U . S . Department of Commerce . This meeting included government officials from both countries and representatives of U . S . and India tour companies who came together to discuss ways that we can make travel — and doing business — easier . Key participants included Isabel Hill , director of the National Travel and Tourism Office , and Patrick Santillo , minister counselor for commercial affairs with Commercial Service India ; both are with the U . S . Department of Commerce . And representing India ’ s Ministry of Tourism was Suman Billa , joint secretary .
Joining me on the panel of U . S . tour operators were Akarsh Kolaprath , director , 7M Tours ; Tony Marwah , CEO of the India
office of SITA World Tours ; Sanjith Mukund , Tauck ’ s product manager , Asia and North Africa ; and Prabha Raghava , CEO of Tours Limited .
Brand USA held a marketing briefing and a tour of the Visa Waiting Room to show their “ Market the Welcome ” materials . Visit California was in town on a sales mission and capped off the day ’ s events by sponsoring a lovely dinner at the Imperial Hotel .
Jim Magrath also attended and hosted my trip to India because Delta Air Lines has opened up new service with Jet Airways , which offers connections to 40 destinations in India ( and awards Delta SkyMiles in the process ).
Jim and I met with Pronab Sarkar , president of the India Association of Tour Operators — an NTA Strategic Partner — to discuss opportunities for his involvement with Contact and others ways we can enhance our partnership . I also met with representatives of the Adventure Sports & Ecotourism Expo that will be held in New Delhi in January .
I spent my Thanksgiving with family in the beautiful city of Paris ( my first visit ) and counted my many blessings — not the least of which is the opportunity to work with you and have you as part of the NTA community !
I hope your holiday season is going well , and I look forward to enjoying it with hundreds of NTA members in San Antonio .
See you soon ,
NTA chair Jay Smith ( left ) and vice chair Chris Babb met with Pam Inman and the NTA headquarters staff in Lexington in November .
6 December 2017