FROM THE EDITOR
Bob Rouse Editor 101 Prosperous Place , Suite 350 Lexington , KY 40509 USA + 1.859.264.6548 bob . rouse @ ntaservicesinc . com
WHAT DO YOU WANT FIRST — the good news or the bad news ?
Life doesn ’ t always fall into neat piles of positive or negative notifications , but the question is a familiar one . I usually opt for the bad news first , and maybe that ’ s because we watch a lot of “ House Hunters ” at my home .
Starting in late summer , the bad news for many destinations was a hurricane . And for other beautiful spots in North America , it was wildfires . Natural disasters are not new to our lives , but the rapid succession and intensity of Harvey , Irma and Nate — and the seriousness of fires in California and other western states and provinces — were , well , bad news .
We checked in with our Caribbean members in last month ’ s issue , and on pages 38 to 44 of this Courier , you ’ ll get updates on Gulf Coast destinations in terms of both tour product and hurricane consequences . Some of our coastal DMO members reported zero damage , while others are in the middle of a months-long recovery .
The destinations we spotlight all have good news to share — make no mistake — and there ’ s also heartening words and helpful advice from three destinations that went through natural disasters of their own in the past few years . Read about them starting on page 12 . And don ’ t miss Kristian Sonnier ’ s essay about his New Orleans experience — both personal and
December Courier Destination Index
Alberta 46
Montana 52 British Columbia 46 , 48 New Jersey 31
California 28 – 31 New Mexico 18
Colorado 45 New York 28
England 66 North Carolina 30
Florida 28 , 31 , 38
Norway 53
Hawaii 30
Ontario 67
Iceland 53
Oregon 30
Idaho 51
Portugal 54
Las Vegas 32 – 36 Rhode Island 31
Louisiana 40 , 44 South Carolina 30 – 31
Maine 30
Spain 54
Maryland 67
Texas 31 , 43
Mississippi 30 , 42
Utah 50
Missouri 18
Wyoming 66 professional — with Hurricane Katrina . It ’ s on page 72 . And there ’ s more good destination news : Pat Henderson takes us on a multipage trek through the Rockies ( pages 45 – 52 ) and shares details on 20 beach experiences across the U . S . ( starting on page 28 ), Gabe Webb shines the city spotlight on Las Vegas ( pages 32 – 36 ) and profiles Scandinavia ( page 53 ), and Kendall Fletcher showcases Spain and Portugal on page 54 .
I ’ m not ignoring our Distinguished Dozen winners . ( Remember , we started with the bad news .) Our gorgeous cover shot of the Portland Aerial Tram in Portland , Oregon , which won gold for North American City / Region DMO Partner , is the first of a batch of beautiful photos . Get the gold , silver and bronze report for all 12 categories on pages 19 through 27 . Congratulations to every medalist !
The last bit of good news I want you to see is not breaking news ; it ’ s been a long , steady stream of straight-up positivity . NTA is recognizing its most steadfast members by creating a legacy program . Starting on page 56 , you can view the list of 383 (!) organizations that have maintained membership for 30 or more consecutive years .
Occupants of the last two lists I mentioned — Distinguished Dozeners and Legacy Members — will be recognized during luncheons at Travel Exchange in San Antonio .
San Antonio . Getting together with you … during a festive holiday season … beside the famed River Walk … is almost too much goodness for one page . So I ’ ll resume in the next issue , which we ’ ll wrap up on our way out the door to Texas .
That ’ s great news . See you there !
Write on ,
On the cover : The Portland Aerial Tram gives commuters and visitors in
Portland , Oregon , an elevated view of Mount Hood . Photo : Bruce Forster
4 December 2017