Going Global
Courier Magazine March/April 2003 By Frances Figart

You've heard the buzz about NTA's global initiative, but you may not know how it came about. For nearly a decade, NTA has actively promoted international inbound travel to North America and the receptive services of its tour operators members. During this time, NTA representative attended international trade shows including Pow Wow, Rendezvous Canada and World Travel Market, and NTA has published a pay-to-play directory of Tour operators Receptive Services in North America.

For the past several years, travelers have demanded more opportunities for international outbound travel. To help its tour operators meet these demands and thus grow their business, NTA expanded its global initiative in 2000 to include both aspects of international inbound and outbound travel.

Since then, 19 international affiliate members have jointed NTA, providing inbound as well as outbound itineraries. At this very moment, other international tour operators, suppliers and DMOs are considering the benefits of NTA membership.

If you have been considering going global, fellow NTA members who already do international inbound or outbound can offer some valuable points to consider. Maybe you want to understand why certain outbound destinations are easier to package and to explore your own product development plans. Or perhaps you need information about inbound trends and how to attract the inbound traveler to your destination. In either case, here are a few recommendations and experiences from NTA members who are involved in the international market.

International Product Development Just as tour operators develop domestic travel packages based on consumer demand and the companies' expertise, development of international product follows the same trajectory. When considering outbound marketing, it's important to get an overview of which destinations have been popular over the past decade.

Since the beginning of the 90s, Southern European locations have been "really, really hot" according to Phil Otterson of Tauck World Discovery, Westport, Conn. "Before Sept. 11, there was a lot of interest in Italy, Spain and France," he said. "But now every destination is somewhat suffering. Although I could say that Australia and New Zealand, which have been sort of isolated and quiet, are hot."

Jeannie Barresi, of Colorado International Tours in Colorado Springs, has found Costa Rica, France, Switzerland, Austria, the U.K. and Spain to be the most accessible destinations to package because of the language familiarity and her past experiences traveling or working in these countries. Additionally, she says, these countries have developed tourism infrastructures to facilitate itinerary development and the hosting of foreign visitors. "Our first special interest product was skiing, which naturally drew us to the European Alps in France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy," she said. Barresi's newest products have been designed for the United Kingdom, France and Scandinavia/Finland.

"Since I specialize in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, I would have to say that these are the most suitable," said Paul Devlin, CTP, of Devlin Travel Inc. in Springfield, Mo. "But to be honest, any country that speaks English as a first language, like Australia, New Zealand etc., becomes a little more comfortable as a destination for the conservative traveler, as they can at least communicate for themselves on the most basic of levels with the locals."

Outbound partnering Once you have chosen a destination to market, working hand-in-hand with another tour operator, especially a receptive, can add authenticity to an international package developed in North America for an overseas destination.

Otterson points out that there is a large opportunity for NTA tour operators who don't currently have expertise or knowledge in going outbound to use other member companies.

"We are a supplier member trying to get companies to purchase our products and go outbound," Otterson explained, "and there are other companies that are beginning to come into the fold now who can partner with other NTA tour operators who do not have the expertise or the budgets to develop products, so it is a huge opportunity over the long-term."

Barresi said her company is working with international receptive operators she met at the Market UK Workshop at the end of the Product Orientation Trip as well as others recommended by tourist offices in France and the UK.

Devlin's international division is purely receptive wholesale and he works 100 percent with other NTA tour operators like Sports Leisure Vacations in Sacramento, Calif., and Getaway Tours in Terryville, Conn.

"We offer a range of programs from sightseeing and live seeing to special interest groups like golf," he said. "I work with any members who are individual attractions, hotels or transportation companies to help improve my product."

However, Devlin has no reason to use an overseas land operator because his company is one! Spending four months of the year in Britain allows him to develop new relationships and explore new hidden gems that continue to strengthen his itineraries. He says successful relationship benefits include traveler satisfaction and exposure of overseas attractions or hotels to the North American market. He cautions those considering offering receptive services: "deliver a quality product to NTA members and they'll talk. Deliver it badly and they'll shout!"

Getting started For a tour operator considering developing outbound tours to international destinations, Barresi said initially it may be best to partner with an operator who already does outbound tours so that you can feel comfortable with this product offering.

"With any new product, there are always two important elements to develop: the product itself and the client base who wants the product," Barresi said. "If the operator has not offered international product before, they may want to rely on an 'expert' for the product development and focus their attention on client development for an international product." If the operator already has a client base for an international product, Barresi recommends they start with the appropriate national tourist office to locate receptives and other suppliers for the product they wish to develop.

If you will be planning less than five tours per year to a particular country, Devlin advises tour operators to start by using a stateside NTA tour operator that specializes in a particular country first.

1515 N. Tejon Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80907