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TIA • California • Florida • Kansas • Maryland • Minnesota • Nevada
Pennsylvania • New Jersey • Texas • Virginia
National Trust Historic Hotels of America
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Travel Industry Association, Washington, DC |
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AOL® Travel "Across America" Promotion |
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 TIA and AOL® Travel partnered on a promotion to heighten awareness of the U.S. travel industry with a dedicated NTW page hosted on AOL Travel (http://travel.aol.com). Live from May 1-20, the page engaged users with features on American destinations and provided a platform to share videos and photos from users' favorite U.S. travel sites. The page also featured travel fun facts and consumer message boards. More than 80 tourism organizations participated in this first-ever promotion by integrating a special Web tile, designed by AOL and distributed by TIA, onto their Web site that linked to AOL Travel's "Across America" page.
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Photo Op Media Event with U.S. Department of Commerce/OTTI |
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David A. Sampson, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Commer ce Department, joined TIA President and CEO Roger J. Dow to mark National Tourism Week at a Washington, DC landmark. Travel industry leaders mingled with visitors in front of the Willard InterContinental Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House, and Deputy Secretary Sampson released new economic impact data for the U.S. travel industry. A media luncheon hosted by Mr. Dow followed, providing news and updates on government affairs issues affecting the travel and tourism industry. The small, informal luncheon allowed one-on-one interaction between select reporters and TIA's president and CEO. |
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Times Square-Reuters Sign |
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 TIA took advantage of some high-profile real estate, displaying the official Tourism Week logo and theme on the Reuters digital display board in New York's Times Square. Seen by an estimated 1.5 million visitors to Times Square every day, the graphic was rotated during peak morning and evening times from May 10th through 12th.
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California |
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San Luis Obispo |
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 The San Luis Obispo County Visitors & Conference Bureau celebrated NTW and the VCB's 21st birthday as the destination's marketing organization. More than 60 guests attended the after-work party, including the city's mayor and other local officials, bureau members, colleagues and friends, at the famous Madonna Inn. Local media were also invited. And no birthday party is complete without a cake… this one featuring the NTW logo and theme.
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Florida |
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Orlando/Orange County |
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 The Orlando CVB jump started NTW with a luncheon featuring Geoff Freeman, executive director of the Discover America Partnership. Freeman spoke about the balance between homeland security and streamlining travel entry policies as a means for promoting increase d travel to the U.S. The Orlando CVB also thanked airport security workers for courteous service and security. During NTW, the CVB sent thank you signs to federal security employees at Orlando International Airport. The area's final NTW event featured representatives from Central Florida's tourism industry joining local running enthusiasts for the I-Drive 5K on May 19. The exciting race, complete with a kids fun run, honored NTW and featured prizes donated from tourism industry businesses. The race route started on International Drive near the Orange County Convention Center.
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Kansas |
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Marysville |
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Released to coincide with NTW, the Travel & Tourism Committee of Marysville developed a visitor passport program called "Historic Marysville - Passport to the Past" that featured the community's historic sights and museums. It was made available at each sight listed and also at the local Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Center. Visitors' passports were stamped with a black squirrel--a proud symbol of the community. |
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Maryland |
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Maryland Office of Tourism Development |
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The Maryland Office of Tourism partnered with Baltimore radio station 101.9 Lite FM on a promotional campaign to increase awareness of Maryland as a world-class destination and encourage local travelers to experience all that Maryland has to offer. The promotion included eight promotional announcements daily; a Web link to Maryland Tourism; and presentation of two-night prize packages to winners during morning show and afternoon drive times. The media value for the campaign totaled about $19,000. |
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| Austin |
| Austin, MN is SPAM Town USA, where the world-famous pink luncheon meat is made. To recognize the importance of tourism during NTW, the CVB coordinated the 4th annual SPAMBURGER Day/Citywide Rummage Sales, featuring almost 100 sales and SPAMBURGER hamburger specials on the menus of local restaurants. The CVB also staged an open house for local residents, providing information on planning class and family reunions, as well as weddings, meetings and conventions in Austin. CVB staff headed to the nearest Travel Information Center to meet and greet visitors. PSAs and press releases were sent to local media that highlighted the impact travel has on the city and the state of Minnesota. |
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| Las Vegas |
 To recognize the start of NTW, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman joined Clark County Commision Chairman Rory Reid, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter, actor John O'Hurley, star of Spamalot, and dozens of Las Vegas hotel entertainers and employees under the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign to toast the more than 39 million visitors expected to visit Vegas this year. The image was submitted to AP and Getty Images. (AP Photo/Las Vegas News Bureau, Darrin Bush) |
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| Las Vegas Monorail |
The adventure-seeking spirit of Las Vegas was on full display during adVenture Vegas' debut "Las Vegas  Monorail Spy Game" competition, which pitted the city's top DMCs in a head-to-head race in celebration of NTW. More than 70 people from Las Vegas' leading DMCs, who promote Las Vegas by profession, successfully utilized the Las Vegas Monorail to infiltrate the inner sanctum of the Las Vegas Strip and worked together following a trail of clues to sniff out actors portraying real, live spies in this first-of-its-kind adventure. The fun, team-building competition culminated inside the Las Vegas Convention Center Monorail Station with a festive awards reception where the first place team was recognized with great prizes for the winner's office. Created by AdVenture Vegas, the "Las Vegas Monorail Spy Game" showcased the Monoratil as an accessible transportation solution for Las Vegas' 38 million annual visitors. |
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| Philadelphia |
 The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau joined the Philadelphia International Airport to honor five outstanding airport employees for acts of customer service during NTW. The airport's director of aviation and the president of the Philadelphia CVB presented each honoree with a Five Star Service Award. |
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| Ocean County |
| The Ocean County board of Chosen Freeholders operates an ongoing County connection storefront inside the area's largest regional indoor shopping area, the Ocean County Mall. It serves as a branch of county government as well as a major tourism information site in the heart of the Jersey Shore, home to beach resorts and major amusement parks including Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor and Wild Safari. In celebration of NTW, local government leaders invited a different venue to be featured each day at the County Connection to highlight Tourism Week in Ocean County. |
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| Texas Tourism |
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 Texas Tourism customized a special "Texas Tourism Week" resources page on its industry Web site, providing its partners with tools and data to use in organizing local events and celebrations, as well as sharing the economic benefits of the state's travel industry. The site included:
- Proclamation from Texas Governor Rick Perry
- Letter to all industry partners from Economic Development & Tourism, Texas Travel Industry Association and Texas Hotel and Lodging Association
- Press release
- Texas travel facts
- Statewide listing of Tourism Week activities
- Travel impacts by county
- State agency tourism partners one-page fact sheet
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| Austin |
The Austin CVB brought its local industry together for a "State of the Industry" luncheon featuring one of t ourism's foremost experts, Peter Yesawich, chairman and CEO of YPartnership. Yesawich detailed developing trends related to Austn's success as a travel destination. In addition, the city's mayor, Will Wynn, recognized recipients of the Austin Hotel & Lodging Association's aunnual hospitality employee award. Winners of a local photography contest, "Austin Through the Eyes of the Students," were also announced. Two high school students received $500 scholarships each for their winning images. All contest entries were displayed at the Austin Visitor Center. |
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| Dallas/Fort Worth |
The Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council hosted its  first "Taxi Appreciation Day" for area drivers. Staged at the taxi station at DFW International Airport, the area's travel industry leaders and members of the Council provided refreshments and information on upcoming events, new developments and attractions to taxi drivers that are frequent front-line greeters, providing service and destination tips to leisure and business visitors who travel to and throughout the D/FW region. |
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| San Antonio |
 San Antonio's NTW celebrations culminated in the CVB's 17th annual luncheon, featuring a keynote address by a travel expert from Conde Nast Traveler Magazine. The speaker shared the magazine's latest data about affluent travelers and offered recommendations about the destination's potential to lure more visitors. San Antonio's tourism and hospitality community also recognized its own at the event, presenting awards to Mexicana Airlines (in honor of the airline's 50th anniversary of service to San Antonio) and to the GM of the Hilton Palacio del Rio for decades of service to the local community. CVB Executive Director Scott White used to the stage to declare his loyalty to the San Antonio Spurs as well, where the Spurs coyote led the crowd in an impromptu pep rally for the hometown team. Schedule of events. |
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| Houston |
| Coinciding with NTW, the Greater Houston CVB launched "My Houston", a celebrity-based campaign aimed at Houston-area residents to help them celebrate their city year-round. The CVB considered it in these terms: Where does Yao Ming take visitors? Why have former President George and Barbara Bush remained loyal Houstonians when they can live anywhere in the world? Where does Chloe Dao shop? Through this campaign, Houstonians are given a unique glimpse inside the lives of the city's most prominent citizens--unscripted, in their words. The "My Houston" campaign is slated to expand to markets outside of Houston in 2008. |
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| Prince William County/Manassas |
 The Prince William County/Manassas Board of County supervisors volunteered their time with local tourism partners throughout the week, helping to solidify not only their support of local businesses, but also their support of travel and tourism and the economic impact that it brings to the county. Events were planned for every day of the week, from coffee and doughnuts at welcome centers and a promotion at Potomac Mills mall to a Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon and hotel visits to all 39 hotels in the county. The CVB also worked with Potomac Mills and their May email campaign (to 18,000 people) that promoted their Gift With Purchase program. All activities were promoted to local media through press releases and outreach. |
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National Trust Historic Hotels of America |
 National Preservation Month and NTW share the same month each year and provide a perfect opportunity to promote preservation efforts in big cities and small towns across the country. Members of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America offered special packages and promotions during the month, with offers ranging from romantic getaways and spa packages to historic walking tours and art-lovers weekends at some classic American hotels. A portion of the proceeds from reservations booked through Historic Hotels of America were returned to the National Trust. |
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