| FYI News and Insight
September 2003
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Powerful Marketing
Solutions for the Group Travel Industry Welcome to the September edition
of FYI, brought to
you by Leisure Group Travel, TRAVEL Tips and Leisure
Travel Directory. September is back-to-school month and whether you're
busy sending your own kids back to school, or
harkening back to the days
when, at least for some of
us, the best part about September was the wardrobe
enhancements from mom, this month does signal new
beginnings. Hmm, new
beginnings...that sounds pretty
darn good! in this issue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* This Just In - Reader Comments from the July Travel Tips!
* New Leisuretraveldirectory.com
Web Site Debuts
* So, are you Group-Friendly?
* Attention Tourism Offices
and Hotels
* Are you Hosting Fams or Events?
* Pantuso Speaks at Team
Illinois Event
* Upcoming Editorial Features
This Just In - Reader
Comments from the July Travel Tips!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stories & highlights are helpful in presenting
possible trips. You are
doing a great job, keep it up.
Chuck Mahoney, Petaluma, CA (Corp. Retiree
Group)
Thank you for your informative articles. I only
do domestic
tours.
Marion Anderson, Los Angeles, CA (Church Group) Congratulations
on your great format. You've come
a long way!
Mary Jo Dimuccio, Mountain
View, CA (Group Leader) Good ideas for group travel.
Gayle Jorgensen,
Lexington, NE (Senior Center) Our readers will say nice things about you
too -
when you advertise in an upcoming edition of Leisure
Group Travel,
TRAVEL Tips or Leisure Travel Directory!
Book your advertising schedule
today! >>
http://www.premiertourismmarketing.com/advertising/
New
Leisuretraveldirectory.com Web Site Debuts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since its launch in January 2002, Leisure Travel
Directory has witnessed
a strong 22% year-over-year
growth in advertising, despite harsh economic
conditions that prevail throughout the industry. Why?
Quite frankly,
the group market needed a reliable
reference source and Leisure Travel Directory
stepped
in and filled a void with 27,000 group travel planners. The
latest innovation/enhancement to "LTD" is our new
cutting-edge
web site, found at
http://www.leisuretraveldirectory.com.
Redesigned from the ground up
in the same fashion that
we do everything here - with the honest assessment
and
input from our readership, the new leisuretraveldirectory.com
site
features a "Google-like" search function, special offers
database
and on-line supplier sign-up with secure
connection and real-time credit
card processing. So, are you Group-Friendly?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are participation levels in Leisure Travel Directory
for 10 different
categories of suppliers and all different
budget levels - starting at $0.
That's right, registration
is free. But if you want to really get the word
out to
the group travel community you can ante up $79
annually for an
Enhanced Listing, about what you'd pay
for 8-hours of sleep at a road-side
hotel. (Note, that's
not $79 a month!) Your Enhanced Listing provides URL
and e-mail links, descriptive copy and tells group travel
organizers
you're "in the game." This level also permits
you to drop a special
offer on-line. We have reserved "Premier Level" participation
for
those that advertise in the print version of Leisure
Travel Directory,
or really, really good advertisers in
Leisure Group Travel and/or Travel
Tips. Benefits here
include top-tier listings in the directory, logo next
to
your listing, extended copy including rates, hours of
service, etc.,
plus the ability to list up to three special
offers on-line. Over 1,000
suppliers are already registered -
are you one of them? >>
http://www.leisuretraveldirectory.com Attention
Tourism Offices and Hotels
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two of
our biggest directories of the year are coming
up this November and December.
November features
North American Tourism Offices. Special incentives are
in place - any DMO purchasing a ½ page ad or larger,
we will
provide an equal amount of editorial space in
a "destination showcase."
It's the best way to tell your
story to 27,000 group travel planners. Directory
listings
(print and on-line) are just $79 (see previous stories
on Leisure
Travel Directory). This edition closes on
Friday, September 19th, so act
now! Our inaugural Hotels and Resorts Directory is
on-tap for December
with special introductory savings
of 25%. If your hotel is seeking to increase
its share of
leisure group business, this is your opportunity to jump
on-board. Questions about these directories? We have answers! >>
moregroups@premiertourismmarketing.com Are
you Hosting Fams or Events?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If the
answer is yes, please send them to us. We will
gladly post them on-line and
in our publications and
help you connect with the group travel community.
Over 125 readers clicked on the fam trip link from our
latest Going
Places E-newsletter - so we know group
travel planners are interested! Send
us your Fam Trips and Seminar Invitations >>
moregroups@premiertourismmarketing.com Pantuso
Speaks at Team Illinois Event
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PTM
Publications was a proud sponsor at the recent
Team Illinois annual educational
conference, with a
keynote presentation by Peter Pantuso, President of
the American Bus Association. Among ABA's statistical
findings: - Motorcoaches
move 860 million pax each year -
more than any airline, train or other carrier
combined. - Motorcoach industry supports 200,000 jobs. - 90% of motorcoach
companies are small
business - 5 or less vehicles. - Motorcoach market
is broken down - 40%
students, 40% seniors (50 plus) & 20% boomers. -
'03 motorcoach has the highest incidence of last
minute travel in history. -
One overnight motorcoach trip is worth $5,000 -
$11,000 to a community.
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