DELIVERING BUSINESS ESSENTIALS TO NTA MEMBERS OCTOBER 2017 MUSIC DESTINATIONS PAGE 25 NASHVILLE: EVERYBODY PLAYS PAGE 29 Noted! GUIDE TO THEATERS, PERFORMANCE VENUES PAGE 41 TWO TAKES ON CANADA PAGE 21 TRAVEL EXCHANGE BFFS PAGE 56 Songwriters at Nashville’s Bluebird Café THE VOICE MUST BE HEARD An Unforgettable New York Experience Don’t miss extraordinary Met productions, including such classics as Turandot, La Bohème, Madama Butterfl y, and The Magic Flute. Tickets start at $25 metopera.org Photo: Jonathan Tichler/Metropolitan Opera October 2017 JACOBSPILLOW.ORG Not your typical barn dance: Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival takes place each summer in western Massachusetts’ Berkshires region. This celebration of dance and movement includes hundreds of free performances and master classes that showcase the talents of world-class performers. Turn to page 37 to read about the event, as well as other tour options in the New England states. Features 21 25 29 Two takes on Canada Move to the music City Spotlight: Nashville Courier’s Gabe Webb and Pat Henderson Travelers journey to destinations across Visitors to this Tennessee town have as offer their thoughts on their respective the U.S. to experience the music they much fun with music’s past as they do recent trips to Ottawa and Winnipeg. love; see what’s there to greet them. with its present—and presence. Compass 34 Great Plains 37 New England 40 China A heap of history in North Dakota All about the arts in the Berkshires On the UNESCO trail in Beijing Good things in the Badlands Seafood tops Connecticut, Cirque heads to China Rhode Island culinary scene Zip lining and festivals and dining, oh my! Hotels go beyond ‘quaint’ in northern New England Country star opens attraction in Tishomingo The must-see sites of Kearney NTAonline.com 1 NTA BOARD OF October 2017 | Volume 44, Issue 8 DIRECTORS NTA President Executive Committee Pam Inman [email protected] Chairman Jay Smith Editorial Sports Travel and Tours [email protected] Editor Bob Rouse [email protected] Senior Writer Pat Henderson [email protected] Vice Chair J. Chris Babb Writer Gabe Webb [email protected] The Group Tour Company Contributors Ron Erdmann, Kendall Fletcher, Pam Inman, The Signal Group, Terry Soto, Beth Ziesenis [email protected] Graphic Design Jeff Quire Secretary Paul Larsen Advertising Ed-Ventures [email protected] President, NTA Services Inc. Kami Risk [email protected] Account Executive/Eastern U.S. & International Beth Engel [email protected] Immediate Past Chair Justin Osbon Account Executive/Western U.S. Kelley Burchell [email protected] Image Tours Account Executive/Central U.S. & Canada Bond Milburn [email protected] [email protected] Production Manager Ashley Fish [email protected] DMO Director Billing Inquiries Mary Catherine Dorsett [email protected] Kelly Dean Ottawa Tourism [email protected] PLANNING AHEAD Tour Supplier Director Jodi Danyluk To view the 2018 editorial calendar, visit NTAonline.com/advertising. NTA members can Norwegian Cruise Line submit tour product information or editorial queries to [email protected]. And for [email protected] advertising information, call +1.859.264.6559. Directors DECEMBER ISSUE JANUARY ISSUE DESTINATIONS DESTINATIONS Misha Jovanovic Misha Tours Gulf Coast West U.S. [email protected] Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaska, California, Nevada, Oregon, Texas Washington Edita Krunic The Rockies Belgium, France and the Netherlands Select International Tours [email protected] Alberta, British Columbia, Colorado, Idaho, Ireland and the United Kingdom Montana, Utah, Wyoming City Spotlight: Toronto Jim Magrath Scandinavia Delta Air Lines SPECIAL COVERAGE Portugal and Spain [email protected] Preview to Charleston (Contact ’18) City Spotlight: Las Vegas Casinos and Gaming Frances Manzitto SPECIAL COVERAGE Guide: Casinos and Gaming Visit Clarksville [email protected] 2018 Distinguished Dozen DEADLINES Beach Destinations and Attractions Space: Nov. 3 | Material: Nov. 13 Dennis McDonnell DEADLINES Alaska Coach Tours [email protected] Space: Oct. 6 | Material: Oct. 16 John McGlade Euro River Cruises [email protected] Jim Warren, CTP Anderson Vacations PUBLISHED BY NTA SERVICES, INC. Email: [email protected] [email protected] COURIER (USPS 602270, ISSN 0279-4489)(Vol. 44, Issue 8) published 10 times a year by NTA Services, Inc., 101 Prosperous Place, Suite 350, Lexington, KY 40509. Periodicals Postage Paid at Lexington, Kentucky, and Tracie Wingo additional mailing offices. Subscription rate is $60 per year. Globus POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Courier, 101 Prosperous Place, Suite 350, Lexington, KY 40509. [email protected] COURIER is the official licensed publication of NTA®, an international trade association of the packaged travel industry. Copyright© 2017, NTA Services, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way or by any means, electrical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission of Courier, Directors at Large except for quotations made for purposes of a review. All inquiries should be sent to Courier magazine, 101 Prosperous Place, Suite 350, Lexington, KY 40509, +1.859.264.6559. Additional subscriptions can be purchased by calling +1.859.264.6559. Printed in USA. Lydia Griego-Hansen Advertising rates are available upon request. For a change of address, subscribers may notify Courier Destination Southwest directly, by email or letter. [email protected] COURIER’S MISSION STATEMENT Courier aims to facilitate member-to-member partnering by spotlighting member product and Dean Jacobberger destinations worldwide, to provide information on current industry trends and issues, and to inform Visit California members about NTA initiatives, events and benefits. [email protected] Christian Van Meter Courier is printed on 100% recyclable material Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group [email protected] 2 October 2017 October 2017 4 From the Editor 14 ‘Star Trek’ was right 20 What’s On Social media expert Beth Ziesenis A mecca for marine life 6 Voices of Leadership recommends four tools that have If you like Via Ferrata taken language translation well Putting the new in New York City beyond the Universal Translator Business from the famous TV show. 8 InBrief Resources Are you request-ready? | Advance 15 NTA Working for You 41 Courier ’s Guide to Theaters your industry knowledge through Jennifer Aiken of the Charleston NTA’s CTP program | A busy October Area CVB offers a primer to get you is on tap for NTA staff, members ready for Contact ’18, which will take Community place in the coastal South Carolina 50 Meet the Members 10 Relating to Government city from April 18 to 21. Belize Nature Getaway | Plimoth Officials in Washington, D.C., continue Plantation | Pikes Peak Cog Railway | to discuss security issues, tourism 16 The Interview Explore Asheville promotion and infrastructure modern- Terry Soto, an expert on multicultur- alism, shares insights and offers sug- ization, and those talks could lead to 52 Community News positive results for the travel industry. gestions to help travel professionals better understand and reach this 54 New Members 12 2016 international visitation, rapidly expanding market. spending in the U.S. revealed 55 Ad Index/NTA Events Calendar The U.S. National Travel and Tourism 18 NTA Working for You Office released the final 2016 NTA’s Anna Pettus reflects on three 56 AfterWords inbound tourism numbers, and, while of the favorite things she experienced A Travel Exchange-kindled spending and visitation saw slight on her recent trip to San Antonio. friendship yields idea-sharing and declines, travel continues to be the inspiration between two New largest services export in America. England members. Courier has used images existing in the public domain or made available from sources including, but not limited to, Flickr and Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons Attribution Generic License. The full text of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License is available at bit.ly/1gDYjzM. Images used may have been altered by cropping or adjusted for contrast, saturation, size, color, clarity or otherwise digitally manipulated to meet design specifications. Courier’s use of Creative Commons and public domain images does not constitute or suggest the licensor’s explicit or implied endorsement of Courier, its content, staff, contributors, advertisers or any other use by Courier. USS RAZORBACK LITTLE ROCK NINE MOnUMENT AND ARKANSAS STATE CAPITOL HIGH SCHOOL CENTRAL LITTLE ROCK history HIGH SCHOOL CENTRAL LITTLE ROCK Naturally Made CENTER PRESIDENTIAL CLINTON Want to immerse yourself in history that’s shaped the future of our country? Then bring your group to experience all The Natural State has to offer. Tour national historic sites, visit a presidential library, stroll through world-class museums and more. Get more information at arkansas.com or call (501) 682-1219. What will you make in Arkansas? Arkansas.com NTAonline.com 3 FROM THE EDITOR Bob Rouse Editor 101 Prosperous Place, Suite 350 Lexington, KY 40509 USA +1.859.264.6548 [email protected] THAT’S ME IN THE PHOTO at right. Not literally, of course, as I’m neither 20 feet tall nor bronze nor naked. But “Musica,” the fantastic sculpture near Music Row in Nashville, embodies my enthusiasm for music. And Nashville. And, maybe, being bronze. One of the top hits of my visit to Nashville (see City Spotlight, pages 29–32), was meeting Alan LeQuire, the sculptor of the LEQUIRE GALLERY famous piece that was unveiled in 2003. When our group of Freemasons and bison in Winnipeg. Read about their excel- journalists visited his studio, he was gracious and genuine— lent adventures on pages 21–24. and talented, like so many people in Music City. I think you’ll get a kick out of reading about a friendship What made my four fun days in Nashville especially mem- that started at Travel Exchange in St.