01/05/2017

Ohio Travel Association's 2016 Highlights

A Year in Review

It’s that time of year when we reflect on the past, yet set our eyes on the future. As OTA is led by the industry, your feedback and involvement is what helps keep us focused on what is important to you and your business. Here’s a quick 2016 wrap-up touching a few of our many accomplishments and activities. To name a few, we kept you up-to-speed on industry trends and happenings with 90 unique stories delivered to your inbox, helped you save money through two new cost-savings programs, advocated on your behalf, graduated 24 OTLA students, awarded 43 awards to organizations and industry members, brought you four cutting-edge education sessions, created $1.4 million in business at Heartland Travel Showcase and much, much more. Discover the progress we made in 2016 as we continue the momentum for 2017. 

Kept you Informed through Weekly News Updates and Shared 930 Relevant News Links

Ohio travel industry partners keep up with what’s happening through weekly eClips, a roundup of news that is researched, written and archived by OTA. Read by more than 27,000 industry members, the 90 original articles shared research and insights on collaboration, travel trends, new opportunities, events, technology, OTA happenings, business tips and much more to keep you informed and up-to-date. To keep you in-the-know, we also shared more than 930 relevant news links including highlights of Ohio experiences, investments and national trends.

Created $1.4 Million in Business at the 2016 Heartland Travel Showcase

Approximately $1.4 million in new business was booked during the three-day showcase in 2016. With its unmatched potential tours, stops and destinations, Heartland Travel Showcase brings sellable group ideas in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Ontario. If you have not already done so, check out the new website, heartlandtravelshowcase.com

Reached More Than 900 Business Leaders with the Power of Ohio Travel Messaging

After rebranding and strengthening the OhioTourismWorks messaging, we went out into your communities, presenting the important message of the economic, social and cultural importance of travel in Ohio.

Launched Two New Cost Savings Programs for OTA Members

The new T.I.P. (Travel Industry Privileges) and NPP (National Purchasing Partners) programs were launched in 2016 to save you money. The T.I.P. Program is a unique member-to-member discount program focused on experiences and perks that are only available to those in the Ohio travel industry. The NPP Program saves both you and your organization money through discount pricing on wireless service, office supplies, electronics and more. Make sure you take full advantage of these new programs.

Recognized Excellence with 43 Awards to Deserving Organizations and Individuals

This year, we gave 41 RUBY Awards out with numerous Citation of Excellence and Certificates of Merit given to organizations across the state. We also recognized the Emerging Leader in the industry, Sara Blatnik, while giving the Paul Sherlock Award to the deserving Debbie Robinson.

Educated More Than 500 Travel Industry Members at the Ohio Conference on Travel

We educated and informed more than 500 Ohio travel industry partners on important topics and issues facing our industry including travel trends and forecasts, tourism improvement districts, redefining the female traveler, digital interactions, moving tourists to advocacy and more.

Advocated on Your Behalf on More than 30 Policy Issues

New rules and regulations are proposed every day, and OTA is an industry watchdog, making sure you’re aware of potential changes that could impact your business. And, we let decision makers know how proposed changes impact your bottom line. Some of the issues we addressed were tourism improvement districts in Ohio, school start dates, agritourism liability, local lodging tax issues in numerous communities, TourismOhio funding, federal overtime changes, minimum wage, ODNR structural changes, capital projects and more. We also brought together our partner associations on several issues, including the launch of the new TourismOhio brand. We partnered with our friends in the heritage community on Ohio Statehood Day, and we are working on an industry legislative event for spring 2017.

Ensured Presidential Candidates Prioritized Travel Industry Issues

OTA met with policy leaders from both Clinton and Trump campaigns, as well as several federal policy makers throughout the year. Ensuring the White House has access to industry input, enhancing America’s infrastructure and easing the process of international visitors while enhancing security at the same time were the key issues discussed and now on president-elect Trump’s radar. This also involved discussing the power of travel on radio and through newspaper editorials.

Kept you Informed and Ahead of the Curve through Four Cutting-edge Education Sessions

Knowing that TourismOhio was in the process of adding TripAdvisor widgets to your Find it Here listings, we brought in TripAdvisor experts to teach you how to manage and leverage your reputation. For your convenience, we held these in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati in April. We also brought in the Student & Youth Travel Association, tour operators, media and attractions to teach you about the group tour market in August.

Graduated 24 Students in the Ohio Tourism Leadership Academy

With 24 graduates, the 2016 Ohio Tourism Leadership Academy was the largest class to date. Students learned about art and culture, economic development, legislative advocacy, natural resources and recreation, media, communications, historic preservation and more.

Assisted more than 81 of You with Local Opportunities or Challenges

From providing crisis communications assistance, to facilitating community discussions, OTA was there when you needed help. More than 81 of you reached out for individual assistance, and we were happy to help.

Helped you Fill Jobs through 45 Job Postings Shared with the Industry

With 45 job postings in 2016, we helped you find candidates for professional, seasonal and academic positions.

Reached you on Social Media, including 15 Percent Increase in Facebook Following

With an increase of 15 percent, our Facebook following continues to grow. Share your stories, job opportunities, photos and more on both the OTA Facebook and Twitter.

Saved you an Average of $5,000 on BWC Premiums

Our partner, CareWorksComp, Ohio’s largest workers’ compensation program, provides risk consulting and claims management services while maximizing insurance premium savings. The average savings for OTA members was $5,000 this year.   

Hosted Tourism Day at the Ohio State Fair to OTA Members

Attendees learned about the resources and opportunities available through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and after a day of learning, they even received free admission to the Ohio State Fair.

Conducted a Detailed Membership Survey to Understand Your Needs

We want to understand what we are doing well and ways we can improve. So we sent a detailed membership survey that helps us plan the 2017 year.

With your continued support, we are committed to growing our programming and membership opportunities in 2017.