San Diego will be the 2012 site of Contact, NTA’s newest North American tour operator event. The dates for Contact ’12, announced at this year’s Contact, are September 25–27, 2012.

“We’re thrilled to welcome NTA to California,” said Glenda Taylor, director of international travel trade for the California Travel and Tourism Commission. “San Diego is such a diverse and exciting destination for tour operators to gather for Contact.”

Contact is the next generation of NTA’s popular Tour Operator Spring Meet. Rejuvenated with a late-summer date and multi-track education program, the operator-exclusive event has already proven successful, according to Cathy Greteman, NTA board chair.

“We’ve had fun, and this has also been such a productive event,” Greteman said, “It’s a chance for tour operators to spend important time with their peers to share successes and to bounce ideas off each other.”

During Contact ’11, tour operators conducted business appointments and joined one of three professional development tracks: CEO/owner, sales/marketing, or operations/product development. Attendees have also taken familiarization trips and participated in social events at local landmarks.

“We have nearly 200 people here for our first Contact,” said Lisa Simon, NTA president, “This turnout reinforces the need for tour operators to come together to discuss business challenges and continue their professional and business development. Newport has been an ideal site for this intimate gathering, and we know that San Diego will be every bit as appealing.”