The National Tour Association and the United States Tour Operators Association have…
The National Tour Association and the United States Tour Operators Association have been named to the 2006 Associations Advance America Honor Roll, a national awards competition sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives in Washington, D.C.
NTA and USTOA received the award for their role in the Tourism-Caring for America project at George Washington`s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens, in which some 400 tourism industry representatives volunteered during National Tourism Week in May 2005. Participants assisted Mount Vernon`s horticulture staff in cleaning the nearly 300 acres of forest severely damaged two years ago by Hurricane Isabel. The cleanup diminished the risk of forest fires, provided enhanced shelter for animals, improved the appearance of the Potomac River shoreline and promoted the regeneration of the forest.
Tourism-Caring for America is Tourism Cares for Tomorrow`s annual event. Tourism Cares, a non-profit organization, was created by combining NTA`s National Tourism Foundation and USTOA`s Travelers Conservation Foundation in 2004.
This annual `give back` event began in 2003 and is a perfect example of multiple associations banding together for a common cause, Executive Director of Tourism Cares for Tomorrow Bruce Beckham, CTP, said. The tourism industry deserves to be proud of its unity in this effort.
Now in its 16th year, the Associations Advance America Awards program recognizes associations that propel America forward – with innovative projects in education, skills training, standards setting, business and social innovation, knowledge creation, citizenship and community service. Although association activities have a powerful impact on everyday life, they often go unnoticed by the general public.
NTA and USTOA`s program truly embodies the spirit of the Associations Advance America campaign. It is an honor and an inspiration to showcase this activity as an example of the many contributions associations are making to advance American society, Associations Advance America Committee Chair Bill Bergman, CAE, remarked.
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