Travel and Tourism Research Association
Annual Business Meeting Held on June 16, 2021 ~ Virtual Meeting
2021 State of the Association
Daniel Nahoopii 2020-2021 TTRA President, presented the following information regarding the state of the Association on behalf of the Board.
Treasurer’s Report
- The year 2020 ended with revenues of $421,915 and expenses of $328,801, for a positive bottom line of $93,114.
- Our two main sources of revenue were membership dues of $158,688, down from $160,719 the year before, and conference registrations, sponsorships and investment income $263,227, down from $583,683 the year before.
- Current assets as of December 31, 2020 were $578,125. Current liabilities were $191,974, leaving current equity $386,151. This is up from $293,037 the year before.
- Our investment reserves stand at $391,426 as of December 31, 2020, up from $236,938 the previous year. These reserves are now at $420,713.
- Accounting wise, our outside auditors, Boisvenu and Co., have just completed a review of our books and records for the year 2020. Our Federal Tax Return is in process.
Respectfully submitted,
John Markham, Treasurer
Membership Update
- 2020 Membership stands at 566 members with setbacks due to the pandemic.
- The largest Chapter is SETTRA, followed by Greater Western and CenStates.
- The NorthEast chapter, NETTRA was officially approved in early 2020.
- Membership remained relatively stable from 2018 to 2019 with a 5% growth.
- 1 new Diamond partner was added.
Association Highlights
- Moved to a new database
- Increased partner benefits resulting in a more robust webinar series
- Created and implanted the first virtual conference (MOF 2020)
- Held 19 online forums
- Held 4 webinars
- Held 1 vendor showcase
- Hosted virtual DMO Roundtable
- Implemented Partner Week
2020 – Committees in Action
Advocacy Committee
- Hosted weekly online events addressing up-to-the-minute topics
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee
- This committee was created to help bring changes and improvements to the organization
Marketing Committee
- Improved branding and communication
Membership & Partnership Committee
- Created a partnership sub-committee
TTRA Annual International Conference
- The 2020 TTRA Annual International Conference was canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis
- The 2021 conference was moved to a virtual platform
- 2022 conference will be in Victoria, BC Canada
Marketing Outlook Forum
- TTRA’s first virtual conference event took place October 5 – 8, 2020
- Attendance and income both exceeded the budget
Chapter Updates
Asia Pacific
- Virtual chapter conference was held in December 2020
- A series of webinars and expert panels was hosted throughout the year
- The membership sub-committee is looking at new initiatives
Canada
- Working on a virtual conference for 2021
- Focus on engaging our student population
CenStates
- Monthly webinars on the third Thursday of the month
- Annual conference is scheduled for September and the board hopes to be face-to-face
Europe
Virtual conference was held on September 28, 2020
Approximately 50% Industry and 50% academic speakers
Hope to offer webinars and a methods course in 2021
Greater Western (GWTTRA)
Annual conference was moved to a virtual format; held end of February 2021 Hawaii
Co-hosted/sponsored a number of events with Pacific Asia Travel Association Hawai‘i Chapter
TTRA members are featured at these events
NorthEast (NETTRA)
- Formally approved February 2020
- First conference was held virtually at the end of January
- Chapter has website, newsletter and monthly board meetings
SouthEast (SETTRA)
- Diversity is key focus
- New diversity committee that sets goals & objectives
- Continuing to partner with the Southeast Tourism Society
Leadership Changes
We are happy to announce that Michael Rudowski with Visit Dallas has been elected to the
executive board in the 2nd VP position.
Newly elected to the board as directors Chelsea Benitez, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board; Jeff Dalley, Ph.D, New Zealand Dept. of Conservation, and Lauren Phillips, Visit Fort Worth. Elected to a second term on the board of directors Erik Evjen, Tourism Economics and Jennifer Griswold, Wyoming Office of Tourism. Heath Dillard has been appointed to complete the final year of Michael Rudowski’s term. Michael had been appointed to complete the final 2 years of Esra Calvert’s term when she was elected to the executive committee. Scott Russell has been appointed as Co-Treasurer along with Co- Treasurer John Markham.
Thank you for volunteering to commit your time and efforts to TTRA and congratulations!
We have 3 outgoing board members – Andria Godfrey, Jamie Mageau and Kate Thompson.
Nate Gieryn is the new TTRA President.
2021 Annual Business Meeting adjourned.