This message contains images. If you don't see images, click here to view. Click here to advertise in this news brief.   Mobile version   RSS   Subscribe   Unsubscribe   Archive   Media Kit Sep. 10, 2012 ABA News | Events | Find a Member | Discount of the Month | Trip Planning | Marketplace | Advocacy | Research     INDUSTRY NEWS Lawmakers hope giving out-of-state bus companies a tax break will boost tourism in Atlantic City The Press of Atlantic City    Share    Buses once crowded the highways to Atlantic City, bringing millions of jackpot-hungry customers to the casinos. Partly by design and partly due to circumstances, however, the number of Atlantic City-bound buses has plummeted since peaking in the late 1980s. Although the fragile economy and competition from casinos in surrounding states have been factors, the downward trend also reflects a different relationship between casinos and the bus companies. Some casinos don't even have bus programs. After years of debate, lawmakers hope to reverse that trend through legislation that would exempt out-of-state bus companies from New Jersey's corporation business tax. More Track Your Vehicles on the Road in Real-Time The Saucon TDS Enterprise System allows you to easily and effectively monitor your fleet remotely including vehicle location, fuel levels, engine diagnostics, tire pressure and more. Offered by ABC Companies, Saucon TDS is a leading mobile resource management system. Learn more about Saucon TDS and view all ABC parts specials. Arizona native's 'Border Crisis' bus tours win a global honor Arizona Daily Star    Share    When people think of taking a tour in Arizona, few these days probably consider the Mexican border an attractive destination. That's why Tucsonan Tom "TJ" Morgan left Paris recently with an award from the global Gray Line tours network. His local Gray Line company won the "most creative tour" award from the international group for the local company's educational trip called "Border Crisis: Fact and Fiction." More Central Texas toll roads to go cashless TOLLROADSnews    Share    The six toll roads in the Austin metro area will all become all-electronic at the turn of the year, and the last cash tolls will be collected Dec. 31 according to TxDOT plans. Mark Cross, a TxDOT spokesman, told TOLLROADSnews that Jan.1 is the present target date for ending cash toll collection on the remaining three toll roads with cash collection. More Report provides snapshot of North American motorcoach operations in 2010 School Transportation News    Share    The American Bus Association released its Motorcoach Census 2011 recently and found that the commercial buses logged 694 million passenger trips and 76.1 billion passenger miles in 2010. Students accounted for a quarter of all passenger trips. More Texas OKs nation's fastest speed limit, 85 mph, on new road Los Angeles Times    Share    Texas has approved the nation's fastest speed limit — 85 miles per hour — about the speed associated with the winds in a Category 1 hurricane. The move by the Texas Transportation Commission on Aug. 30 had been expected since the state Legislature last year approved the 85 mph limit for stretches of new road. A transportation department spokesman told the Associated Press that the commissioners would not comment on their decision. More Michigan motorcoaches are now in the loop BUSRide    Share    Family-owned Indian Trails Inc., with operations in Owosso, Kalamazoo and Romulus, Mich., enjoys a 100-year history of innovation. The company says it was the first motorcoach operation to install two-way radios, video monitors, stereo sound systems and Wi-Fi on a fleet of buses. Over the summer Indian Trails teamed up with the Michigan Department of Transportation to install hearing loop technology on a fleet of 17 motorcoaches operating 34 scheduled routes throughout the upper and lower peninsulas. For tens of thousands of Michigan residents, the Indian Trails routes are the only means to connect with the national transportation network of airports, Amtrak and Greyhound. More Chicago unveils 1st pedestrian safety plan Chicago Tribine    Share    Newly installed ladder-like crosswalks that popped up recently are part of the city's first pedestrian plan, a long-term safety effort that officially went into effect. The Chicago Department of Transportation's pedestrian plan has more than 250 recommendations for long-term and short-term improvements, some of which were installed during this year's road construction season. More Unlimiting access Travel Weekly    Share    Accessible travel is about more than getting your grandmother and her mobility scooter onboard a cruise ship. Travelers with disabilities make up a significant market fueled by substantial discretionary income and a healthy appetite for travel. And the market is growing. Baby boomers are getting old — reluctantly, perhaps, but inevitably. And they are definitely not growing old passively. Boomers are going to go skydiving if they can. And travel suppliers are doing everything they can to make sure the disabled can realize their travel dreams just like anyone else. More 5 online travel trends set to explode Eye for Travel    Share    The global economy is uncertain at best; travel is a hyper-competitive landscape with new services and products are launching daily and the travel consumer becoming ever more savvy, fickle and demanding. In this environment, how can travel companies possibly survive, let alone thrive? More Hotel prices up, industry in recovery e-Travel Blackboard    Share    Hotel prices worldwide experienced a uniformed rise for the first time in five years, according to the latest Hotels Price Index released by Hotels.com. The average price for a hotel room, regardless of currency, rose 4 percent when compared to the same period in 2011. Prices in North America and the Caribbean shot up by 5 percent, Pacific prices climbed 6 percent, prices in Asia increased by 4 percent, and the average room rate throughout Europe, the Middle East and Latin America rose by 1 percent. More Travel Leaders: Vegas, Maui, Orlando are top destinations Travel Pulse    Share    Travel Leaders Group unveiled its annual fall travel trends survey of its travel agency members, which showed that Las Vegas, Maui and Orlando are the top destinations booked for fall. More Ideally located between Washington DC and Baltimore Unrivaled access- 10 minutes to BWI Airport and I-95. Affordable venues- over 3,000 sleeping rooms and ample bus parking. Memorable experiences- festivals, shopping, theatre and more! MORE Discover the unexpected in Jackson Your guests can satisfy their curiosities about life behind bars and discover art, culture, festivals, events, wineries, farms and the beauty of nature. MORE  ASSOCIATION NEWS Upcoming webinars highlight Pinterest, Certification for Sustainable Transportation ABA    Share    Two upcoming ABA webinars will discuss these hot methods for driving awareness of your company's brand. The first, to be held Sept. 25, will discuss how to leverage the social media platform Pinterest to connect with customers and drive website referrals. The next day, a second webinar introduces motorcoach and tour operators to the Certification for Sustainable Transportation, a program that helps you reduce vehicle operation costs, save energy and be recognized as being environmentally responsible. Register now for these exciting webinars. Marketplace appointments research database now open — check out buyers and sellers now ABA    Share    With an increase of 22 percent of appointment-taking buyers (almost 300 from 270 companies) ready to do business, the Marketplace Research Databases, sponsored by Tour Illinois, opened recently. This means you can request more buyers to help you build your business. Learn why appointment research is so important for a successful Marketplace. More New MTN to air next week ABA    Share    Coming up in the September edition of Motorcoach Travel News: The votes are in. We'll announce the Top 100 Motorcoach Destinations in the U.S. and Canada in our annual September report. The ABA Foundation releases its annual census. We'll take a look at the numbers. Wi-Fi on motorcoaches means more passengers according to a DePaul University of Chicago study. We'll have a report. ABA President and CEO Peter Pantuso discusses Marketplace and a new one-day, exclusive program that ABA and the National Transportation Safety Board will be offering for motorcoach company officials when we meet in Charlotte, N.C., in January. ABA's Pre-trip Passenger Safety Video is being updated, and we are taking orders now. With your help, the Jessica Ghawi Scholarship continues to grow. The scholarship started in late July after the death of Jessica and 11 others in the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting. Ghawi is the daughter of longtime ABA member Sandy Phillips of San Antonio. We'll have an update. Look for the September edition of Motorcoach Travel News on Sept. 17 as part of ABA's The Insider and also sent directly to your email inbox. Watch the August edition now. GroupConnect announces new partnership ABA    Share    GroupConnect has partnered with MultiView to provide ABA and OMCA members with the opportunity to purchase banner advertising on GroupTravelConnect.com and CharterBusConnect.com. These exclusive placements give your company the attention it deserves in front of your target market. Reach thousands of group travel and tour package buyers! All ABA or OMCA members receive a 5 percent discount on these spaces. We also are offering the spaces to every member first before it is opened to any nonmembers. To learn more about these limited opportunities, contact MultiView at 972-402-7023 or gconnectgt@multiview.com ABA welcomes new members ABA    Share    Sept. 10 — new members Help ABA give a warm welcome to these new members who recently joined the association. Be sure to print and add these companies to your 2012 ABA Motorcoach Marketer. More Fraudulent solicitation targeting ABA members ABA    Share    Members should disregard any solicitations they have received in the mail from the "Fair Guide" or "Construct Data Publishers" seeking information for an "exhibitors directory" purportedly related to ABA's Marketplace event. More CharterBusConnect and GroupTravelConnect put you in the driver's seat ABA    Share    As a member of the ABA you are automatically listed on either CharterBusConnect.com or GroupTravelConnect.com. A majority of the members have opted to purchase an enhanced listing, which provides your company the opportunity to receive quote requests from qualified buyers of group travel. There are many members who have not updated their listing, which includes contact information. If you have not updated your information or would like to purchase an enhanced listing, please contact GroupConnect at 1-866-644-1664 or info@groupconnect.com. You are in control of your information!   The Insider Colby Horton, Vice President of Publishing, 469.420.2601 Download media kit Ashley Whipple, Content Editor, 469.420.2642    Contribute news Dan Ronan, ABA Editor, 202.218.7220    Provide Feedback Matthew Cahill, ABA Associate Editor, 202.218.7206    Provide Feedback This edition of The Insider was sent to ##Email##. To unsubscribe, click here. Did someone forward this edition to you? Subscribe here -- it's free! Recent issues Sept. 10, 2012 Sept. 4, 2012 Aug. 27, 2012 Aug. 20, 2012 7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063