Newport Beach to Host 2001 California Conference on Tourism

Press Release: California Tourism
March 23, 2001
NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- Themed ``Continuing the Vision, Renewing the Voice,'' the 2001 California Conference on Tourism, sponsored by the California Travel Industry Association (CalTIA) and California Tourism, will be held at the Hyatt Newporter, March 26-28. More than 550 community leaders and tourism professionals from throughout California are expected to attend the three-day conference and learn about the latest information regarding changes and technologies important to tourism. The Southern California locale marks the first time in a decade that the conference has been held outside Sacramento.

Monday, March 26, 2001

The conference begins with an evening icebreaker event at The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.

Tuesday, March 27, 2001

First on the agenda is the keynote address delivered by noted marketing expert, Alf Nucifora of Nucifora Consulting. California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) Executive Director, Caroline Beteta, will follow with a top line of California Tourism marketing programs. Joining Beteta will be key CTTC commissioners who will discuss their respective areas of expertise, as they relate to the California tourism industry. CalTIA's regional luncheon will feature the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. After lunch, California Tourism's program managers will detail marketing activities and co-op opportunities. The schedule then changes course, offering three concurrent sessions -- Partnering and Packaging in the 21st Century; Government Relations; and Getting Turned On in the Off Season.

Wednesday, March 28, 2001

Wednesday opens with a general session exploring the ``non-travel'' aspects of marketing on the Web, featuring Web marketing gurus from the Silicon Valley. The online marketing theme continues with two concurrent sessions -- Ride the Web -- Wave and New Technologies.

During lunch, Caroline Beteta will present California Tourism Marketing Awards honoring the tourism industry's best marketing efforts. After the awards presentation, closing keynote speaker Terry Jones -- president of the Internet-based travel company, Travelocity -- will address conference delegates.

Marking the end of the conference Wednesday evening will be the Golden State Gala, highlighted by CalTIA's presentation of the coveted Chef of the Year and Winemaker of the Year awards, plus the awarding of the CTTC Chairman's Award and the 2001 Tourism Hall of Fame induction. With the exception of Monday and Tuesday evenings, California Conference on Tourism sessions and events will take place at the Hyatt Newporter, 1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach.

Tourism is a $75.4 billion industry in California, creating jobs for 1.1 million Californians, and generating $4.9 billion in tax revenues.

SOURCE: California Tourism