BATON ROUGE, La. (press release) – The Louisiana Office of Tourism is heading to California this week to meet with some of the top global tourism marketers at the 2019 North American Journeys’ Receptive Tour Operator (NAJ RTO) Summit West in Los Angeles on Feb. 13-14.
“Receptive Tour Operators, or RTOs, are the cornerstone of tourism businesses that help us promote our state to global markets including China, Europe, Latin America and Australia,” said Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser. “Tourists from other countries stay longer and spend more money compared to domestic visitors, so it’s a natural fit to send our marketing team to these tourism summits.”
A Receptive Tour Operator (RTO) is a U.S.-based company working as a liaison and booking agent in an international market. The RTO provides the link between a foreign travel agency selling a tour package to Louisiana and all the elements or stops on that tour in our state. The NAJ RTO summits offer productive meetings with foreign tour operators with U.S.-based Receptive Tour Operators.
“The NAJ RTO summits serve Louisiana tourism efforts efficiently. The shows are productive and you meet one-on-one with product managers who actually decide the product to market in Louisiana,” said Assistant Secretary Doug Bourgeois.
“Louisiana has a one of a kind experience to offer visitors. We need to continue putting our best foot forward and making sure people around the world know Louisiana is ready to help them pass a good time,” said Lt. Gov. Nungesser.
The NAJ RTO Summit West in Los Angeles attracts more than 100 receptive tour operators, 40 percent of which are Chinese RTOs. It’s now NAJ’s largest RTO event. Other NAJ RTO Summits will be held in April in New York City and in October in Orlando, FL.
