Northeast Kingdom Travel & Tourism Association is proud to have recently obtained grant funding to begin a Central Reservations System (CRS) which will make traveling and planning a trip to the NEK easier for our visitors. Currently, travelers have to visit several websites and make several phone calls to plan all aspects of their trip to the Northeast Kingdom. The Central Reservations System will allow them to visit one website and in one stop plan many parts of their trip from where they will stay and dine to recreational and cultural activities.

We plan to increase our staff to gradually implement a regional call center to service the needs of travelers both online and via phone. We also plan to use the grant funds to work with local Chambers and businesses to create a marketing strategy to lure more travelers to the Northeast Kingdom. The CRS will increase the ease with which a traveler can discover the region, educate themselves as to the vacation experience and commit to a reservation. The successful completion of all objectives will increase tourism thereby allowing area businesses to maintain current staffing levels and/or to provide new employment opportunities within the Northeast Kingdom.

We are currently working with Inntopia to employ the Central Reservations System not only on our website, but we are pleased to be able to offer this online booking technology to our Marketing Partners, allowing them to book their own products online, but also book products from their peers and receive a commission on those sales. Technology such as this normally costs a set up fee of at least $20,000 to employ on a website, but we are able to offer this to our Marketing Partners with no set up fees and only a small commission due on products sold. Also included in the CRS is training for our Marketing Partners from Inntopia in the use of this technology.

The Central Reservations System will launch on the regional tourism website, TraveltheKingdom.com during the week of January 18, 2010. If you are interested in becoming a Marketing Partner and participating in this opportunity, please call or email NEKTTA today.

As part of the CRS, NEKTTA will soon be overhauling our website to include enhanced features such as on Online Country Store. This will be a great way to showcase local businesses and Vermont made products to tourists and visitors to our website. The new website and Online Country Store are due to launch in April 2010. If you are interested in becoming a Marketing Partner and selling your Vermont Made Products on the regional tourism website, TraveltheKingdom.com, please call or email NEKTTA today.

We are excited to begin this process and provide these great benefits to travelers, local businesses, and our local communities!