NTA and the Route 66 centennial celebration

 

Hop in and hit the gas! NTA is celebrating the 100-year anniversary of Route 66 with a roadmap of itinerary ideas that put tour operators in the driver’s seat, starting this year.

The eyes of the world will turn to America’s most famous highway in 2026, and NTA members will be miles ahead in 2024, showcasing itinerary ideas along the eight-state road: vibrant cities, quirky-cool towns, unique attractions, and flavors of the heartland. Tour operators will gather info from participating destinations and tour suppliers and turn it into awesome itineraries for memorable adventures along Route 66.

Plan now for 2026—the 100th anniversary of Route 66—as NTA provides the mother lode of Mother Road information and ideas.

NTA tour operators will gather information to build Route 66 itineraries from:

  • Sponsored content—online this summer and in print at Travel Exchange ’24
  • Education
    • webinars online
    • seminars in person
    • a special, digital Sales Mission
  • NTA partners
    • in appointments at Travel Exchange ’24
    • at booths along the Route 66 corridor on the TREX Floor (CLICK HERE to see what this will look like on the TREX floor.)
    • during the Route 66 Reception at TREX ’24

Destinations and suppliers—hotels, attractions, restaurants, experience providers, etc.—have a direct path to NTA tour operators as participants in NTA’s Route 66 centennial celebration.

 

To learn more about NTA’s Route 66 Centennial Celebration, contact NTA Director of Sales Brooke Coulter or 859.264.6560.


ROUTE 66 BROCHURE

Here are some facts you should know. From a survey conducted in early March, we learned the Route 66 centennial offers a chance to grow your audience!

  • Fewer than 20% of tour operators currently offer a tour dedicated to Route 66.
  • Six out of 10 responding operators were not aware of Route 66’s 100-year anniversary.
  • Nearly half of NTA operators say they currently offer tours to states along Route 66 and could develop a new tour to commemorate the anniversary.
  • Nearly one-fourth of NTA operators aren’t currently involved with Route 66 tours but think the anniversary is a good hook and want more information!

And here are some of the cool comments we collected on the survey:

  • “Sounds exciting! I am on board.”
  • “Sample itineraries that are group friendly would be great!”
  • “It is essential that we have 2026 details by early 2025 in order to adequately promote special 100th anniversary events to our clients in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.”
  • “Most of us will be working on our 2026 tours when we come to 2024 TREX.”
  • “It has been at least 20 years since we offered a tour of Route 66, and I am very interested in information for a new tour in 2026.”
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