ORLANDO, Fla. The United Motorcoach Association and the National Tour Association have announced a cooperative effort to explore co-locating their annual conferences, the UMA Motorcoach Expo and the NTA Annual Convention, some time during the next three to five years.

The exploration is part of both organizations ongoing efforts to build alliances and foster travel industry collaboration as a means of bringing more business to their members.

The announcement of the new initiative comes roughly 14 months after the two organizations formed a strategic partnership and began taking a more active role in each other's annual conventions.

NTA currently hosts the Destination and Attractions aisle at UMA Motorcoach Expo, while UMA reciprocates by sponsoring the motorcoach exhibit area during NTA's Convention.

Over the coming months the two organizations will explore the details of co-locating, even though a "combined event" could be a few years off because of contractual commitments. In the interim, the organizations will look for ways to gradually build toward a combined location.

"We believe co-locating has value for UMA and our members," said UMA Chairman Godfrey Lebron in announcing the exploration plan.

"First, NTA members bring us business, and thats a good thing. Second, by better connecting with NTAs supplier members hotels, attractions, destinations, etc., well have a better idea of new opportunities where we can take our charter-and-tour customers so they keep coming back to us trip after trip after trip," said Lebron.

"Were all in this together the tour operator, the coach operator, the destination, the attraction, the hotel and so forth because we share the same customer, the group traveler," Lebron added.

"For years, our members have talked about the many shows they have to attend for doing business with the various market segments," said NTA Chairman and CEO Michele Michalewicz, CTP, who joined Le bron in making the announcement at UMA Motorcoach Expo here last month. "Its costly - in both time and money. With todays economy, the financial implications are even more important.

"Bringing our two conventions together makes perfect sense theres little duplication among our memberships and yet we clearly need each other in the tour business. Each of our members will be exposed to new products and because our shows are so different this will create a new energy and new business possibilities and build on the synergies that already exist," said Michalewicz.

"UMA has already co-located with several other organizations, which has proven successful, and next year NTA will be joined by the World Religious Travel Association, bringing the world of faith-based tourism to NTA members.

"Bringing all of these shows together will not only provide more and better business, but it will result in cost-effective buying and selling, now and into the future.

"We are excited to partner with UMA and explore this new combined convention and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship," Michalewicz added.

The boards of both organizations approved the co-location initiative.