American Society of Travel Advisors

American Society of Travel Advisors (abbreviated as ASTA) is a trade association which was formed to represent and defend the business and regulatory public policy interests of travel intermediaries, including travel agencies (including traditional "brick and mortar" agencies, online portals, mega- and corporate agencies, and small and mid-market businesses) and tour providers (including wholesalers and operators). The headquarters of the American Society of Travel Advisors is in Alexandria, Virginia,[1] United States; it is a US Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(6) tax-exempt not-for-profit entity.[2]

American Society of Travel Advisors
AbbreviationASTA
PredecessorAmerican Steamship and Tourist Agents Association
FormationApril 20, 1931 (1931-04-20)
TypeNonprofit
Legal status501(c)(6)
Location
Region served
Worldwide
President and CEO
Zane Kerby
Executive Vice President
Eben Peck
PublicationTravel Advisor Magazine
Websitewww.asta.org
Formerly called
American Society of Travel Agents

Its members adhere to a strict code of ethics[3] and include travel agents, intermediaries, and supplier companies who offer travel products and services such as tours, cruises, hotels, destinations, tourist bureaus, ground transport, car rentals, local guides and hosts.[4] leading advocate for travel advisors and the entire travel agency community, including suppliers and the traveling public.[5]

History

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) was founded on April 20, 1931, in New York City as the American Steamship and Tourist Agents Association. ASTA changed its name to the American Society of Travel Agents in 1944.[2] On January 26, 2000, ASTA acquired the assets of The National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents, Inc. (NACTA) which is now a membership subsidiary, called National Association of Career Travel Agents since 2009. NACTA represented independent travel agents, cruise-oriented agents, home-based travel agents and outside sales travel agents.[6] On August 28, 2018, the organization was renamed to the American Society of Travel Advisors.[7] NACTA was also rebranded into the ASTA Small Business Network.[8]

ASTA supported the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 Act (H.R. 4450; 113th Congress), a bill that would extend the provisions of the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 111–145 (text) (PDF)), which established the Corporation for Travel Promotion (also known as Brand USA), through September 30, 2020, and impose new performance and procurement requirements on the corporation.[9][10] ASTA President Zane Kerby said that the bill "is essential to marketing the United States as a desirable destination for international tourists, conferences and business."[10]

In 2022, ASTA supported the Travel and Tourism Omnibus Act,[11] which among other things, creates an Assistant Secretary of Travel and Tourism at the U.S. Department of Commerce, elevating the importance the U.S. travel industry plays at home and abroad.

Executive Committee, Board of Directors

The policies of ASTA are established by an Executive Committee and National Board of Directors.[12]

2023-2024 Executive Committee[13]

  • Jackie Friedman, President, Nexion Travel Group (Chair)
  • Lee Thomas, COO, ALTOUR; President, Business Travel & The Travel Authority (Vice Chair)
  • Kelly Bergin, CEO, Duglin Travel Group (Treasurer)
  • Kathy Bedell, SVP, BCD Travel (Corporate Advisory Council Chair)
  • Zane Kerby, President and CEO (ex officio)

2023-2024 Board of Directors

  • Deb Belchak, President, Lazy Dayz Travel - Regional Director
  • Marc Casto, President Leisure Americas, Flight Centre Travel Group – Director-at-Large
  • Kareem George, Principal; Founder, Culture Traveler, LLC – Director-at-Large
  • Robert Hale, COO, Travel N Relax Inc – Regional Director
  • Tiffany Hines, President & CEO, Global Escapes – Director-at-Large
  • Pamela Irwin, Vice President of Sales, ATB Travel – Director-at-Large
  • Amanda Klimak, President/Co-Owner, Largay Travel - CAC Director
  • Anita Pagliasso, Vice President of Industry Relations, KHM Travel Group – Director-at-Large
  • Shelly Phillips, Owner, Travel By That Girl - Regional Director
  • Rhonda Shumway, President, TerraMar Travel - Small Business Network Director
  • John Werner, President, MAST Travel Network - Consortium Director

Membership

Most members are based in the USA. ASTA is organized under New York State Corporation Law but located in Virginia, just outside Washington DC, to assist in its government and industry affairs.[2]

Voting members are only US-domiciled Travel Agent Members and Premium Members. According to ASTA bylaws (last revised in August 2022), ASTA has fourteen membership categories:[14]

  • Travel Agency Member (also known as Core Member)
  • Travel Agency Employee Member
  • Non-Affiliated Member
  • Host Agency Member
  • Premium Agency Member
  • Consortium Member
  • Premium Agency Employee Member
  • International Travel Agency Company Member
  • International Travel Associate Member
  • Allied Company Member
  • Allied Associate Member
  • Travel School Member
  • Honorary Member
  • Independent Contractor Member

Partnerships

The organization's partners include Travel Industry Solutions, (TIS)[15] Internova Travel Group, Signature Travel Network,[16] Expedia Group,[17] Explora Journeys,[18] Bus Charter Service Travel,[19] Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line,[20] AmaWaterways[21] and many others.

See also

References
  1. "Contact Us". Default. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  2. "Entity Information". Division of Corporations. Secretary of State of New York. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  3. Elliott, Christopher (2023-04-12). "Why the travel industry's ethics matter". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  4. "American Society of Travel Advisors – ASTA - WTAAA.ORG". 2019-08-28. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  5. "Story and Mission". Default. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  6. "Who Should Join ASBN?". nacta.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  7. "American Society of Travel Advisors Unveils New Brand as Travel AdvisorsPress Releases - News - ASTA". www.asta.org.
  8. "ASTA to Rebrand, Bring NACTA Under the ASTA Banner". www.travelpulse.com. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  9. "CBO - H.R. 4450". Congressional Budget Office. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  10. "ASTA Applauds Introduction of the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014". American Society of Travel Agents. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  11. "U.S. omnibus spending bill creates first assistant secretary position for tourism". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  12. "ASTA's Executive Committee & Board of Directors". Default. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  13. "Press Detail Page Hero". Default. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  14. "ASTA Bylaws" (PDF). 2022.
  15. "American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) Enhances its Member Advantage Program with Travel Industry Solutions Legal Contracts and Tools". PRWeb. Maitland, Florida. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  16. "» Preferred Partners". join.sigtn.com. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  17. Schaal, Dennis. "Do Travel Agents Matter in Online Travel? Expedia Thinks So". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  18. "Explora Journeys Joins American Society of Travel Advisors". Travel Agent. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  19. "Charter Bus Rental Company - BCS Bus Charter". www.bcsbuscharter.com. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  20. "Norwegian Cruise Line Invests Quarter Million Dollars in ASTA & Agency Community". www.travelmarketreport.com. 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  21. "AmaWaterways Wins Four ASTAs; Partner of the Year for the Fifth Time". TravelPulse. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
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