ASTA Kicks Off Global Convention with Advocacy, and a Story, In Mind

ASTA’s annual keynote event has officially returned. 

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) kicked off its 2021 Global Convention (AGC) on Tuesday morning in Chicago. 

The convention, held at the city’s Hyatt Regency hotel, brought together 700 ASTA-member advisors, along with another 300 suppliers and other industry attendees, to celebrate the industry, network, and learn from their peers and experts. 

The convention marked two important milestones for ASTA and for the American travel trade. 

The first, it marked the end of a two-year gap between ASTA’s in-person conventions. While the trade association was able to pull off a virtual event last year, this year officially brought an end to that 24-month absence. 

“We’re really grateful that you are here, especially this year,” ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby said during the opening general session.

The second milestone ASTA was able to celebrate this week was the 90th anniversary of the trade association. It’s been 90 years since a “group of travel agents got together and saw a need to get organized,” Kerby said, adding that “it’s been quite a ride” since the association’s beginning. 

While travel was shut down early in the pandemic, ASTA had sprung to action, going to bat for its members over the past 18 months, pushing for federal aid to keep advisors, and the industry afloat. 

While the headlines may have gone since those early days of March 2020, and things like TSA numbers are up, “that work continues today” for ASTA, a theme that “underscores the need for us to have a strong national trade association,” Kerby said. 

“ASTA as an organization is that reminder. ASTA reminds them that resigning the fourth quarter employee tax credit that the new infrastructure bill does is a stupid idea,” Kerby said. 

“It reminds our elected officials that gov action and inaction around the world confuses travelers.”

“Without ASTA, your story, our story, goes untold.”

Bob Duglin remembered 
While those were the big celebrations this week, this year’s convention also marks the first AGC since the passing of Bob Duglin, the longtime ASTA employee and passionate industry advocate who passed away in July. 

Kerby paid tribute to Duglin, whose partner Paul was in attendance to honor Bob, while on stage during Tuesday’s general session, calling him “the glue that held our staff together.” 

“Bob loved to travel and as chief ASTA ambassador he opened the world to ASTA and ASTA to the world,” Kerby said. 

“Bob Duglin did the little things…that make life for those lucky enough to be around him more bearable, more genuine, and more human…Bob was a friend to man,” he added. 

To honor Duglin, ASTA has renamed the Chapter of the Year Award in his honor, an award that was given to ASTA’s Delaware Valley Chapter on Tuesday.

Keynote
This year’s keynote came from Paul Allen, the founder of ancestory.com, who spoke about how “the most powerful force in the world is family” and how recognizing that has made him successful in his business. 

While family ties have long been a driving force for so many individuals, a 2001 study by Emory University showed that children who had strong familial ties and who knew about their family’s story were more resilient than other children. A New York Times article from 2013 summarized the study’s findings here: 

It’s that guiding principle that has helped Allen in his business and it’s the recognition of that which could have a profound impact on the travel business, too. 

“If you could get more and more clients doing DNA testing you could get clients not wanting but needing to travel,” he said, adding that “the number lesson I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is that family is the most important and powerful thing in the world.” 

Getting family members to know their past is a simple spark for getting them to explore it, mostly through travel. While there are a lot of genealogy companies offering paid-for DNA testing on the market right now, including Allen’s ancestry.com, there are also some free options like Family Search that advisors can turn to in order to spark their client’s interest.