ASTA Offers Discounts To Consortia And Agency Groups
by Richard D'Ambrosio /ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby with Ninan Chacko of Travel Leaders. Photo: Facebook.
Seeking to grow its ranks and introduce itself to agents and owners entering the travel business, ASTA has signed or renewed agreements over the past two years with entities like Signature Travel Network, Ensemble Travel Group, MAST Travel Network and Travel Leaders.
Most recently, ASTA has added deals with the American Marketing Group (AMG) and its TRAVELSAVERS and NEST networks, Austin-based Leisure Travel Alliance, and Hickory Global Partners.
Under an agreement signed last week with AMG, TRAVELSAVERS and NEST agency members can receive a $100 credit when they register for AMG’s 2016 Global Travel Market conference June 9-12 in Palm Desert, CA. The credit toward a full-price new or renewed ASTA membership in the 2016 calendar year will be applied after Dec. 31, 2016.
“ASTA Premium Members such as AMG help make it possible for the important advocacy work ASTA performs to benefit the entire travel agent community,” said ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby.
Meanwhile, members of Austin-based Leisure Travel Alliance (LTA) who join ASTA by March 2017 will pay $199 instead of $325 if they have annual gross sales of up to $5 million; $399 instead of $530 if they have gross sales of $5 million to $10 million; and $599 instead of $735 if they have gross sales of $10 million to $25 million.
Host agency LTA Central Contractors (formerly known as International Tours of Houston) is allowing its independent contractors (ICs) to sign a two-year individual membership deal for $248, a $150 savings off of ASTA's new $199 Independent Contractor Membership.
And in February, Hickory Global Partners announced it will offer member agents a $100 credit toward registration at this year’s ASTA Global Convention in September.
ASTA in the next two months will be implementing a previously announced new Independent Contractor membership category for ICs who sign a two-year agreement and contracts for an ASTA Premium member.