Search Travel Market Report

Seabourn
Silversea Bookend Ad
Silversea Bookend Ad
mainlogo
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • People & Events
  • Training
  • Who We Are
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • David Cogswell
    • Marilee Crocker
    • Richard D'Ambrosio
    • Steve Gillick
    • Mary Gostelow
    • Maria Lisella
    • Jessica Montevago
    • Paul M. Ruden
    • Daine Taylor
    • Barbara Peterson
amawaterways
silversea

Travel Agents Speak Out In Support Of ASTA, And It Returns The Favor

by Anna Gleksman  and  Cheryl Rosen / April 11, 2016


ASTA last week launched a video campaign to promote all that travel agents do to help consumers, and the group’s continuing effort to advocate on behalf of agents in Washington. “ASTA Advocacy in Action” is posted on ASTA.org. 

“This is just the beginning,” ASTA vice president of communications Jennifer Michels Jones told TMR. “We’re hoping to do some interesting and fun videos, maybe a ‘A Day in the Life of a Travel Agent,’ to really explain to travelers what agents do, and how easy it is to work with one. I think sometimes consumers are a little afraid of the buyer/agent relationship.” 

Jones noted that ASTA also has revamped its consumer website, TravelSense.org, to make it easier for travelers to find an agent. The site sends sales leads directly to ASTA members who list their profiles there. “We want to push the message that it just makes sense to use a travel agent,” she said. 

In addition to this broader consumer awareness video project, James Shillinglaw, Travel Market Report’s editor at large, has been helping ASTA inform members and non-members on its vision for the future, such as in this one taped at the ASTA Premium Business Summit that explains ASTA’s consumer awareness efforts, among other things.

ASTA also is co-sponsoring a video contest for Canadian travel agents with Travel Market Report for TMR’s Travel Marketplace conference in Toronto on May 2-3. The travel agent who submits the best best two-minute video on the theme “Without a Travel Agent You Really Are on Your Own” will win a cruise for two on Norwegian Cruise Line, and the runner-up will win Big Bark personalized promotional materials plus $1,000CAD in printing services.

Consumer research
Also in the works at ASTA is consumer research to better understand the buying patterns and decision-making process customers go through before booking trips. Sponsored by Carnival Corporation for the third year in a row, the research is designed to give ASTA members a better sense of trends in the industry.  

And finally, coming to stands next month in the June issue of Oprah’s O Magazine, is an article highlighting ASTA’s “without a travel agent you’re on your own” tagline. The magazine reaches 2.3 million consumers. 

Agents agree on the importance of joining
ASTA members are supportive of the organization, and some are downright passionate about the importance of the association.  

“If you are serious about the business, you need to take an interest in ASTA,” said Toni Lanotte-Day, president of Toni Tours Inc. in Levittown, NY, and a member of the ASTA National Board of Directors and Northeast Regional Director for NACTA. “Agents need to stop riding on the coattails of other members who pay to join ASTA to get things done. You can’t be a realtor in New York State unless you are a member of a trade association, and it really should be the same way for professional travel agents.” 

Lanotte-Day noted the new reduced membership that ASTA is offering independent contractors—just $199, “and you get all the benefits and voting privileges. It’s less than $20 a month and you can write it off your taxes,” she said. “We’re hoping it will drive those who are undecided to join.”  

It worked with Helen Prochilo, travel expert at Promal Vacations in Long Beach, NY, who was a member of NACTA but not ASTA until the new rate drew her in. 

“I joined a few years ago and then I stopped going because I felt I just couldn’t afford it, but the $199 was a reasonable rate and I signed back up,” she said. “I’m happy to be supporting ASTA, and it’s interesting to hear [ASTA president] Zane Kerby talk about how ASTA has just four lobbyists” in Washington standing up for travel agents, while the airlines and cruise lines have so many more.

  0
  0
amawaterways
silversea
Related Articles
ASTA Announces Open Enrollment for New Members’ Health Insurance
ASTA Cautions New York Legislators About Independent Contractor Bill
New York Floating Bill to Regulate Independent Contractors
As Resort Fees Rise, ASTA Presses for Transparency
ASTA Launches REAL ID Member Toolkit
Travel Advisor Community Makes Final Push for California Labor Bill
Cruise Line Executives Talk NCFs, First-Time Cruisers, & Overtourism
How Advisors Can Deal with Negative Destination Headlines and More from ASTA’s Global Convention
ASTA Marks 2019 With Legislative Wins, Battles, and a Record PAC
Hilton CEO Addresses Advisors at ASTA Global Convention

MOST VIEWED

Brought To You By
  1. Eva Jenner, Charlie Dunwoody Leaving Holland America Line
  2. The 15 Most Anticipated Hotel Openings in 2020
  3. Three Online Booking Horror Stories That Show Why You Should Always Use a Travel Agent
  4. What is the Process Like for Getting a REAL ID?
  5. Black Friday and Cyber Monday Hotel Deals
  6. 5 Things Travel Advisors Should Know About Norwegian Encore

MOST EMAILED

Brought To You By
  1. State Department Issues Travel Advisory to Hong Kong as Unrest Continues
  2. New Zealand Introduces New Travel Requirements
Tip of the Day
Brought To You By

“We want to show agents, we didn’t start out as a CEO and COO on stage. You put in the hard work and the effort, you make it happen.” 

Michelle Fee

Cruise Planners

 Share...
Daily Top List
Brought To You By

Top things to do in London

1. Westminster Abbey
2. Natural History Museum
3. St Paul's Cathedral

4. Tate Modern
5. British Museum
6. Shakespeare's Globe

7. London Eye

Source: Lonely Planet

 Share...
Previous Daily Top List
TMR THIS WEEK
Sponsored by Travel Planners International
http://services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=91ddcdf0-1b15-ea11-9b23-782bcb667b27)

The Business of One: How to Stay Connected and Confident as a Home-Based Travel Agent

Here are some helpful tips on how to best to leverage your time and resources to make the most of your home business.

Read More...
amawaterways
Silversea
TMR Recommendations
Silversea
With 900 destinations across 7 continents, Silversea will take you wherever you dream to go.
hbar
MSC
With discounted group rates and protected consumer amenities, you'll love MSC Cruises NEW EZ Groups
hbar
Events 365
The NBA season tips off on Tuesday 10/22! Earn big on game tickets from Events365!
hbar
Riviera
Explore Europe's iconic waterways with the UK's leading river cruise line, earn lifetime commissions
hbar
Top Stories
ASTA Cautions New York Legislators About Independent Contractor Bill
ASTA Cautions New York Legislators About Independent Contractor Bill

Imitating California’s AB5 bill would create confusion for business owners and destroy New York’s travel agency industry, advocates tell key committee.

 Read...
ASTA Announces Open Enrollment for New Members’ Health Insurance
ASTA Announces Open Enrollment for New Members’ Health Insurance

The organization’s new member health insurance plan will be available to members in 38 states through an “association health plan.”

 Read...
If You See Something, Say Something: Advisors are the Eyes and Ears for Potential Supplier Problems
If You See Something, Say Something: Advisors are the Eyes and Ears for Potential Supplier Problems

Learn how travel advisors can employ strategies to protect themselves from supplier issues, and how consortia and host agencies can help to anticipate and resolve those issues.

 Read...
Holiday Fraud Season Picks Up, and Travel Advisors Need to be Wary
Holiday Fraud Season Picks Up, and Travel Advisors Need to be Wary

Agents report a seasonal increase in email and social media fraud campaigns designed to hack hard drives and bank accounts.

 Read...
Becoming Your Own CFO Doesn’t Mean Earning an MBA
Becoming Your Own CFO Doesn’t Mean Earning an MBA

Travel advisors often say they do what they do because they love travel. But to sustain a business, you need to become a master of your company’s finances, too.

 Read...
More Than Half of Travelers Would Pay More for Personalized Itineraries
More Than Half of Travelers Would Pay More for Personalized Itineraries

New study by American Express Travel says the majority of leisure travelers are overwhelmed by the myriad of options presented during the trip booking process.

 Read...
News Briefs
  • Hahn Air to Issue Airline Tickets Using Blockchain Technology
  • Vision Travel Announces Direct Travel Rebrand in Canada
  • Travel Advisor Community Makes Final Push for California Labor Bill
  • California Senate Approves Gig Economy Bill
  • U.S. Senators Introduce Bill of Rights for Airline Passengers
  • Southwest Airlines Partners with Nintendo for ‘Summer of Surprises’
TMR Outlooks
River Cruise Outlook 2019
Niche Outlook
Mexico Outlook
View All
Advertiser's Voice
TMR TV: Norwegian Encore Has Arrived
About Travel Market Report Mission Editorial Staff Advisory Board Advertise Travel Trade Readership Report
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
243 South Street, OysterBay, NY, 11771
News|Leisure Travel|Land Vacations|Cruise|Canada Retail Strategies|People|Luxury|Training
© 2005 - 2019 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy