A Big Day in Washington for the Travel Industry

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) has wrapped up its most significant event of the year, ASTA Legislative Day 2024. 

About 250 travel professionals brought the important message to Washington, D.C. that the travel advisor profession is growing and demands lawmakers’ attention. 

In 189 meetings with Congressmembers and their legislative aides, advisors and supplier partners discussed two issues impacting the industry: airline ticket refunds and representation on ACPAC, the influential Department of Transportation committee. 

Here’s how this year’s three-day program shook out. 

Preparing for the big day

Travel advisors and industry partners arrived at Salamander Hotel in Washington, D.C. on Monday, Sept. 16 from 43 states. That evening, ASTA presented lively panel discussions with Travel Industry Forecast with Leading Experts at the National Press Club. 

Then on Tuesday, ASTA held a daylong training program for the participants inside the hotel’s grand ballroom. Each member sat at a table with their state delegation so they could collaborate on how they’d approach the next day’s meetings. 

Jessica Klement, ASTA’s vice president of advocacy, strongly encouraged advisors to share their personal stories to connect with their senators and House representatives. She told TMR that this year’s additional training was “to equip ASTA members to spend more time educating lawmakers on their businesses and economic impact in their communities.” 

“Initial reports show that this additional training was helpful, as ASTA members reported they encountered little resistance to the two bills supported by ASTA.” 

Advisors told TMR that the training helped them feel more prepared when it was go-time on Wednesday. Rhonda Shumway, a California travel advisor and president of TerraMar Travel, said that ASTA “did a fabulous job of really giving us the foundation of what we need.” 

“We have three people [in our group] who have never done this before,” she added. “Everybody’s a little nervous at first, but with that training we got all day, we felt prepared and armed with the right information.” 

Making a difference

Shumway had been to two Legislative Days in the past. Before going to the events, she felt as if she didn’t have agency in the political system. Today, her perspective has changed. 

“Walking the halls of Congress and the senate buildings, it’s amazing,” she said. “I have goosebumps just thinking about it. Because it makes you realize we really can make a difference.” 

Shelby Frenette, a Florida travel advisor and owner of TravelFun.Biz, attended Legislative Day for the first time this year and said she’ll definitely be back in the future. 

“It’s a really eye-opening experience for any small business, especially a travel advisor, to come and witness how it feels to be so close to the decision makers,” she told TMR. “It makes you feel more empowered that you have a voice and that they care because they are listening. They give you time. 

“I feel very honored to be representing our travel advisors across the nation, just by being here, to help be that voice so that we aren’t muted out because we do provide an incredible service to the public.” 

At the end of the day, ASTA President Zane Kerby addressed participants at dinner, saying he knew the day went well, as he felt positive energy in the room, and that there was “little opposition to our asks.” 

Suppliers support the cause

The event was not only open to travel advisors. About 50 supplier partners participated, sharing their own stories of how the bills would impact their businesses – and championing travel advisors. 

“We’re really fighting for the things that will make a difference for all of us,” Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president of sales, trade support and service, told TMR. “Not just the advisors, not just for the travel agency owners, but also for the suppliers. It’s a win-win all the way around.” 

Freed has gone to Legislative Day for about seven years and attended meetings with the delegation from Texas, where Royal Caribbean sails several ships out of Galveston, attracting hundreds of thousands of guests to the area. 

“People coming in and out of the state are bringing revenue in,” she noted, as a talking point in the Congressional meetings. “We talked about the growth of the travel advisor profession and the importance that they bring.” 

ASTA Legislative Day attracts wide support from more than a dozen other suppliers who sponsor the event.