New ASTA Chief Focuses on Consumer Engagement
by Maria LenhartPositioning travel agents as the go-to choice for travelers is top priority for Zane Kerby, who took the reins of ASTA as CEO in February.
The goal is behind several new initiatives announced by ASTA this week, including:
• a more dynamic website landing page at http://www.asta.org
• a new tagline: “The global advocates for travel. Go with the pros.”
• a new social media presence on Facebook, LinkedIn and other outlets.
Going social
The social media initiative will start later this month with ASTA’s corporate and Travel Sense Facebook pages.
“When you ‘like’ what you see, share it and help get the word out about the great work you do,” Kerby said in a communication to ASTA members this week. “We will send you links to the new messages as they are released.”
 |
Kerby joined ASTA after 13 years with the Global Business Travel Association, where he orchestrated the annual convention.
At ASTA, he is hoping that a revamped and revitalized annual gathering – newly renamed the ASTA Global Convention – will give a boost to the organization and its members. Set for Sept. 16 to 19 in Miami, the convention features Hillary Clinton as keynote speaker.
Travel Market Report sat down with Kerby this week to learn more about his goals for ASTA.
What’s behind ASTA’s new social media initiatives?
Kerby: We’ve got to help agents win and retain business. We’ve got to show them that we’re fighting on their behalf – not just in Congress but in building consumer awareness of agents. That’s why we’re launching social media tools.
We’ve got to do a better job of tying travel agents to those destinations that people want to go to, that they’re doing Google searches on. We’ve got a creative team who will show the interesting fun places you can go in the world and how travel agents can help you have that experience.
We will send this out through social media – and agents will be able to link it and personalize it for their clients.
What will be different about ASTA’s annual convention this year?
Kerby: We’re taking a new direction with it. A big focus will be on education – on technology, understanding the customer, how to put together a marketing plan and where consumers are going to be in the not-so-distant future. We will be presenting a lot of new consumer research.
We also want agents to have exposure to people they don’t have access to everyday, which is why we’re doing a cruise CEO panel with participants like Kevin Sheehan of Norwegian and Richard Fain of Royal Caribbean.
Of course, the selection of Hillary Clinton as keynote speaker has already drawn a lot of interest.
A constant problem for leisure agents is suppliers selling direct to consumers. How can ASTA address this?
Kerby: Suppliers are unlikely to change their policies, so strengthening customer relations is the only direction to go. The more resources ASTA can provide to agents in this vein, the better.
It’s all about delivering value back to your customers. And the more that ASTA can help boost the visibility and value of agents with the public, the better.
What do you see as ASTA’s core mission?
Kerby: I see three main pillars. One is advocacy with state and federal lawmakers, one is with consumers and the other is to be an educational resource. We have to deliver on those three things.
ASTA has played a strong advocacy role in Washington. How important is it to continue this?
Kerby: We’re going to defend and protect and advocate on behalf of travel agent interests on the state and federal level. It’s vitally important.
For whatever reason, elected officials have gotten away with the line that imposing taxes on travel is taxing out-of-towners, that these taxes only affect people who aren’t their constituents. The reality is that these taxes do affect consumers in their own markets. We will fight travel taxes wherever they rear their heads.
Issues like visa waivers are very important to us. We need to help lawmakers here in Washington understand the value of travel. It’s the greatest stimulus program there is.
