2008 Annual ReportA S TA’ S VA L U E T O T H E I N D U S T RY

It could be said that 2008 was a year in which if it wasn’t one thing, it was another. ASTA

started the year fi ghting on behalf of the in-dustry and fi nished it making certain the travel industry’s message was heard loud and clear by the incoming Administration. Whereas January found ASTA embroiled in a legal battle with the Airlines Reporting Corp. regarding its proposed annual fees, December would fi nd the associa-tion actively lobbying the sitting and incoming Administrations for pro-industry legislation and loans to help travel agents weather economic turmoil.

Airlines and industry issues dominated the land-scape in the early months. During the fi rst half of the year, the Society scored several victories both legislative and regulatory in its ongoing efforts to see the travel agents have a level play-ing fi eld in which to do business. In fact, ASTA’s victory in the ARC case in the summer seemed to be part of a larger and positive, industry-wide momentum–one that ended with sky-rocketing fuel prices and a crashing economy. From that point forward, ASTA’s sole goal was to help its members cope with the economic crisis. From Webinars and virtual seminars to white papers and interactive fi nancial resources, ASTA mo-bilized its resources to ensure that its members were equipped with the knowledge and resourc-es they would need to not just survive, but thrive when the markets stabilized.

In its second full year under the new business plan, ASTA made great strides in all areas from meetings to membership. Premium Member-

ship, for example, continued to grow at a steady pace. Other membership categories, too, such as International Membership, saw marked growth as ASTA stepped up its push to provide value to travel professionals across the globe, including the creation of an International Premium Mem-bership category.

As the association rolled out new online ben-efi ts such as the interactive salary tool and the three-part fi nancial assessment tool, the Society continued to fi nd new ways to provide value to its members. ASTA would continue to be an industry leader in the fi eld of “green” travel and fi nd ways to assist its membership in promot-ing themselves and their value to the traveling public.

Throughout the year ASTA continued to live up to its mission: facilitate the business of selling travel through effective representation, shared knowledge and the enhancement of profession-alism.

Mission StatementASTA’s (the American Society of Travel Agents’) mission is to facilitate the business of selling travel through effective representation, shared knowledge and the enhancement of profession-alism.

Vision StatementASTA seeks a retail travel marketplace that is profi table, growing and a rewarding place to work, invest and do business.

ASTA’s Value to the Industry

A Statement From Chris Russo

As ASTA’s president, the number one question I am asked is, “What is your vision for the organization?” followed immediately by a comment regarding my poor timing in becoming the association’s leader at a time when we are facing serious threats to our industry and livelihoods. In truth, I wouldn’t want it any other way. There is a saying, “Do not judge a man by how he acts on top, but how he bounces back when things are bad.” I, like many of you, entered this business for the long-haul. I hope to make my agency a family business and as such, I don’t look simply at our immediate future as an industry, rather I am concerned about our viability for next 20 years. I need a strong organization that will represent all our interests so all of us can survive and thrive in the coming 20 years. Events such as ASTA’s International Destination Expos remind me of the reason I became a travel agent. The opportunity to travel to far-fl ung destinations I could oth-erwise only dream of. The chance to meet and interact with new people and explore new cultures. In the time I have been a travel agent, my excitement for travel hasn’t waned. And in the time I have been active in ASTA, my enthusiasm for the Society and what it continues to accomplish hasn’t faded. Tough times don’t last but tough people do. An expression we hear all the time but one that holds much more meaning today than in the past. As travel professionals, we always have heard about how “this is going to be a tough time” and “those that come out of this will be that much stronger.” Given everything we as an industry have been through, we should be the strongest business people in the world. The good news is that many of us have survived times that were rumored to be the end of the travel agency business. Just as we have weathered tough times before, I know the economy will bounce back and we will be off to face the next challenge.

We are fortunate that ASTA has been at the forefront of ensuring its members’ sur-vival. I am confi dent that ASTA will continue to provide the products and services we need to weather the current economic downturn. I say we, because as a travel agency owner myself I am constantly looking at all the angles ASTA can cover to ensure our longevity. I am proud of the tools we have supplied to our membership such as the Webinar on weathering tough economic times, our fi nancial benchmarking tools, upgrades to our consumer Web site, TravelSense.org, and, of course, all of the govern-ment affairs issues we continue to monitor on a daily basis. It still amazes me that so much is available to travel professionals for such little. Times might be hard, but it is still a great time to be an ASTA member.

Regards,

Chris RussoASTA President and Chair

ASTA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEPresident & ChairChris RussoTravel PartnersBroomfi eld, CO

Vice President & SecretaryK. Hope WallaceADA TravelCasa Grande, AZ

TreasurerGeorge DelanoyBrea Travel/American ExpressBrea, CA

Executive Committee MemberRoger BlockCarlson Leisure GroupMinneapolis, MN

CEOWilliam A. Maloney, CTCASTA Executive Offi cesAlexandria, VA

BOARD OF DIRECTORSEllen BettridgeAmerican Express Travel Representative NetworkNew York, NY

Patrick R. Byrne, CLUM.P.B. Travel Service, Inc.Buffalo, NY

Robert DurantWD World TravelVancouver, BC CANADA

Lila A. Ford, CTC, DS, ACCGallery of Travel, Inc.Rochester, NY

John I. Lovell, CTCBreton Village Travel Services, Inc.Grand Rapids, MI

Lynda P. Maxwell, CTCDestinations, Inc.Ellicott City, MD

Michael L. McCullohMcCulloh Travel Service, Inc.Lake Oswego, OR

Scott PinheiroSanta Cruz Travel, Inc.Santa Cruz, CA

Irene C. Ross, CTCRoss Travel Consultants, Inc.Boston, MA

Kari C. Thomas, CTC, CNSWill Travel, Inc.

2008/2009

Executive Committee and Board of Directors

ALLEGHENY Victoria L. Abel, CTCOdyssey Travel, Inc.Murrysville, PA

ARIZONA Laura Rodriguez-VerberaMarina Tours And Travel Arizona LLCPhoenix, AZ

CAROLINAS Joseph W. BouknightForest Lake TravelColumbia, SC

CONNECTICUT Lokesh SharmaUniversal TravelsNew Haven, CT

CENTRAL & NORTH FLORIDA Robert C. RobarTravel Centre of Gainesville, Inc.Gainesville, FL

CENTRAL ATLANTIC Jay M. EllenbySafe Harbors Business Travel GroupBaltimore, MD

DELAWARE VALLEY Kate Murphy, CTAUniglobe Wings TravelBlue Bell, PA

HAWAII Raymond MiyashiroRegal TravelHonolulu, HI

LONG ISLAND Lois M. HowesSterling TravelFreeport, NY

MICHIGAN John I. Lovell, CTCBreton Village Travel Services, Inc.Grand Rapids, MI

MID-AMERICA Dan Lanser, CTCA Plus Travel AdventuresUniontown, OH

MIDWEST Joanne Gardner, CTCThe Travel SpecialistNaperville, IL

MISSOURI VALLEY Nora Faifer, CTCHeritage Travel, Inc.Saint Louis, MO

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Scott PinheiroSanta Cruz Travel, Inc.Santa Cruz, CA

NEW ENGLAND Mike Spinelli, Jr.Vacation.comWindham, NH

NEW JERSEYRicky J. Ardis, ACC, CTAArdis TravelEast Rutherford, NJ

NEW YORK CITY Barbara Jathas, DSSkyway Travel Service, Inc.Ossining, NY

ORANGE COUNTY Karl E. RosenTowne Centre Travel & CruisesDiamond Bar

PACIFIC NW Alex Trettin, CTACarlson Wagonlit TravelTacoma, WA

PUERTO RICO/VIRGIN ISLANDSLuis O. SotoGala Travel AgencyArecibo, PR

ROCKY MOUNTAIN Joann L. ThompsonCooking Up TravelAurora, CO

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Daniel GenungHarr Enterprises TravelRedlands, CA

SAN DIEGO Merris Gold-DrewFirst Class TravelSan Diego, CA

SOUTH FLORIDA David Gedansky, CHATravel LeadersAventura, FL

SOUTHEAST Susan H. Aft, ACCDiscount Travel and CruiseAtlanta, GA

SOUTHWEST Frances A. Lindsey, CTC, ACCOasis TravelPalestine, TX

UPPER MIDWEST Wendy Weigel, AAA Travel AgencyAAA MinneapolisMinneapolis, MN

UPSTATE NEW YORK Patrick R. Byrne, CLUM.P.B. Travel Service, Inc.Buffalo, NY

2008/2009

Chapter Presidents Council

ARGENTINA Cintia StellaWOW! ArgentinaBuenos Aires

AUSTRALIA Bruce WestSydney Express/BCDSydney

BRAZIL Robert PhillipsDiscoverBrazil/Intelligent Leisure Solu-tionsSalvador, Bahia

BULGARIA Evgeniya DonevaAlexander TourSofi a

CAMBODIA Tui Pakarate RuttenFirst TravelPenh Phnom Penh

W CANADA Robert DurantWD World TravelVancouver, BC

CHILE Adrian R. TurnerTravellersPuerto Montt

CHINA Xiong Yue, ChinaDestination Travel International Corp LtdBeijing

COSTA RICA Mario A. Leon, MCCGreenway Nature ToursSan Jose

CROATIA Andrea BlazekovicSperanza Travel AgencyZagreb

CZECH REPUBLIC Jiri Muhr4seasoneuropePrague

ECUADOR Fernando CalderonMaxiviajes Ecuador Tours S.A.Quito

EGYPT Mamdouh El SebaiEgitalloyd TravelCairo

GERMANY Hans-Joerg SchulzeBBS Berliner Baeren Stadtrundfahrt GmbHBerlin

GHANA Teye DokuRylax Travel and Tours LtdAccra

GREECE Paul J. HolevasCruiseclub Holidays Ltd.Athens

INDIA Rajeev KohliCreative Travel Private, Ltd.New Delhi

IRAN Massoud NematollahiPars Tourist AgencyShiraz

IRELAND Michael DoorleyShandon Travel Ltd.Cork,

ISRAEL Waleed Afi fi Nazarene ToursNazareth

ITALY Fabio Beninca CimaTravel Fasigest/Fasi GesturRome

JAPAN Yoshihiro HaradaNippon Travel Agency Co., Ltd.Tokyo

JORDAN Naser A. ZatarahZatarah & Co. Tourist & TravelAmman

KENYA Joshua NyieraAcacia Holidays LimitedNairobi

KUWAIT Naser RezqallaThe One and Only Aviation Co.Hawally

LEBANON Lina GhaziGhazi Travel AgencyBeirut,

MALAYSIA Dato Nelson PungRemix Travel SDN BHDKuala Lumpur

2008/2009

International Chapter Presidents Council

MALDIVES Yoosuf Riffath, Managing DirectorCapital Travel & Tours Pvt. Ltd.Male

MALTA Joseph A. BugejaGlobalair Travel LtdSaint Julians

MEXICO Gines MartinezJumbo Tours GroupCancun

NEPAL Harish MabohangOrion Travel P Ltd

NETHERLANDS Perry van de WielTravelhome BVWaalre

NIGERIA Edmund Yomi JonesSix Continents Travels & ToursLagos

PAKISTAN Mahmud AhmadBonds Travel BureauKarachi

PERU Veronica N. de WicksTucano Reps. Peru Latin Trails SACLima

PHILIPPINES Victor S. LimlinganCristina Travel CorporationManila

PORTUGAL Eduardo NevoaPalme-Viagens E Turismo, Sa.Lisbon

ROMANIA Petre BalasPeter ExpressBucharest

SAUDI ARABIA Fayyaz H. Siddiqui, CTAHajeej Travel Tours & Umrah ServicesJeddah

SINGAPORE Cathy ThangGreen Island Tours (S) Pte LtdSingapore

SOUTH AFRICA Johanna SchuttenUni Travel (PTY) LtdCape Town

SPAIN Alexander Maximillian GrayY Si Viajas S.L.Las Rozas

SRI LANKA Raju ArasaratnamJetwing Travels (Pvt.) LimitedColombo

SYRIA Ghassan AidiChamtourDamascus

TANZANIA Faiza PunjaWinglink Travel LimitedDares Salaam

THAILAND Pitsanu Gary Kongkunpai24 Jan. TravelBangkok

TURKEY Ceylan PirincciogluVIP Tourism TurkeyIstanbul

UNITED ARAB EMI Raed M. Al KiswaniMouta International TravelsAbu Dhabi

UNITED KINGDOM Andrew F. GilmourMontrave InternationalFife

VIETNAM Truong Quang LeDirecTravelAsia Co, LtdHo Chi Minh City

Airlines and Airwaves

2008 dawned with airlines dominating

the horizon. The year had barely be-

gun when ASTA submitted comments

to the Department of Transportation

(DOT) on the subject of oversales and

denied boarding compensation. In its

1ST QTR

comments, ASTA provided numerous recom-

mendations for updating the more than 20-year

old rules that govern the process with an eye

to reducing the number of instances in which

a person is bumped from a fl ight. That same

month, ASTA again fi led comments with the

DOT, the fi rst set on enhancing passenger pro-

tections and a second regarding the quality of air

service. January concluded with the appointment

of Paul Ruden, senior vice president for ASTA’s

Legal and Industry Affairs, by U.S. Secretary of

Transportation Mary Peters to the National Task

Force to Develop Model Contingency Plans to

Deal with Lengthy Airline On-Board Ground

Delays (Tarmac Delay Task Force). He was the

only member of the travel agency industry to be

appointed to the 35-member group, which was

otherwise composed of representatives from

airlines, airport and consumer groups.

January was also the month in which ASTA

continued its fi ght against the Airlines Report-

ing Corp.’s (ARC) proposed annual fee increases.

ASTA, along with Carlson Travel Network As-

sociates and UNIGLOBE Travel USA LLC, fi led

their opening arguments and exhibits with the

Independent Arbitration Panel (IAP). Before the

month was through, ASTA announced it would

fi le a complaint on behalf of an ASTA member

against ARC over the unauthorized drafting of

travel agents’ accounts and joined forces with

other industry groups in opposition to a new

interpretation of the Passenger Vessel Services

Act. Were it to pass, this interpretation would

cause severe economic hardship to travel agents,

as well as the entire industry.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts jump

started its year with the inclusion of a pro-

posed hotel merchant occupancy tax on services

provided by travel intermediaries. ASTA quickly

moved into action, and ASTA Premium Member

Robert Malmberg, president of Malmberg Travel

(Boston), would go on to submit testimony

before the Commonwealth’s Joint Committee

on Revenue speaking out in opposition of the

proposed tax.

Premium members were also on the receiving

end of a white paper, Analysis of 2007 ARC Sales

Statistics, which took a look at current sales

trends, predictions and estimated demands. All

ASTA members benefi ted from the efforts of

ASTA’s Research department with fi rst-quarter

reports, such as the 2007 ASTA GDS Report,

which provided recipients with a deeper un-

derstanding of travel agency distribution trends

related to GDS usage and contract terms. The re-

port includes benchmarking data and trends on

GDS usage, contract lengths and negotiations,

incentives, penalties and an evaluation of GDS

systems. The study is the only industry report

of its kind to specifi cally examine travel agency

fi nancial benchmarks, including revenue sources

and annual travel agent revenue.

February brought with it the 2008 ASTA Mem-

ber Profi le, and the following month saw the

publication of ASTA’s second annual fi nancial

study, the 2007 Financial Benchmarking Report.

The results of this survey provide ASTA mem-

bers with benchmarking data to assist them in

pinpointing areas of excellence and those in

which they need to improve. ASTA also part-

nered with Community Marketing Inc. (CMI) in

producing the 12th Annual Gay & Lesbian Tour-

ism Study, through which ASTA members would

gain a better understanding of opportunities in

the gay and lesbian travel market.

Even with spring still a few weeks off, ASTA as

an organization publicly went green. ASTA staff

took the lead in making key changes within

the offi ce to not only help the environment but

reduce ASTA’s bottom line expenses. Among the

initiatives, the Society announced it would now

print marketing and other materials on recycled

paper, use non-disposable silverware and cups,

electronic timesheets and leave request forms,

and encourage staff to recycle further with the

placement of numerous recycling bins through-

out the offi ce. Coinciding with this announce-

ment was ASTA’s plan to create a Green Mem-

ber program.

Just as ASTA was making changes to its opera-

tions, the association provided members with

new online tools, namely a Learning Commu-

nity/Bulletin Board exclusively for international

members, and the WebExchange, an online

business-to-business tool that connects travel

agents and suppliers. Thanks to the WebEx-

change, ASTA members can now exchange

information about business opportunities, post

special requests and fi nd specifi c industry infor-

mation in an instant. Around this time, ASTA

also signifi cantly enhanced its consumer Web

site, TravelSense.org, making it more interac-

tive for site visitors and allowing them to search

for travel tips and destination articles, purchase

travel books and guides and provide feedback to

the Society with greater ease.

In order to better communicate to the industry

the importance of ASTA membership and the

many initiatives it undertakes on behalf of its

members on a daily business, ASTA offi cials met

with members of the key travel trade publica-

tions during the fi rst quarter. As ever, showcas-

ing the value of using an ASTA travel agent to

consumers also was top of mind in 2008. To that

end, ASTA renewed its agreement with the XM

Satellite Radio program “Traveling with Paul Las-

ley and Elizabeth Harryman” show in a 26-week

series of travel tips featuring ASTA travel agents.

And, thanks to a year-long partnership with

the North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS),

ASTA embarked on series of 2-column newspa-

per articles and radio spots promoting ASTA’s

consumer Web site, TravelSense.org, and the use

of an ASTA travel agent. These spots, distributed

to newspapers and radio stations nationwide,

debuted in 2008 with a piece on student and

spring break travel that ran in more than 240

media outlets in 22 states.

ASTA also was featured prominently in a sup-

plement on international get-aways that ran in

the Wall Street Journal in March and reached

more than 2 million readers, as well as in the

program guide for the Adventures in Travel Expo,

which saw tens of thousands of Americans at-

tend. Additionally, the Society reached out to

consumers with physical challenges through a

partnership with Accessible Travel magazine in

which ASTA ran a full-page ad and an article

from ASTA President and CEO Cheryl Hudak,

CTC, talking about the importance of working

with a professional ASTA travel agent when

making travel plans. Thanks in part to a series

of press releases providing tips for purchasing

Super Bowl and Spring Break packages, as well

as the hottest destinations for summer travel,

trips with teens and those taking a second hon-

eymoon, ASTA received mention in such publi-

cations the Washington Post, CNN Interactive,

USA Today, Honolulu Advertiser, Miami Herald

and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Within the industry, ASTA expanded its reach

through speaking engagements at various

chapter meetings and such industry events as

the Africa Tourism Symposium, the Platinum

Cruise seminar and the Boston Globe and New

York Times Travel Shows. Also, ASTA’s Corporate

Advisory Council (CAC) held its fi rst meeting of

the year in New Orleans in March, launching a

year-long ASTA initiative to hold its meetings in

the Crescent City.

March was a month of change as Joanie Ogg,

founder and president of the National Associa-

tion of Commissioned Travel Agents, left the or-

ganization to take on new challenges within the

industry; Scott Koepf, CTC, MCC, an industry

veteran and vice president of strategic business

units for Sabre Holdings, Inc., was tapped to fi ll

the newly vacant position.

The fi rst quarter closed on a high note as ASTA

announced that the third ASTAPAC Chari-

table Match Program benefi ted 19 charitable

organizations across the United States in 2007.

Each year, ASTA’s Corporate Advisory Council

(CAC) provides funds for the program. Through

the program, ASTA challenges its chapters to

meet certain political action fundraising criteria.

Thirteen chapters qualifi ed for the CAC funds,

disbursed on a fi rst-come, fi rst-serve basis with

the Midwest chapter coming in with a record-

breaking fundraising effort of almost $16,000.

The Taxman Cometh?2ND QTR

April kicked off what was to be a busy

time for the Society. As the second

quarter began, ASTA announced that it

would continue to contribute to

New Orleans’ recovery efforts by holding its key

internal meetings in the Crescent City over the

next 18 months. Additionally, ASTA turned the

administration of its ASTA Foundation scholar-

ships over to Tourism Cares, a non-profi t charity

that encourages the travel and tourism industry

to give back to society through grants to natu-

ral, cultural and historic sites worldwide among

other initiatives.

April also saw the publication of two white

papers, the fi rst providing members with the

necessary information to help them in managing

their inactive airline segments, while the public

relations guide, Hiring a PR Firm, walked mem-

bers through the process of selecting and hiring

a PR agency.

Travel agents from across the globe headed to

Lyon, France, for ASTA’s third International Des-

tination Expo (IDE) (April 12-16), where nearly

1,000 travel professionals from 47 countries,

gathered to learn about the culture, attractions

and travel business of the city often referred to

as “the gateway to Europe.” Agents who took ad-

vantage of these educational seminars returned

home as France Destination Specialists in such

niches as European honeymoons, culinary tours,

river barges and cruises, soft adventure and the

Beaujolais and Rhône-Alps region. The 2008 IDE

closed with the announcement that Sun City,

South Africa, would be host to the 2009 Interna-

tional Destination Expo, March 8-12.

The event also held its fi rst global business day,

created with a goal of helping members increase

global contacts and networking opportunities.

The day featured a summit and international

travel agent networking forum which allowed

attendees the chance to participate in roundtable

discussions on important topics such as how in-

ternational agents are dealing with airline com-

mission cuts, how to do business in the United

States and how to improve marketing reach.

While in Lyon, ASTA’s Board of Directors met

and approved a new membership category–that

of International Premium Membership. The

Board also approved ASTA’s membership in the

World Travel Agents Associations Alliance, an or-

ganization whose aim it is to facilitate exchanges

of information and advice on matters of mutual

interest to its members around the globe.

No sooner had the IDE ended, than ASTA went

public with its new Green Member Program at a

media event in New York City, attended by press

from the Wall Street Journal, Business Travel

News and all the major travel trade publica-

tions. The program consists of educational and

promotional resources that enable travel agents

and suppliers to increase their knowledge of

travel’s impact on the environment and high-

light to consumers their commitment to keeping

travel an environmentally friendly business. The

event was also the opportunity to introduce the

program’s founding sponsors: Travelport, the

founding global partner, and Avis/Budget Group,

an Industry Green Leader sponsor.

The early part of the second quarter was also

an extremely busy time on the legislative front.

ASTA rallied its members in Florida behind leg-

islation by Senator Mike Haridopolos that called

excluding travel intermediary fees from occu-

pancy taxes. On April 18, the Orlando Sentinel

featured a letter to the editor from ASTA Pre-

mium Member William Jacob, president of Reid

Travel (Boca Raton, Fla.), outlining the negative

impact the hotel occupancy tax would have on

Florida tourism and travel agency industries

were the legislation to pass. A few weeks later,

trouble was narrowly averted when Senator Ha-

ridopolos’ language was defeated by a three vote

margin at the eleventh hour.

Not to be outdone, Maine also moved to in-

crease its tax revenue base in April when LD

1833, an Act to Provide Property Tax and Income

Tax Relief, was put forth. If successful the bill

would levy a 5-percent tax on numerous ser-

vice industries, possibly including travel agen-

cies. ASTA called upon Maine members to use

ASTA’s State Legislative Program and send

their state representatives a customizable letter

opposing the tax to state legislators. When the

Maine Legislature adjourned on April 16, it did

so without passage of the 5-percent service tax,

thanks in no small part to the work of ASTA and

its Maine members.

ASTA Senior Vice President of Legal and In-

dustry Affairs Paul Ruden was a panelist at two

sessions hosted by the DOT as part of the Miami

Aviation Consumer Forum. These sessions were

designed to explain to the public the role of vari-

ous industry segments in such areas as tarmac

delay, fl ight irregularities, baggage and notifying

consumers of departures and delays.

The Travel Agent Arbiter also came out with a

response to the claim ASTA had fi led earlier in

the year on behalf of a member travel agent and

ARC regarding the unauthorized withdrawal

of funds through Payment Express. The arbiter

dismissed the case without prejudice, claiming

that he lacked the authority to hear the dispute.

Not surprisingly, ASTA “respectfully and fun-

damentally” disagreed with the analysis of the

dispute and the reasoning behind this judgment.

In response, ASTA defended the travel agency

community by stating that “the outcome places

all travel agents in the position of having no

expert remedy available for what we believe to

be an abuse of the relationship between travel

agents and ARC.” ASTA indicated that it would

pursue other venues in which to have the case

resolved.

The subject of airlines dominated the spring,

with ASTA fi ling a request with the Department

of Transportation to defer a decision regarding

a request to grant sweeping antitrust immunity

to a major international joint venture, including

requests by the SkyTeam and Northwest/KLM

alliances. Just a month earlier, several airlines

had announced they were declaring bankruptcy.

Following these announcements, ASTA issued a

series of tips, as well as resources for both travel

agent members and consumers on how to best

deal with the issues arising from these fi lings.

Shortly after, Premium Members received a

white paper detailing the outcome of an Airline

Payment Summit, where key players from the

nation’s major airlines discussed and debated

alternate payment products and the question

of whether airlines should move to payment

surcharges.

When the DOT issued guidance requiring

airlines to provide advance notice of additional

fees, such as those associated with checked bag-

gage, it included language that left travel agents

vulnerable should they fail to disclose these fees.

ASTA stepped in and met with top DOT offi cials

to ask that the department create a policy that

would not unfairly hold travel agents liable in

the event that the airlines themselves failed to

provide timely information regarding these fees.

Massachusetts became the focus of ASTA’s leg-

islative muscle following a move by the Massa-

chusetts Senate to adopt language taxing travel

agents’ service fees when booking hotel rooms in

the Commonwealth. Were this to pass, Massa-

chusetts would be the fi rst state in the nation to

pass this harmful tax and subject agents’ income

stream to double taxation. ASTA members in

the Commonwealth were urged to contact their

State Senator and Representative via ASTA’s e-

mail alert system and ask that they oppose this

hotel occupancy tax language.

In an ongoing effort to promote the associa-

tion’s hard work on behalf of the industry, ASTA

President and CEO Cheryl Hudak, CTC, spoke

at Cruise-a-thon in May. Meanwhile, the asso-

ciation provided the traveling public with tips on

creating a stress-free summer travel experience.

In early summer, Hudak would assume the role

of spokesperson for a satellite media tour (SMT)

providing Americans with money-saving tips for

summer travel. Among the sponsors were Gre-

nada, Embassy Suites Hotels and Travel Guard.

All told, the SMT would reach more than 6.7

million Americans and be aired 567 times, either

on TV or radio.

ASTA also announced its line-up of featured

debaters for its fi rst ever Retail Travel Leadership

Summit. The event would be held in conjunction

with THETRADESHOW and was designed to

bring together industry leaders and executives

from top-tier travel companies while fostering

open discussions and debates on pressing travel

industry issues. On tap to debate were: Marc

Rosenberg with Air Canada; Noreen Courtney-

Wilds with Jetblue Airways; Chris Kroeger with

Sabre Travel Network North American and Get

There; and Flo Lugli with Travelport GDS on the

topic of the Future of GDS-Who Will Pay? Mark

Pestronk with the Law Offi ce of Mark Pestronk,

P.C., was selected to serve as the discussion

leader. Debating the issue of the fi nancial future

of the cruise industry would be Adam Aron,

chairman and CEO of personal consulting fi rm

World Leisure Partners, Inc., and Robert Si-

monson, an analyst with William Blair & Co., a

Chicago-based investment fi rm. Later, thanks

to the sponsorship of Auto Europe/Destination

Europe, Joe Scarborough, former congressman

and host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” was named

as the keynote speaker.

Around this time, ASTA issued its 2007 Labor &

Compensation Report, designed to assist travel

agencies in benchmarking their compensation,

benefi ts and hiring practices. The following

month, on the heels of a successful retention

campaign, in which 91 percent of Premium

Members renewed, ASTA would issue an exclu-

sive Premium Member report: the 2008 Suppli-

er-Travel Agent Relationship Marketing Report.

This paper provided readers with in-depth in-

sight and analysis into how suppliers and travel

agents work, covering preferred supplier rela-

tionships, booking channels used, incentives and

the usefulness of supplier education programs.

June was a busy month for the association as it

unveiled a series of benefi ts for its membership,

among them 50 online tools. Thanks to an online

interactive salary tool, ASTA’s agency owners

and managers, as well as current and prospective

employees, would now be able to see where they

rank in terms of salary and benefi ts. Utilizing the

tool, ASTA travel agency owners and managers

can benchmark their employee’s salaries against

others in their region, while employees and

those looking for jobs can see how their pay or

a proposed salary compares against their peers.

Other fi nancial tools released in June were a bal-

ance sheet, an operating expenses benchmark-

ing tool and the agent productivity/expectation

profi tability tool.

The start of summer brought with it accolades

for ASTA Vice President of Government Affairs

Barbara O’Hara, who, upon her retirement after

nearly 30 years of service to ASTA, became the

fi rst recipient and namesake of the Interactive

Travel Services Association (ITSA) Advocacy

Award. That same month would fi nd ASTA’s

senior vice president of legal and industry af-

fairs Paul Ruden, testifying before the House

Committee on Small Business on How the Air

Transportation Crisis is Hurting Travelers, En-

trepreneurs and the Economy. In his testimony,

Ruden addressed the negative effect the airline

crisis had on leisure and business travel, as well

on the travel agency industry, specifi cally. Ruden

highlighted two worrisome developments–ad-

ditional ticket restrictions and checked baggage

fees–that illustrated the troubling direction of

the airline industry.

Soaring Fuel Prices, Sinking Economy

July brought with it grim news as the

nation turned its attention to soaring

gas prices and an escalating mortgage

crisis. Closer to home, the news for

travel agents was considerably brighter

as ASTA declared victory in its case

3RD QTR

against the Airlines Reporting Corp.’s (ARC)

proposed annual fee increase. The Independent

Arbitration Panel (IAP) found that ARC failed to

meet its burden of proof to show that the new

annual administrative fees it adopted on Dec.

6, 2007, represented a fair allocation of costs

between carriers and agents.

In a statement issued by ASTA, Cheryl Hudak,

CTC, ASTA president and CEO, said: “Today’s

ruling shows that David can bring down Goliath

when you have right on your side. This is a tre-

mendous victory, not just for ASTA but for travel

agents across the country who now will not be

subject to unconscionable annual fee increases

that could have risen by as much as 500 percent

in coming years.” The victory, ASTA was quick

to point out came as a result of the hard work

of many groups including ASTA’s Corporate

Advisory Council. Among those instrumental in

the win were Carlson Wagonlit Travel Network

Associates and Uniglobe Travel USA LLC, and

in particular Andrew Henry (Uniglobe), Don

Kennedy (Carlson), Priscilla Alexander (Protravel

International) and Allan Huntley (Abacus Travel)

who served as agency witnesses in the appeal.

ASTA continued its unbroken record in its fi ght

against anti-travel agent tax provisions at the

state level in July when Massachusetts Governor

Deval Patrick signed the Massachusetts corpo-

rate tax bill, minus a provision that would have

taxed travel agents’ service fees for the online

booking of hotel rooms in the Commonwealth.

Had the original provision passed, it would have

meant an unprecedented double tax on travel

agencies’ income stream, posing a serious threat

to hundreds of traditional agencies in Massachu-

setts, 98 percent of which are small businesses.

Several months later, Florida would move into

the forefront again when ASTA fi led a brief

against the state, in ABC Charters v. Bronson, a

case brought against the state of Florida by 16

travel agencies specializing in travel to Cuba. In

its brief, ASTA laid out its opinion that proposed

amendments to the state’s seller of travel law

violated multiple provisions of the Constitution.

The amendments in question would signifi cantly

increase registration fees, security bonds and

potential fi nes for fi rms selling trips directly to

any nation designated by the State Department

as state sponsor of terrorism. At the federal level,

ASTA held a week of grassroots political ac-

tion, during which time it encouraged members

to meet with their state representatives at their

district offi ces while Congress was on break.

With summer in full swing, ASTA members

elected to the Board of Directors Lila Ford, CTC,

Mike McCulloh, Chris Russo, Kari Thomas and

Carol Wagner. George Delanoy, Lynda Maxwell,

CTC, Irene C. Ross, CTC, and K. Hope Wallace,

CTC, would fi nish out the fi nal year of their

terms.

As the summer progressed and temperatures

continued to soar in Washington, so did the cost

of gasoline across the country. Among those

industries hardest hit was, again, the travel

industry. Accordingly, ASTA joined forces with

several industry allies to hold a series of meet-

ings on Capitol Hill to explain to key members

of Congress the effect of the aviation fuel crisis

on the travel and tourism industry. ASTA also

united with six industry associations to create

the Packaged Travel Industry Coalition with a

goal of working on issues of shared importance,

especially those areas pertaining to government

relations, airline issues and sustainable travel.

Talk of an economic slowdown soon dominated

the headlines, and in response ASTA presented

its members with a virtual seminar on Surviv-

ing and Thriving in the Economic Slow-Down;

a month later, ASTA held a seminar designed to

give members marketing tips and methodolo-

gies designed especially for the current econom-

ic environment. Later that summer, ASTA would

release additional online tools, allowing mem-

bers the opportunity to provide their clients with

customizable packing lists and download their

membership certifi cates, among other things.

In August, as several states including California

took legal action against multi-level marketing

(MLM) fi rms, ASTA reiterated its opposition to

MLMs and card mills. In a statement released to

the industry, ASTA President and CEO Cheryl

Hudak, CTC, said: “While it may be possible for

an MLM to operate within the law, when the

rewards for participating individuals are based

primarily on recruiting additional participants

and not on selling the underlying product, it is

appropriate for governments at both the fed-

eral and state level to investigate and act where

deception and abuse are occurring. … Card mills

are a different type of operation … ASTA has

actively opposed card mills for decades. We fi led

suit in California and the case was settled by

our collecting and destroying the cards that had

been issued. We also complained to the Federal

Trade Commission, but our request for a trade

regulation rule was denied in large part due to

lack of support from the supplier community.”

With limited resources, ASTA made its dol-

lars stretch far through its partnership with

the North American Precis Syndicate, which

continued to distribute 2-column articles and

60-second radio spots to media outlets across

the country. By late summer, ASTA had pub-

lished stories on how and why to select a travel

agent, student travel tips, green travel, planning

a family-friendly trip, packing, selecting a cruise

and tips for saving money on summer travel.

Additionally, chapter offi cials were also provided

with a guide to securing publicity for their chap-

ter and members, thanks to a guide published

by ASTA’s Communications department, which

also provided incoming offi cials with media

training.

The summer also saw consumers disenchanted

with do-it-yourself sites returning to travel

agents. ASTA continued to reach out to con-

sumers through its Web site, TravelSense.org,

and over the summer added destination video

content for use by both consumers and members

selling a given destination. ASTA released its

Worldwide Destination Guide, showcasing in-

ternational members to U.S. travel agents, while

ASTA’s daily news roundup, ASTA SmartBrief,

continued to grow, reaching readership numbers

of more than 21,200 travel professionals by sum-

mer’s end. Editorials promoting the association

and its meetings also appeared in such publica-

tions as Destination UK, Travel Trade and Travel

Pulse throughout the summer.

ASTA’s Green Member programs continued

to gain popularity and in the summer of 2008

picked up two additional sponsors: American

Cruise Lines signed on as a Green Supporter,

while Amtrak came in at the Industry Leader

level.

In late summer and early fall, ASTA members re-

ceived two research reports. Premium Members

received the 2007 Service Fees Report, outlin-

ing the consulting business model that is now

shaping the travel agency industry landscape.

All members, meanwhile, received the 2008

Travel Agent Usage and Fee Sensitivity Study, a

report commissioned by ASTA with the travel

industry’s leading consumer research fi rm, D.K.

Shiffl et & Associates (DKS&A). The report pro-

vided the industry’s fi rst look at how consumers

perceive and value travel agency service fees.

Thanks to other new white papers, members

were given information to guide them through

the process of Buying or Selling a Travel Agency

as well as advice on Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in

Overseas Weddings.

September proved to be a busy month for the

association. Kicking off the month was THET-

RADESHOW, North America’s number one

travel show, Sponsored by 16 industry associa-

tions including ASTA, the event was one of

“fi rsts”–THETRADESHOW went “green” for

the fi rst time in keeping with industry trends

and debuted ASTA’s fi rst Retail Travel Leader-

ship Summit. The successful event, which was

to draw more than 3,000 industry professionals

to Orlando, Sept. 7-9, was also host to ASTA’s

International Travel Agent Summit. Held in

conjunction with the Global Business Day, the

summit brought together nearly 40 international

travel sellers from 18 countries to meet one-on-

one and discuss global travel industry issues.

The event would be followed later in the month

with an international membership week, during

which time ASTA spotlighted the many benefi ts

available to its international members.

During its annual meeting at THETRADE-

SHOW, ASTA presented its 2008 Travel Industry

Awards:

• Allied Member of the Year Award: Chris Aus-

tin, vice president of global customer part-

nerships/leisure and luxury sales, Starwood

Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.;

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Tom Conlin,

founder, Conlin Travel (Ann Arbor, Mich.);

Fred Miller, CTC, former vice president of

travel industry relations, Marriott Interna-

tional;

• Travel Agent of the Year: Kathy Sudeikis,

CTC, vice president of corporate relations,

All About Travel (Mission, Kansas);

• Travel Hall of Fame: Al Minkoff, CTC,

founder, GEM and Cruiselink;

• Travel Journalist: Cliff Cooke, founding pub-

lisher, JAX FAX Travel Marketing Magazine;

and

• Young Professional: Stephanie Lee, market-

ing director, TravelQuest (Albertville, Minn.).

ASTA also held its annual Advocacy Dinner,

an evening during which speakers and spe-

cial guests celebrated ASTA’s value in shaping

political policies affecting the business of sell-

ing travel. Orlando was also the location for the

third Premium Member Business Summit, in

which ASTA’s Premium Members again gath-

ered to share their business insights and hear

from industry leaders on the state-of-play within

the travel sector.

At THETRADESHOW, ASTA’s Board of Direc-

tors convened to elect its new Executive Com-

mittee: Chris Russo was elected to serve as

President and CEO with Hope Wallace as Vice

President/Secretary and George Delanoy as

Treasurer. While in Orlando, the International

Chapter Presidents Council would select Rob-

ert Durant (Canada Chapter) to serve as chair

and Andrew Gilmour of Montrave International

(U.K. Chapter) and Paul Holevas with Cruise-

club Holidays Ltd. (Greece Chapter) as co-vice

chairs. The 2008-2009 ASTA Board of Directors

would consist of the domestic national directors-

at-large, along with CAC representatives Roger

Block, CTC, (Carlson Leisure Group) and Ellen

Bettridge (American Express Travel Representa-

tive Network); ASTA Executive Vice President

and COO Bill Maloney, CTC (ex offi cio); Inter-

national Chapter Presidents Council Chair Rob-

ert Durant; and chapter presidents Scott Pin-

heiro (Northern California Chapter), John Lovell

(Michigan Chapter) and Pat Byrne (Upstate New

York Chapter).

With increasing competition for consumers’

disposable income, ASTA held its fi rst Search

Engine Optimization week, during which time

ASTA instructed its members through live Q&A

sessions on how to increase traffi c to their Web

sites and overcome challenges in a competitive

online travel market. The Society also held a

Webinar providing members with an overview

of the many benefi ts available to them through

ASTA.org.

A Time of Hope

With Fall in full swing, the nation’s

attention was drawn to the upcom-

ing presidential election, even as the

economy continued to worsen and

markets were sent into a downward

spiral.

4TH QTR

ASTA was active on the Hill, praising the Senate

for passage of a fi nancial markets rescue bill and

calling on the Small Business Administration to

provide direct loans to small businesses. And,

with the announcement by the Department of

Homeland Security (DHS) of new fi nal Secure

Flight regulations, ASTA was pleased to note

that many of the extensive comments it had fi led

regarding the proposed rule were acted upon

favorably in the fi nal rule. ASTA would again

play an integral role in another fi nal report, this

one issued from the Tarmac Delay Task Force on

which ASTA held a seat.

At the state level, ASTA played an active role in

successfully blocking amendments to the Florida

Sellers of Travel Law. In October, a federal judge

in Miami ruled that the new restrictions would

likely be declared unconstitutional and barred

the state from enforcing them. In a statement,

ASTA President and CEO Chris Russo noted

that were it not for ASTA’s efforts “this law

would have impeded Florida agents’ ability to

freely sell travel and could have placed an un-

precedented fi nancial and disciplinary burden on

them.” Elsewhere, in Massachusetts, the pro-

posed hotel occupancy tax would fail to advance

out of committee.

Cognizant of its members’ need for up-to-date

business information in the face of increas-

ing economic woes, ASTA quickly distributed a

series of education and informational resources

over the fi nal months of 2008. In October, ASTA

released its Travel Agent’s Management Toolkit.

Sponsored by Best Western, this interactive tool-

kit was designed to provide ASTA members with

the essential tools to assist them in running their

businesses in a more effi cient and profi table way.

Once the program was completed, travel agents

would be able to: develop an income statement,

balance sheet and key fi nancial ratios; forecast

profi tability by using fi nancial forecasting tools;

assess their agency’s staffi ng needs; and develop

and write marketing and business plans.

That same month, ASTA released a white paper

covering the Importance of Investing in a Reces-

sion, as well as a paper reviewing the Agent Re-

porting Agreement, which summarized changes

to the agreement that were to become effective

Nov. 10. Other white papers released that month

were geared to home-based and host agencies.

The Home-Based Agent Guide: Must-have Mar-

keting Tools and Tactics provided both seasoned

and novice home-based agents with essential

marketing strategies and an overview of the

technology they would need to maximize their

business. Premium Members were on the receiv-

ing end of Host Agency Management, a guide to

assist them in reducing their chance of dealing

with unscrupulous independent contractors.

Soon after, with the economy showing no signs

of improvement, ASTA offered a white paper

targeted at those travel agency managers and

owners who were already looking for creative

business practices they could use to keep their

agency afl oat during tough economic times. The

guide, State Work Share Programs: Are They a

Viable Alternative to Lay-offs?, examined pro-

grams across the country that allow employers

to avoid lay-offs by reducing the work week and

using unemployment insurance funds to pay

workers short-time compensation. And, as the

implementation date for the Electronic System

for Travel Authorization (ESTA) loomed, ASTA

released a reference guide for travel agents wish-

ing to assist customers interested in traveling to

the United States and updated its white paper,

Travel Agents’ Guide to Debit Memos.

Webinars were also a top means of educating

association members in 2008. To that end, ASTA

held Webinars on such subjects as ARC and state

issues; Secure Flight and the Visa Waiver Pro-

gram; opportunities for revenue growth using

new ASTA research;, ASTA’s upcoming Interna-

tional Destination Expo; tips on weathering the

economic downturn; and debit memos. Through

a partnership with KRM Information Services,

ASTA also brought its members a virtual semi-

nar entitled Understanding the Financial Crisis

of 2008 and What It Means to You.

Online tutorials were added to ASTA.org, allow-

ing members to learn more about their online

benefi ts at a time convenient to them. Housed in

the Video/Audio Library, these tutorials covered

a range of subjects from updating or adding a

photo to one’s profi le on TravelSense.org’s “Find

a Travel Agent” directory to using the online me-

dia guide to promote one’s agency.

ASTA’s “green initiatives” continued to expand

in the fi nal quarter of 2008 with the release of an

enhanced Green Member program. The ex-

panded program now offered members updated

sections on ground transportation, accommo-

dations, green resources and marketing. And

for those who complete the Green Member

program and have their Green Member appli-

cations approved, a customizable press release

they can use in promoting their new designation

to their local media and community. ASTA also

joined forces with the United Nations Founda-

tion when it joined the Foundation’s steering

committee to set and promote its global sustain-

able tourism criteria. Closer to home, ASTA staff

took part in World Responsible Tourism Day, by

volunteering at Mount Vernon–George Washing-

ton’s home–to clear brush and debris from the

property’s forested areas. Before year-end, ASTA

would be called on by the Union of Concerned

Scientists to assist them in promoting their

green travel guide.

Continuing in its efforts to promote the value of

ASTA travel agents to the traveling public, ASTA

disseminated to newspapers across the country

an article providing tips for stress-free holiday

travel. All told, thanks in part to its partner-

ship with NAPS, by year-end, ASTA’s message

would reach more than 151 million Americans.

Additional articles running in papers across

the country would be read by an estimated 235

million Americans. However, it wasn’t solely

through the consumer press that ASTA saw its

reach grow: ASTA’s daily news roundup, ASTA

SmartBrief, saw subscriber numbers reach more

than 23,600 readers by the end of 2008.

ASTA’s president and CEO, Chris Russo, spoke

out on behalf of ASTA and the value of member-

ship at Travel Trade’s Leisure Travel Conference

in November, while Bill Maloney, ASTA Execu-

tive Vice President and COO would speak to an

international audience at World Travel Market,

addressing the issue of whether consumers are

still willing to pay for the services of a travel

agent.

The National Association for Commissioned

Travel Agents (NACTA), a subsidiary of ASTA,

would receive a makeover when it unveiled its

new logo and new name: the National Associa-

tion of Career Travel Agents. It would also be the

subject of a research report issued in December.

The 2008 NACTA Independent Agents Report

revealed several shifts within the independent

agent population and found that selling travel

was the primary source of income for only 34.3

percent of respondents. Other research dis-

seminated by ASTA to its members would be an

abstract, exclusive to members, from the 13th

Annual Gay 7 Lesbian Tourism Study, the results

of an earlier partnership with CMI and ASTA.

As 2008 drew to a close, ASTA held its joint-

meeting of the Board of Directors and Chapter

Presidents Council, where among other things,

the group was updated on ASTA’s fi scal status,

approved the budget for the coming year and

learned that the Premium Membership category

now counted 167 members. Among the initia-

tives and decisions made at this session was that

the title of ASTA President and CEO would be

changed to ASTA President and Chair, while the

staff position would now hold the title of Chief

Executive Offi cer.

ASTAPAC had a successful year in which 84

percent of the candidates it supported for elec-

tion or re-election were successful in their bid

for offi ce.

Despite the economy, the year ended full of

promise as President Obama’s transition team

moved into action. ASTA was at the forefront,

making sure that the importance of the travel

industry to the national economy, and specifi -

cally the role travel agents play in the equation,

was not overlooked. Shortly after the historic

elections, ASTA reached out to the transition

team, asking that they make expanded lend-

ing for small businesses a priority in early 2009.

ASTA also called on the new administration to

lift the travel ban to Cuba, requesting that the

President-elect support American’s freedom to

travel. Additionally, ASTA met with key offi cials

from the Department of Commerce concerning

the involvement of local Chambers of Com-

merce in marketing tours.

ASTA kept up the pace through year-end, meet-

ing with the incoming administration’s transpor-

tation transition team to discuss priorities for the

coming year, and participating in a travel indus-

try forum to prepare coordinated set of proposals

to submit to the Obama transition team.

A Message from the Executive Offi ce With the start of 2008 came ASTA’s second full year under the new business plan and a validation by the marketplace that ASTA was headed in the right direction. Perhaps no other membership sector provided such confi rmation as the Premium category, which saw not only new members joining the ranks, but the renewal rate for those who purchased the service untested the previous year would far exceed everyone’s expectations.

As an association we were proud of our continued growth in the international marketplace. Our third International Destination Expo in Lyon was a resound-ing success, but more than that, ASTA’s international membership and chapters continued to grow and take advantage of the many online tools.

In 2008, ASTA delivered more value to its core membership–the travel agent–than ever before. The year was marked by skyrocketing fuel prices in the fi rst six months, followed by the start of a global economic crisis in the second half. Throughout it all, ASTA, and ASTA alone, provided members with up-to-the-minute data, vital data which could be used to keep their agencies going. Overnight ASTA provided tools which allowed travel agents to quickly assess airline and cruise fuel surcharges and new checked baggage fees as determined by class of service, destination, frequent fl ier status and other factors. In fact, in 2008 alone ASTA provided members with more than 50 online tools. During the year ASTA began a series of semi-weekly Webinars, which have proven to be the industry’s best source of travel business management information.

The year proved to be the year in which “Dedicated to the business of selling travel,” became more than a slogan; it became a meaningful promise, one that we intend to keep.

Bill Maloney, CTC

CEO

A & I Travel Service, Inc., Memphis, TN

AAA Allied Group, Inc., Cincinnati, OH

AAA Hoosier Motor Club, Indianapolis, IN*

AAA Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN*

ADA Travel, Casa Grande, AZ*

Admiral Travel Gallery, Sarasota, FL

ADTRAV Travel Management, Birmingham, AL

Advantage Performance Network, Savage, MN

Alamo Travel,San Antonio, TX

All About Travel, Inc., Tucson, AZ

All About Travel, Inc., Mission, KS*

All Direct Travel Services, Irvine, CA

All Seasons Travel Agency, Inc./American Express,

Birmingham, AL*

Allied Tour & Travel, Norfolk, NE*

Altour, New York, NY

American Express Retail Travel Network, New York, NY*

ATP International USA, New Haven, CT

Azumano Travel Service/American Express, Portland, OR*

Best Travel, Inc., Chicago, IL*

Blue Ribbon Business Travel International, Edina, MN

Bon Voyage Cruise & Vacations, Inc., Waterford, WI*

Branson Tourism Center, Branson, MO

Brea Travel/American Express, Brea, CA*

Brentwood Travel, Saint Louis, MO

Breton Village Travel Services, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI

Brownell Travel, Inc., Birmingham, AL

Bursch Travel/American Express, Alexandria, MN*

Campbell Travel, Inc., Dallas, TX

Canyon Creek Travel, Richardson, TX

Cardoza Travel Services, Inc., Palo Alto, CA

Carrousel Travel, Minneapolis, MN*

Casto, San Jose, CA

Centro De Viajes Terminal A S.L., Barcelona, Spain

Cerritos Travel, Inc., Cerritos, CA

Child Travel Services, Colchester, VT

Circles, Boston, MA

CME Tours, Inc., Phoenix, AZ

Cole Travel - American Express, Lexington Park, MD

Colpitts World Travel, Dedham, MA*

Colwick Travel Corporation, Dallas, TX

Condado Travel, Inc., Hato Rey, PR

Conlin Travel, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI

CruiseOne/Cruises Inc., Fort Lauderdale, FL

CWT All About Travel, Inc., Rowlett, TX

Designs by Strawberry, Inc., Sauk Village, IL

Distinct Destinations, LLC, Peoria, AZ

Empire Travel and Cruise Center, Denver, CO

Ensemble Travel, New York, NY*

Esprit Rainbow Travel, Bethesda, MD

Expedia, Inc., Bellevue, WA*

First Coast Tours, Inc. DBA -The Travel Agency,

Fernandina Beach, FL

First in Service Travel, New York, NY

Flathead Travel Service, Inc., Kalispell, MT*

Forest Lake Travel, Columbia, SC*

Four Seasons Travel, Norcross, GA

Fox World Travel, Inc., Oshkosh, WI

Friendly Travel Inc./American Express, Alexandria, VA*

Frosch International Travel, Houston, TX

Gant Travel Management, Itasca, IL

Geraci Travel, Fort Myers, FL*

Goli’s Avenues of Travel, Ltd., La Crosse, WI

Grueninger Cruises and Tours, Inc., Indianapolis, IN*

Herff Travel, Inc., San Antonio, TX

Hess Travel, Bountiful, UT

Hickory Travel Systems, Inc., Saddle Brook, NJ

HNL Travel Associates, Honolulu, HI

Hub Travel Center Inc., Bedford Park, IL

Hurley Travel Experts, Inc., Portland, ME

Leisure Travel Alliance, Inc., Austin, TX

Linden Travel, New York, NY*

MacNair Travel Management/American Express,

Alexandria, VA*

Maghreb Voyages, Marseille France

Mann Travels/American Express, Charlotte, NC

Mansour Travel Company, Beverly Hills, CA

Marathon Travel & Cruise Shops, Stevens Point, WI*

MAST Vacation Partners, Inc., Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Maupin Travel, Inc., Raleigh, NC

ASTA Premium Membership Roster as of May 2009

McCabe World Travel, Inc., Mc Lean, VA

MD Travel, Glendale, CA

Montrose Travel, Montrose, CA*

Morris Murdock Travel, Salt Lake City, UT

MSP Travel Group, Inc., Saint Paul, MN*

MTS Travel, Ephrata, PA*

Mundi Travel/American Express, San Jose, CA*

National Travel Service, Charleston, WV

Nexion, Southlake, TX

Omega World Travel, Fairfax, VA*

Orbitz Worldwide, Chicago, IL

Ovation Travel Group, New York, NY*

Passageways Travel/American Express, Traverse City, MI*

Paul L. Klein Travel Service, Inc., Chicago, IL

Phoenicia Viajes Travel Group, LLC, Orlando, FL

Plaza Tours/Vajes Plaza, San Juan, PR

Plaza Travel, Encino, CA

Poe Travel, Little Rock, AR

Polk Majestic Travel Group, Denver, CO

priceline.com Incorporated, Norwalk, CT

Protravel International, New York, NY*

RADIUS, Bethesda, MD*

Rich Worldwide Travel, New York, NY

San Diego Travel Group, San Diego, CA*

Santa Barbara Travel Bureau, Santa Barbara, CA

Signal Travel and Tours, Inc., Niles, MI*

Signature Travel Network, Marina del Rey, CA

Singer Travel, Wyomissing, PA

STA Travel, Lewisville, TX*

Sterling Travel Agency, Inc., Huntsville, AL*

Strong Travel Services, Inc., Dallas, TX*

Sue Brown Travel, Boca Raton, FL

Tampa Bay Travel Group, Palm Harbor, FL

Tangerine Travel LTD, Bothell, WA

Tempo Travel Dba Bay Travel Center, Parma, OH*

TerraMar Travel, Hemet, CA

The Travel Authority/TTA, Inc., Jeffersonville, IN*

The Travel Exchange, Ltd., Stamford, CT

The Travel Team, Inc/American Express, Buffalo, NY*

Tower Travel Management, Clarendon Hills, IL*

Travel and Transport, Inc., Omaha, NE*

Travel Counsellors LLC, USA, Saddle Brook, NJ

Travel Dynamics Group, Inc., La Jolla, CA

Travel Group, Englewood Cliffs, NJ*

Travel Leaders, Fort Wayne, IN

Travel Leaders, Houston, TX

Travel Leaders, Memphis, TN

Travel Leaders, Eden Prairie, MN*

Travel Leaders Rowlett, Myrtle Beach, SC

Travel Planners International, Inc., Maitland, FL

Travel Plus/Travel Leaders, Commerce Township, MI*

Travel Quest, Albertville, MN

Travel Resources, Inc., Palm Beach, FL

Travel Solutions, Inc. (OH), Columbus, OH

TraveLeaders, Miami, FL*

Travelink/American Express, Nashville, TN*

Travelocity, Washington, DC*

TravelStore, Los Angeles, CA

Tzell Travel, New York, NY*

Ultramar Travel Management International, New York, NY

Uni Travel (PTY) Ltd, Raggebaai, South Africa

Uniglobe Instant Travel, Inc., London, Ontario

Uniglobe Travel International, Irvine, CA*

Uniglobe Wings Travel, Blue Bell, PA*

Universal/Accent Travel - American Express,

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

USTravel, Anchorage, AK

Vacation.com, Alexandria, VA*

Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., New York, NY*

Vanguard Travel Unlimited, Golden Valley, MN*

Viking Travel Service, Naperville, IL*

Virtuoso, Fort Worth, TX

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Bentonville, AR

Wayland Travel, Inc., Wayland, MA

WD World Travel, Vancouver, BC

Wilcox Travel/American Express, Asheville, NC*

Will Travel, Inc., Langhorne, PA*

Willett Travel, Studio City, CA

Williamsburg Travel Management – AMEX, Atlanta, GA

World Travel Bureau, Inc., Santa Ana, CA*

World Travel Service, LLC, Tulsa, OK

Worldview Travel, Santa Ana, CA

Wright Travel, Nashville, TN

Your Travel Center, Inc., Santa Barbara, CA

*Charter Member

ASTA’s Proud PartnersThank you for your unwavering support of ASTA and the travel agency industy.

Our Proud Partners provide outstanding support to travel agents and ASTA throughout the year.

This support allows ASTA to represent our agent members effectively.

Travel Insured®

INTERNATIONAL