In Today’s Tough Business Climate, Trade Associations Play Critical Role

Marilee Crocker, www.travelmarketreport.com
The business environment for travel agents may be challenging today, but it would be far far worse were it not for the advocacy work of North America’s two leading trade associations – the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) and the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA).

That was the message from Zane Kerby, president and CEO of ASTA, and David McCaig, president and COO of ACTA, at Travel MarketPlace in Toronto at the end of June. The pair spoke on a panel about “Issues Facing the Travel Agent Community and How Associations Can Meet them.”

“If you think that not everything is perfect with the airlines and with other suppliers in this business, just take away ASTA and ACTA and see what it’s like then,” McCaig told agents attending the inaugural conference, which was hosted by Travel Market Report and sister company Acclaim Meetings. FULL STORY