Travel Advisors Boost Political Contributions in These Highly Partisan Times

In a year when the American Society of Travel Advisors is ramping up advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill and at the state level, individual members are stepping up to the plate with increased contributions for political candidates who demonstrate support for travel advisor issues. Local chapters, travel agencies, and individual advisors donated a record $286,635 last year to the American Society of Travel Advisors Political Action Committee, a special fund established in 1979 for campaign contributions on the federal level, according to the PAC's just-released annual report. The amount exceeded the previous year’s total by over $55,000 and was nearly double the amount collected in 2014. “What it shows is that our industry is more unified than ever before,” said Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg, co-chair of the society’s government and political affairs committee and co-owner of Valerie Wilson Travel in New York. “What is really gratifying is that the contributions are increasing