Articles tagged “asta”

Cultural tours to communities of color involve many parties: travel advisors, tour operators, service providers, travelers themselves, and more. So who's responsible for making sure that a trip to an indigenous community or a historically black neighborhood is carried out ethically?

The number of people with disabilities is increasing and travel advisors need to understand this demographic. If they don’t, not only will they lose business to specialist agencies, they may also risk prosecution.

A recent Today Show segment touting Costco Travel is riling ASTA, as are Four Seasons ads on Facebook promising perks for direct bookings. Travel advisors are irked as well, but are finding ways to hold their own.

As states look for new sources of tax revenue in the service-driven economy, businesses like travel agencies are viewed as likely targets. Part of the problem is ignorance among legislators of how agencies operate and why added taxes would be devastating for many.

Express Travel, a travel agency serving a largely Hispanic customer base, has built an extensive clientele over the past 30 years. Relationships, community involvement, and intimate awareness of how its clients like to travel have a lot to do with its success.

Running a home-based travel agency is not without its challenges, including isolation, getting motivated, and keeping work and personal life from colliding. Fortunately, there is plenty of support, including from industry peers, to help the process.

ASTA’s new Myanmar chapter and planned partnership with Myanmar tourism will give travel advisors new opportunities to learn about an emerging destination. However, it also raises ethical concerns about supporting a country that engages in ethnic cleansing.

The letter ASTA sent was over-ambitious and a little dramatic, but ultimately a smart move and way overdue.

There have been several new technologies, from the New Distribution Capability to direct-connect, and blockchain, that have at times shown promise in easing the grip of the global distribution systems. For the last 20 years, the incumbent distributors have always managed to exert or shore up their roles.

The closer relationship between the American Society of Travel Advisors and its subsidiary, the renamed ASTA Small Business Network, promises greater visibility for independents with consumers. However, the real winner may be the parent organization, given the growing importance of the independent sector.