Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008 - (Page 30)

Continued from page 29 PATH: The Professional Association of Travel Hosts was formed in 2007 and represents more than 24 host agencies. The roster of host members is expected to increase along with industry supplier members. Home-based agents should be alert to what PATH offers. PATH policies can be expected to influence all host agency programs—members or not. PATH’s stress on ethics and conduct is also significant for every home-based agent. For information, contact andi@ montrosetravel.com. TI: The Travel Institute (www.the travelinstitute.com) offers extensive and rigorous training, including programs designed for independent home-based agents. Its Certified Travel Counselors (CTC) designation is the gold standard for professional certification of travel agents. While fundamentally an educational organization, home-based agents should be aware of the Institute’s many programs. This includes its destination specialist, niche market and Certified Travel Associate (CTA) programs. New is the Certified Travel Industry Executive (CTIE) designation. Home-based agents who want to build credibility with clients and brand themselves as professionals should explore the Home-based Agent and Entry Level programs and resources. NTA: The National Tour Association (www.ntaonline.com) wants to attract more travel agents to its ranks, including home-based agents who are focused on marketing group tour programs. With more than 600 tour-operator members, the NTA is an industry powerhouse that encompasses U.S. and Canadian industry suppliers. NTA offers enormous resources for tour-selling professionals, including professional certification as a Certified Tour Professional, or CTP. Tour-operator volunteers lead the NTA. USTOA: The United States Tour Operators Association (www.ustoa.com) is an influential group of the world’s major tour operators. Its importance to 30 home-based agents lies in its USTOA Consumer Protection program and code of ethics. Home-based agents can check out member tour operators and their tour programs and costs. USTOA also offers informational resources online to support travel agents’ tour sales. Expertise in tour sales is growing in importance as a complement to cruise sales. ATA: Air Transportation Association (www. airlines.org) is useful as a resource on airline policies, programs and legislative activities. ABA: The American Bus Association (www.busses.org) is of interest to agents who deal with charters and group travel. Many other associations offer support for independent agents or are major sources of information on segments of the travel industry. These include major umbrella groups, such as the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) (www. tia.org) or specialized associations such as Travel Professionals of Color (TPOC) (www.tpoc.org). The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) (www. ahla.com) is also an influential voice. STAA: The Specialty Travel Agents Association (www.specialtytravelagents. com) was formed in 2007 to promote professional agents to consumers. STAA encourages independent-agent membership and offers resources and training. SATH: The Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (www.sath.org) is an established association offering agents support for handling disabled/handicapped travel. Many resources and links are provided along with training programs. NCMA: The Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance (www.nichecruise.com) wants to build awareness of the importance of niche cruise marketing opportunities and actively seeks home-based agent membership. NCMA also offers a new professional certification program. SYTA: The StudentYouth Travel Association (www.syta.org) offers programs for agents involved in the marketing of packaged student and youth travel. PATA: The Pacific Asia Travel Association (www.pata.org) provides extensive resources for agents who serve the fastgrowing inbound or outbound travel market in Asia and the Pacific region. WRTA: The Religious Travel Association (www.religioustravelassociation.com) is focused on the $18 billion religious travel market. NBTA: The National Business Travel Association (www.nbta.org) provides resources focused on the corporate/ business travel market. For more than 35 years, the association has dedicated itself to the professional development of its members and the advancement of the business travel management community through advocacy, education and training, and networking opportunities. HB Home-BasedTravelAgent MAY 2 0 0 8 http://airlines.org http://www.busses.org http://www.thetravelinstitute.com http://www.thetravelinstitute.com http://www.tia.org http://www.tia.org http://www.tpoc.org http://www.syta.org http://www.ahla.com http://www.ahla.com http://www.specialtytravelagents.com http://www.pata.org http://www.specialtytravelagents.com http://www.ntaonline.com http://www.religioustravelassociation.com http://www.sath.org http://www.nbta.org http://www.nichecruise.com http://www.ustoa.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008

Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: When It’s Just Not Worth It Publisher’s Note: Never Underestimate Your Lifeline: When Things Go Wrong, You May Need To Agent Spotlight: Odyssey Travel’s Michelle Duncan New Technology: Resources That Can Help You Quickly Industry News: Costa Names Field Sales Director Hot Deals: From the Caribbean to Canada and London Success Stories Independent Associations Southern Swing Mexico Dominican Republic Cover Story: Australia Family Trips Theme Tours New Products: Urban At Ease Laptop Messenger Bag

Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008

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