These days, travel advisors need all of the support available when it comes to planning vacations, and there is no better source to turn to than the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA). Founded in 1972, it’s been a voice for integrity in tourism and an advocate for the industry.

Even if you’re familiar with USTOA, its services are so wide-ranging—from consumer protection to tools for selecting vacation packages to advice on qualifying clients—that it’s worth a closer look to learn about all of this organization’s benefits. The USTOA Specialist course on TravelAgentAcademy.com offers a quick-paced yet comprehensive primer on these services while instructing advisors on how best to leverage them.

Instilling Confidence

To inspire your clients to travel, not only do you need reliable information on health and safety measures, but you also must know which travel suppliers to confidently recommend. If you choose any of the nearly 150 tour operators from USTOA’s Active Member Directory, you will be assured of a financially stable, socially responsible partner.

You can successfully convey a supplier’s reliability to clients once you’ve learned about USTOA’s vetting process, which, among many things, requires Active Members to:

—Set aside $1 million of its funds to protect consumers’ deposits and payments

—Carry a minimum of $1 million professional Travel Agent/Tour Operator liability insurance

—Submit 18 references from industry and financial sources when applying for membership

—Accurately represent all facts, conditions and requirements relating to tours and vacation packages

Sales Help

USTOA is devoted to educating the public on the diversity and flexibility of tour experiences and has long recognized the needs of explorers worldwide, be they large or small groups, couples or even solo travelers of all ages and with many interests. It has developed a host of resources to help advisors reach out to them, such as:

—Instruction on qualifying customers

—Tips on overcoming misperceptions about tour products

—Advice on what to look for in a tour operator to please particular clients

—Dream Vacations tool to search member tour operator vacations by destination

Safety Guidelines

USTOA has joined with the Canadian Association of Tour Operators and the European Tourism Association to develop the TOURCARE Guidelines for tour operators to help stop the spread of COVID-19. To access this and other useful resources on safe travel, visit ustoa.com.