WHY IT RATES: Travel agents should be taking note of the changes behind the scenes at the American Society of Travel Advisors.-Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.
At its August 23 meeting during the ASTA Global Convention in Washington DC, ASTA's Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) set its Executive Committee leadership roster for the 2018-2019 term.
During the meeting Kathy Bedell, Senior Vice President, Americas & Affiliate Program at BCD Travel in Atlanta, GA, was elected by her peers to a two-year term as Secretary, joining Denise Jackson (Chair) of Balboa Travel, Inc. in San Diego, CA and Michael Dixon (Vice Chair) of Travelink/American Express in Nashville, TN on the CAC Executive Committee. Jackson and Dixon moved up the ladder with the departure of Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg of Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc. in New York, NY from the Executive Committee after more than five years of service.
The CAC is made up of ASTA's largest travel agency (corporate and leisure), consortia, host, franchise and allied members, all with annual travel sales of at least $50 million. The Council works on issues of common interest to the travel advisor community, formulating a strategy to speak with one voice before federal regulators, Members of Congress, state legislators as well as other travel industry groups.
During the August meeting, the CAC welcomed the following new members who joined the Council in 2018: Corporate Travel Management - North America, Cruise Planners - American Express Travel, KHM Travel Group, Travel Edge and Travel Experts, Inc. The full CAC roster can be viewed here.
Rebranded in 2018 as the American Society of Travel Advisors, ASTA is the leading global advocate for travel advisors, the travel industry and the traveling public. Its members represent 80 percent of all travel sold in the United States through the travel agency distribution channel.
Together with hundreds of internationally-based members, ASTA's history of industry advocacy traces back to its founding in 1931 when it launched with the mission to facilitate the business of selling travel through effective representation, shared knowledge and the enhancement of professionalism. For more information about the Society, visit ASTA.org. Consumers can connect with an ASTA travel advisor at TravelSense.org.
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