by Eric Bowman
Last updated: 3:50 PM ET, Thu May 30, 2024
DALLAS - The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) announced at the 2024 Travel Advisor Conference that it would be making changes to its Verified Travel Advisor Certification program.
ASTA rebranded the curriculum to focus on four core courses: Legal Insights, Ethical Excellence, Legal Compass, Regulatory Guidebook.
The travel industry is ever-changing, and ASTA is doing its part not only to help make sure travel advisors have all the tools they need to succeed, but also to help educate consumers on using a travel advisor.
“The Verified Travel Advisor Certification program that ASTA launched in 2017 is an extremely important piece of our present and our future,” ASTA’s President and CEO Zane Kerby said. “There is no sort of industry-wide certification that is widely recognized by consumers. The board of directors voted to take some six-figure reserves and put new resources into the Verified Travel Advisor program, to allow consumers to be able to find a verified travel advisor on their phone very easily on the ASTA website, and then also some money to promote verified travel advisors to the traveling public.”
This revamped program is adding extra emphasis on what it means to be a trusted travel advisor.
“Key and important to us is to maintain the professionalism of the business, the professionalism of the travel advisor so that a consumer can count on an ASTA verified travel advisor, someone that can be trusted to do business with and to indeed do what’s right for the traveler,” Mark Meader, ASTA’s Senior Vice President, Industry Affairs & Education, said
ASTA also noted it has never had to discipline a Verified Travel Advisor.
New Courses, New Requirements
Legal Insights will focus on protecting ASTA members and agencies.
Ethical Excellence will be all about mastering the code of ethics.
Legal Compass is all about navigating agency relationships, and Regulatory Guidebook will focus on understanding federal compliance for travel agencies.
To be eligible for the Verified Travel Advisor Certification program, advisors must be a current member of ASTA and meet the following criteria:
A minimum of two years of uninterrupted experience and an annual sales volume of $500,000 for at least one of the last two years, or at least five years of experience and an annual sales volume of $250,000 in each of those years.
Advisors must complete each course within their certification or maintenance period. ASTA says the core coursework is manageable, consisting of approximately 157 pages and 77 minutes of video instruction.
Advisors who are part of a host agency or consortium will need to download the simple Sales Verification Form online at ASTA.org/VTA, validate it through their host or consortium, and then submit to ASTA.
Independent advisors must provide proof of their sales by submitting any of the following: their W-2 forms, articles of incorporation, business license, or tax documents demonstrating their time in business.
Verified Travel Advisors will have to go through a recertification process every two years. They’ll be able to earn credits by attending ASTA events among other things that can be applied towards the maintenance for the Verified Travel Advisor program.
Currently, ASTA has over 1,500 Verified Travel Advisors with hopes to double that goal by next year.
“In the end, [the Verified Travel Advisor program] will be something extremely important to our consumer base and our focus on consumer awareness,” Meader said.
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