TravelPulse caught up with ASTA Board Chair Marc Casto in Puerto Rico during ASTA's 2023 Global Convention, taking place in San Juan, May 2-4, 2023.
TravelPulse: How important is the travel advisor in today's travel community?
Marc Casto: Travelers themselves have recognized that the world of travel has changed tremendously. The product has changed, the need for information has changed, and the challenges associated with travel have changed all since the pandemic. Having a qualified travel advisor who has spent the time to do research and has gone on the ground and experienced the product and worked with clients who have had similar challenges or requests is an essential to ensure that clients have the type of trips that they are looking to book.
Marc Casto (Photo Credit: ASTA)
TP: How has ASTA transformed its membership over the last several years?
MC: Over the last two years, I asked the board and the staff to focus on a campaign that we called 20 by 25 to increase our membership base to 20,000 across all categories by 2025. It was an ambitious target for us to hit. Over the last two years, our paid membership category is up by 29 percent and our total membership category is up by about 23 percent so we are well on track to hit 20,000 total members by 2025.
I really do see that as a reflection of the work that ASTA has been doing to engage with all of our members, to showcase how we can work with the rest of the industry and how ASTA represents their own interests for the growth and promotion of the trade.
TP: What would you consider the hallmarks of your tenure as board chair?
MC: I had two other goals and targets that we set forth. The first was to focus on sustainability, specifically to chart a path to net zero by 2030. Recognizing that we can't do everything all at once, we did three things specifically toward that end.
First: Every single program for ASTA was completely offset. We started that immediately two years ago.
Second: we have always incorporated an educational component in all of our meetings and events to provide data and action items on how members, companies, all suppliers can actually move the needle to a net zero environment.
Third: We started recognizing those suppliers and those members who are actually doing something substantive. We had our very first award for a sustainable company last year at our premium event.
The second major development that we had over the last couple of years was a real focus on international membership, international orientation. During the course of the pandemic, we recognized clearly that the policies of one government do not end at the border, that we have to be engaged with all different areas. So we had very constructive dialogue with all of our partners in Europe, the Caribbean, Canada and many points beyond to make sure that we speak from the same hymnal in areas of mutual interest. Likewise, we have massively expanded our program attendance in international markets, most notably with our river cruise expo, where we had more than 700 people attend in Budapest and we are oversubscribed already for next year's program in Amsterdam.
TP: What are some other ways that ASTA advocates for the travel advisor community?
MC: The best and most enjoyable is the direct advocacy that we do, which is our Legislative Day program. This is an annual event during which we encourage people to walk the streets of Washington, D.C., and meet with legislators and staffers to discuss trade policy issues.
Last year, we had the best-attended Legislative Day in the history of the organization. Forty-three states were represented and more than 240 members were in attendance. Because of our advocacy, we had immediate impact upon some of the bills that were being processed through the Senate and the House, specifically the Trade and Tourism Act. The benefit of that is to make sure that the Department of Commerce has representation of the tourism interest.
There's nothing like our citizen members meeting with their legislators in person and speaking to the needs of travel advisors and the benefits of the travel and tourism sector and to be able to promote what it is we work on.
TP: What would you say to a travel advisor on the fence about becoming an ASTA member?
I would say you can be a leader or you can sit on everyone else's coattails because there is no functional requirement that says you have to be a member. You can still be a part of the community, but are you somebody who is willing to sit on someone else's coattails?
TP: What advice do you have fo the younger travel advisor?
MC: This industry is booming. I have never seen the demand for travel advisors in my 20-year history in this space. I have never seen the interest and the recognition from the traveling public for what we do.
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