The National Association of Career Travel Agents (NACTA) held its annual conference in Alaska earlier this month.
The event provided the independent travel agent community an opportunity for business-building, the chance to participate in unique training sessions and an in-depth way to see and experience Alaska.
"Our NACTA community is stronger than ever before and our annual conference gives us a chance to connect and celebrate," said Ann Chamberlin, president of NACTA.
"We come together to share knowledge and teach agents how to take their business to the next level, including this year a chance to engage with ASTA's recently launched Verified Travel Advisor certification program. We are so grateful to all our members and industry partners who continuously show their support and commitment to NACTA and the travel professional," added Chamberlin.
The Verified Travel Advisor program was launched last month by ASTA and three of the nine courses needed to complete the training were available to attendees of the NACTA conference. They included "The Art and Science of Negotiation," "Advanced Public Speaking" presented by Peter Kerr and "Ethics for Travel Advisors" presented by ASTA General Counsel Peter Lobasso.
TravelPulse's Executive Editor Michael Schottey attended the event and witnessed the training sessions firsthand.
"As an outside observer," Schottey said, "it was inspiring to see how the NACTA Conference took an awesome group of already well-trained and successful agents and got them out of their comfort zones with the hopes of making them better."
"Training sessions were extremely well done, and the networking opportunities were more laid back and natural (and fun!) than any professional gathering I've been to."
A highlight of the conference was the chance to have a hands-on experience in Alaska.
"One of the best opportunities was 'Adventure Day,' which took the agents out of the conference room and out into the beauty of Alaska," said Schottey. "Personally, I got to experience a Hops on the Rails tour which took me on the Alaska Railroad to Talkeetna-with accompanying amazing views of Denali-and then to a number of craft breweries."
"Those Adventure Day trips plus many pre- and post-FAM trips will help agents better sell Alaska which is really an amazing destination for both cruise and independent travelers," he added.
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The conference also included the annual NACTA Gala Awards Cocktail Reception & Dinner. This year's event was sponsored by Holland America Line. Visit Anchorage, Travel Juneau and Explore Fairbanks.
The association's 2017 winners were:
-River Cruise Line Partner of the Year: AmaWaterways
-Luxury Cruise Line Partner of the Year: Seabourn
-Premium Cruise Line Partner of the Year: Celebrity Cruises
-Contemporary Cruise Line Partner of the Year: Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
-Tour Partner of the Year: Globus Family of Brands
-Boutique Tour Partner of the Year: Salmon Berry Travel & Tours
-Niche Partner of the Year: Alaska Railroad
-Destination Partner of the Year: Hawaii Tourism United States
-Hotel Partner of the Year: Hotel Captain Cook
-All-Inclusive Partner of the Year: Playa Hotels & Resorts
-Chris Kai'aokamalie - Spirit of NACTA - Supplier Liaison of the Year: Ron Gulaskey, Celebrity Cruises
-Partner on the Rise: Alaska Airlines
-Tania Hancock - Spirit of NACTA - Partner of the Year: Visit Anchorage
-NACTA Chapter Excellence Award: Mid-Michigan Chapter
-Regional Director of the Year: Ken Kimi
-Chapter Director of the Year: Eugenia Chinsman
-David M. Thrower - Spirit of NACTA - Member of the Year: Dan Smith
Next year's NACTA Annual Conference will take place August 23-26 in Washington, D.C., following the ASTA Global Convention, August 21-24.
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