Release 4
Alexandria, Va., July 22, 2005 –
With the goal of educating consumers about the value of using a travel
agent when planning a trip, the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA)
announced today that THETRADESHOW (Orlando,
Sept. 13-16, 2006) will have one day designated solely for consumers,
where both travel sellers and suppliers will have the opportunity to educate
the consumer on their businesses and the best way to choose and organize
their travel arrangements. The remaining two days will be travel industry-only
and will feature a day of one-on-one business appointments, the Society
said.
“The Consumer Day will be a major difference between
the traditional Congress and THETRADESHOW, where ASTA and our partners
will reach out to consumers and invite them to our forum, where they can
be part of a triad—agents, suppliers and consumers—all working
together to find appropriate travel solutions,” said ASTA President
and CEO Kathy Sudeikis, CTC. “Thanks to the Internet, consumers
are better informed than ever about destinations and travel in general,
but they aren’t getting the whole picture—that the Internet
is a valuable resource when planning a trip, but it cannot replace the
expertise and guidance of a travel agent.
“Now, thanks to the Consumer Day, travel agents
will have the occasion to show that they are the link between the traveler
and the supplier community; that they save clients time by reducing information
clutter and providing reliable and personalized information; and that
they can and will exceed their customers ’ expectations before,
during and after a trip,” Sudeikis added.
Although still in the planning stages, travel suppliers
and agents at THETRADESHOW ’s Consumer
Day will provide education on destinations, the value of using a travel
agent, various travel products and avoiding travel scams. Because ASTA
will work with suppliers who already work with and support travel agents,
all seminars will emphasize the importance of using a travel agent.
Consumer Day will be open to all consumers; they will
be charged a nominal entrance fee to walk the trade show floor and meet
with exhibiting agents and suppliers who will be on hand to inform consumers
about the services they provide and to urge consumers to purchase their
services upon return.
THETRADESHOW will take
place the second week of September every year and will be held in Orlando
in even years and Las Vegas in odd years. At THETRADESHOW,
travel sellers will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with suppliers
and to learn in-depth about their products.
Partners of THETRADESHOW
include the National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents (NACTA),
National Tour Association (NTA) and USA Today. For more information on
THETRADESHOW, call ASTA’s Meetings Department at 1-800-ASK-ASTA
or visit www.astanet.com.
