The sunny skies of Puerto Rico offered a heat and welcoming setting for journey advisors from across the nation to community, study and rejoice, because the 2023 ASTA World Conference passed off Could 2-4 at in San Juan.
Practically 900 attendees — together with suppliers, tourism officers and greater than 500 journey advisors — gathered on the Puerto Rico Conference Middle for a strong agenda of normal periods, academic workshops and social gatherings.
Instructional Periods and Vacation spot Experiences
The general tone of the conference was decidedly optimistic, as attendees associated tales concerning the rebound of journey. A latest examine by ASTA, in reality, discovered that 47 % of survey respondents ranked a trip as their prime discretionary spending — twice as many because the second selection, a house enchancment or renovation. As well as, Millennial and Gen-Z vacationers are 22 % extra probably than the typical U.S. traveler to spend extra on journey this yr.
Profiting from progress alternatives was an underlying theme in lots of the conference’s academic workshops. As normal, the ASTA World Conference provided a various array of periods addressing quite a lot of subjects, together with advertising, consumer communication, embracing range, wellness tourism and creating compelling content material, to call just a few.
Puerto Rico Conference Middle (Photograph Credit score: DepartureLevel.com)
Recognizing Greatness
The ASTA World Conference can be a time to acknowledge the contributions of people and organizations to the journey business. Among the many highlights was the annual Advocacy Dinner, which acknowledged the “superstars” of the journey business.
Prime winners included the next:
- ASTA Lifetime Achievement Award: Frank Del Rio, Norwegian Cruise Traces
- Paul Ruden Business Ambassador Award: Roger Block, Journey Leaders Community
- Barbara O’Hara Advocacy Award: Rick Ardis, Ardis Journey
- John Haskins Chapter Advocacy Award: ASTA Mid-Michigan Chapter
As well as, the New York Metropolis Small Enterprise Community Chapter received the Robert L. Duglin Chapter Excellence Award, which acknowledges the ASTA Chapter that displays qualities of conscientiousness, group constructing and total excellence. Kyle Bohman of the Central Florida Chapter received the lately renamed George “Eddie” Woodham Chapter President of the 12 months award. And Cabana received the 2023 Entrepreneur of the 12 months award, receiving a $10,000 grand prize from the Dan & Gloria Bohan Basis. Dr. Terika L. Haynes of Dynamite Journey, LLC, received the Journey Advisor of the 12 months award.
Quite a lot of journey business suppliers have been additionally honored for his or her contributions to the journey business and productive partnerships with the journey company group. Kristin Karst and AmaWaterways received a powerful three classes, taking dwelling honors because the Companion Firm of the 12 months, River Cruise Line Companion of the 12 months and the Provider Medal of Excellence.
New Government Committee
ASTA Board of Administrators additionally elected its new Government Committee for 2023-2024, beginning their phrases on the shut of the conference:
- Chair: Jackie Friedman, President, Nexion Journey Group
- Vice Chair/Secretary: Lee Thomas, COO, ALTOUR; President, Enterprise Journey & The Journey Authority
- Treasurer: Kelly Bergin, CEO, Duglin Journey Group
- Company Advisory Council (CAC) Chair: Kathy Bedell, SVP, BCD Journey
“It’s an unbelievable honor to be the brand new chair for the ASTA Board of Administrators,” mentioned Friedman. “My honest thanks go to Marc Casto for his management over the previous two phrases, and I’m excited to work with this super group of journey professionals.”
The conference additionally offered a possibility for one of many sponsors, Uncover Puerto Rico, to showcase the vacation spot. Attendees have been capable of be part of sightseeing excursions, together with an Previous San Juan “stroll and style” tour, a Bacardi Distillery mixology expertise and a tour to El Yunque Nationwide Rainforest. The welcome occasion, in the meantime, offered a possibility for attendees to expertise certainly one of San Juan’s latest main sights Distrito T-Cellular, an leisure advanced that’s dwelling to eating places, bars, a music corridor and the ToroVerde City Park, which is an indoor journey park.
“I’m very excited for this yr’s ASTA World Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico,” mentioned Zane Kerby, President and CEO for the American Society of Journey Advisors. “I wish to thank our hosts from Uncover Puerto Rico in addition to all our sponsors, audio system, presenters and all those that did the arduous work placing this unbelievable occasion collectively. We’ve watched because the journey business continued its path upward over the previous couple of years, and each alternative we’ve to come back collectively looks like a celebration of how far we’ve come.”
