Should the U.S. Tour Operators Association
(USTOA) be renamed the U.S. Tour Operators and Cruise Association?
A very large member of the
USTOA said that in an attempt to define a “tour operator” during the association’s annual conference last month, the USTOA leadership suggested that the definition was a packaged vacation provider, not restricted to land — thus potentially including cruise.
Slippery slope? Not according to USTOA President Terry Dale, who clarified.
“Can a cruise line be a member? Yes,” said Dale, the former head of CLIA. “But they’ve got to have a land or tour division.”