ASTA has come out against a bill in Maryland that would establish a seller of travel registration program in the state, saying it would be burdensome to travel advisors and "misses a key point" it was designed to address.
The bill was introduced after a Maryland couple died on a holy pilgrimage. The trip, ASTA said, was organized by an unlicensed tour operator.
"ASTA acknowledges the circumstances were heartbreaking and expresses deep sympathy for the family, but warned the legislation would place new burdens on legitimate travel advisors without meaningfully preventing similar misconduct," the Society said in a release.
The bill, which does not distinguish between travel advisors and tour operators, would create a registration program with annual fees starting at $300. It would require registrants to carry a minimum of $1 million in professional liability and errors and omissions insurance.
However, ASTA argues, the bill does not create "a competency standard, and would do little to identify or deter bad actors." Indeed, the Society said, it does not appear to address the bad actors intended.
"Maryland should not respond to a tragic situation by creating a new system that penalizes honest travel advisors and delivers no real benefit to consumers," ASTA CEO Zane Kerby said.
The Society, Kerby said, is ready to help the state craft educational standards, instead.
ASTA encouraged Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to veto the bill.