Terry Dale
Terry Dale on Monday
signed a three-year contract extending his role as president and CEO of the
U.S. Tour Operators Association (USTOA) through 2018.
Dale came on as
president of the organization in 2011 and assumed the additional role of CEO in
2012. That same year, Dale extended his contract through January 2016.
USTOA Chairman Jerre Fuqua said that under Dale's leadership, the USTOA has increased its role in industry
advocacy and raised awareness of the association and its members, including
through initiatives such as the USTOA Congressional Caucus, a lobbying effort,
the fourth installment of which just wrapped last week in Washington, D.C.; a
first-ever travel agent training program; the USTOA Innovation Lab, a marketing
and research project conducted in partnership with Cornell University’s SC
Johnson Graduate School of Management; and a number of digital consumer-awareness campaigns.
In a release, the
organization said that Dale has also reinvigorated the USTOA’s Annual
Conference and Marketplace, bringing in high-profile speakers and introducing events that have led to record attendance year-over-year.
Registration for this
year’s USTOA conference, taking place Dec. 3-5, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency
Chicago, opens in July.
Founded in 1972, the
USTOA has grown to encapsulate a membership that represents more than
$13.5 billion in revenue and that carries nearly 8 million travelers to
destinations around the world each year. Each active member company must
participate in the USTOA’s Travelers Assistance Program, which protects
consumer payments up to $1 million if the company goes out of business.