ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- ASTA president Michael Spinelli said the Society
will officially launch its first chapter in the People's Republic
of China on Sept. 28 with a reception in New York.
Spinelli said the chapter will start with at least 25 members,
and he anticipated the membership will grow to at least 200 by
year's end.
"China will be our 170th chapter," said Spinelli, who has been
working to open it for over a year. He said in the years to come,
"we will be holding ASTA meetings in China, and we will be looking
into running an ASTA World Travel Congress in China."
Spinelli said the new chapter will have members from several
Chinese organizations, including the China National Tourism
Administration, Travel Association of China, China Travel Service,
China International Travel Service and China Youth Travel
Services.