ASTA has completed a weeklong membership drive that the organization launched on May 14 to increase the percentage of travel agents it counts as members. That percentage currently stands at what the Society deems a very low 24%.
But a survey of Travel Weekly readers undertaken over two days of the campaign last week indicates that ASTA has its work cut out for it. (Click the image, left, for a larger view of a chart depicting the number of ASTA members and non-members responding to the survey.)
As of May 17, with five days of the campaign remaining, ASTA said 53 new members had signed up since publicity about the drive began on May 2. ASTA said that based on inquiries from interested prospects, it expected that number to grow over the coming weeks, and added that the campaign had also encouraged increased renewals by existing members.
Travel Weekly’s survey asked readers why they are or are not ASTA members, and what ASTA could do to recruit them.
A total of 271 people responded, shedding light on how the Society is perceived by agents. The responses indicated that while ASTA has been successful in convincing many agents that it is a crucial lobbying force on Capitol Hill, it falls short in communicating its benefits on an individual member basis.
In a recent discussion about the Society’s “Join and Be Counted” initiative, ASTA CEO Tony Gonchar bemoaned the free-rider approach many travel agents take to ASTA’s legislative work, noting that all agents benefit from it but only about a quarter support it by paying dues.
“You can get all the benefits of ASTA without contributing to ASTA, all the important legislative and lobbying efforts we do,” Gonchar said. “That sort of free-rider approach doesn’t seem fair.”
But based on the survey and interviews with agents, it appears that many either do not know what ASTA does for them or would be more likely to join the Society if it offered what they consider tangible benefits. (Click the image, left, for a larger view of a chart depicting how well ASTA is perceived at representing travel agents' needs.)
Eric Ardolino, president of Wallingford, Conn.-based A&S Travel Center, has held many positions at ASTA, including national secretary and president of his local chapter.
He said he believes firmly in the importance of ASTA for the industry, but Ardolino also thinks membership would increase if agents were given “hard-dollar benefits” to justify their dues.
“They have to create a reason to join, other than saying [ASTA] is going to [Capitol] Hill for you,” Ardolino said. “Maybe create some local seminars for agents to become better businesspeople, a training road show, something their consortium is not doing.”
He added, “The last thing I want to see is ASTA go away. To survive, they have to create benefits that people will pay to have and not get them for free otherwise.”
Ardolino said ASTA had made a mistake in pulling away from its local chapters, a sentiment expressed by respondents to Travel Weekly’s survey.
“In the '70s and '80s, ASTA was so active locally,” Vicki Matafeo, owner of Utah-based Travel Z World, said in an interview. “We had get-togethers, potlucks, we as agents worked together.”
For ASTA’s recent campaign, the Society called on consortia to help persuade their members and suppliers to join. However, Travel Weekly’s survey revealed that such groups are part of the reason for ASTA’s membership issues.
Agents overwhelmingly said they were not ASTA members because of the cost. An agent membership is $277 per year for core membership and $2,500 for premium membership.
Several respondents said that the fee to join ASTA was too high compared with other memberships that agents describe as more essential. (Click on the chart, left, to see which other agency groups respondents belong to.)
Matafeo said that ASTA might not make it into the limited budget she has for her three-employee business.
“CLIA you have to maintain if you want to sell [cruises]; the same with IATA [to sell air],” she said. “I pay my omissions insurance, and then I have to weigh whether to go with [the Outside Sales Support Network] or ASTA. What’s best going to suit my dollar right now? ASTA is a benefit, but it’s not a necessity.”
When asked what might persuade agents to join, lower dues were an overwhelming response (see more responses below).
“I believe in your work,” one respondent wrote, addressing the Society directly. “However, I think your annual membership fee is too much. I belong to several associations, each with a fee of $100. If you reduced your membership fee to $100, I, along with a large number of agents, would join.”
Another wrote: “Am a CLIA member and an American Express affiliate, which gives me all of the benefits and learning opportunities I need.” (Click on the image, left, for a larger view of a chart showing the different programs agents are accredited by.)
In addition, ASTA has suffered from the perception that its trade show, which once drew thousands, has been eclipsed by the consortia and host agency conferences that many agents now attend.
“After years of paying membership dues, we came to the decision to pull out of ASTA because we didn’t see any benefits,” wrote one respondent. “The trade shows were like any other trade shows or consortia-hosted conferences, and being as we had access to the same types of speakers, etc., paying the membership dues seemed a waste of money.”
Many agents are still smarting from what they consider a toothless response from ASTA to the commission issues of the 1990s. That resentment has been a perennial issue for more than a decade, especially among older agents with long memories.
“I felt that ASTA did not stand up against suppliers for agents’ rights and settled for too little [too] soon from the airlines,” one respondent wrote, echoing a common theme.
Of the 107 agents who said they were ASTA members, either on their own or via their agency, ASTA’s political advocacy on behalf of the industry was the most cited reason agents gave for membership.
“ASTA is the voice of the travel industry,” one respondent wrote. “The combined efforts of the association, vs. a single agency trying to solve some of the regulations, is powerful.”
Another wrote: “ASTA has my back when it comes to government intervention in my business.”
Many agents also appreciate ASTA for providing them with industry information and networking, and several said it gave them credibility with consumers. (Click on the image, left, for a larger view of a chart depicting whether agents would join ASTA if they were not already a part of another travel agent group.)
“The recognition we receive as being a reputable travel agency by displaying the ASTA logo” was the most important membership perk, one respondent wrote.
“ASTA is a fantastic resource,” wrote another. “They are on top of current issues within the industry, and they [put] all sorts of useful tools and information at your fingertips.”
ASTA supporters expressed hope that Gonchar, who recently completed his first year as CEO, would help convince more agents of those benefits.
“For too long, ASTA has not been clear in their marketing to non-ASTA members about the value of membership,” said JoAnne Verboom, president of ASTA’s Great Lakes Chapter in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Verboom agreed with Gonchar that many agents do not join because they receive the benefits of representation without paying dues.
“That thinking is very selfish on the non-members’ part,” she said. “But that is the reality, especially in the current economy. Unfortunately, in many small businesses, the focus is on what currently affects the bottom line rather than what might affect it in the future when Congress proposes new taxes.”
Verboom said she informs agents about other ASTA benefits, such as using Travelsense to find new clients.
“My first booking for a client asking for help on Travelsense (ASTA's consumer-facing website) paid enough commission for a couple of years of ASTA membership,” she said.
Follow Johanna Jainchill on Twitter @jjainchilltw.