Mike Spinelli, founder of the Action 6 consortium and a former ASTA president, died Saturday, Feb. 6, in Portsmouth, N.H. He was 88.
Spinelli's career in the industry began in 1959 by founding the agency Merrimac Travel in Lowell, Mass. The agency specialized in cruises, tours and groups. While there, he worked closely with both ASTA and the consortium Giants, which became Ensemble Travel Group.
The consortium founder and former ASTA president who died this week is remembered fondly by industry veterans.
In 1976, he founded Action 6. Spinelli grew the consortium from 141 agencies to 2,200 members. In 2001, Action 6 would merge with Vacation.com, which eventually became today's Travel Leaders Network, a division of Internova. After the sale of Action 6, Spinelli was named chairman emeritus of Vacation.com.
Spinelli was elected president of ASTA in 1996. He presided over the Society through tumultuous times for the trade, as airlines were cutting commissions and OTAs were just beginning to emerge. During his tenure, Spinelli was a strong advocate for travel agents with consumers and the media.
"The media have changed their attitude. Now they mention on their own, 'see your travel agent,'" Spinelli said in reflecting on his term as ASTA president in an interview with Travel Weekly in 1998.
Agencies' operational efficiencies and profit margins was also a focal point for Spinelli. He often wrote on the topic in the Travel Trade newspaper.
Toward the end of his tenure as ASTA's president, he said, "I've tried to put the focus on profits. I am a bottom-liner. But I think too many travel agents don't focus on profits."
Mike Spinelli
ASTA said it joined the travel community in mourning Spinelli.
"He ably led ASTA during a critical time in our history, which saw among other things the airline commission cuts and the opening of the first ASTA chapter in China," The Society said in a statement. "Mike also emphasized the travel advisor's role as a consumer advocate and made consumer-awareness efforts a key focus of the Society, which continues to this day. We will miss him and express our deepest condolences to Mike's family and friends for their loss."
Spinelli authored the book "Tourism: The Engine of Prosperity." He held a number of other positions in the industry over the years, including national director of ASTA and president of ASTA's New England chapter, and received a number of awards and accolades.
He is survived by his three children and their spouses: Dave and Sandra Spinelli, of Metuchen, N.J.; Susan and John Tyson, of Hampton, N.H., and Mike and Gleicy Spinelli, also of Hampton.
This report was updated to include Spinelli's age and surviving family members.