Signature Travel Network will continue to require its approximately
6,000 agent members to join ASTA in 2016.
"We are committed to a long-term partnership with ASTA
as we simply won't survive in this business without the work that ASTA does on
our behalf,” Signature CEO Alex Sharpe said Tuesday in a statement.
Last September, Signature was the first retail travel co-op
or consortium to announce that it would require its members to join the industry's
primary trade organization. ASTA membership became mandatory at
Signature-affiliated agencies on Jan. 1.
Travel Leaders Franchise Group followed suit soon after
Signature, announcing last October that ASTA membership would be required for
all of its franchisees.
Signature's decision to continue the ASTA membership
requirement is only the latest step that the agency consortium has taken to support the
advocacy group. In June, Signature purchased ASTA's Regulatory
Compliance training course for all of its agents.