LOS ANGELES -- Prior to the official opening of ASTA's 68th Annual
World Travel Congress here, delegates are invited to attend a
Networking Forum on travelers with disabilities and the mature
traveler market.
The event is cosponsored by ASTA and the Society for the
Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped. This is the first year
that the forum is being held. SATH traditionally has held an annual
meeting of the World Council of Partnerships in Awareness at the
congress. The forum is scheduled for Oct. 13 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Presiding at the ASTA/SATH Networking Forum will be Nikki Beare,
chairman of the ASTA Committee on Travel for Persons With
Disabilities; Earlene Causey, chairman of the ASTA Global Marketing
Partnership Council, and Murray Vidockler, chairman and founder of
SATH.
"The goal of this forum is to share with others, find new
information and raise the level of awareness in the industry," said
Beare.
The ASTA/SATH Networking Forum will consist of several panels
that feature members of convention and visitor bureaus, tourist
boards, travel agents and foreign operators. The panel discussions
are followed by a question-and-answer period and a networking
session.
Among the panelists will be Peter Holland of the Hotelier's
Forum, a U.K.-based organization formed by Charles, Prince of
Wales, to develop disability awareness, accessible premises and
good employment practices.
Also slated to be represented on the panel is the country of
Peru, which recently hosted an educational tour for disabled
travelers.
"We want to have more agents recognize that travel for the
disabled can become a profitable niche," Beare said.
The forum also will launch the third annual International
Travelers With Disabilities Awareness Week.