The National Tour Association is
considering a plan to broaden its membership to include travel
agents and other travel professionals.
At its July
meeting, the NTA's leadership team and board of directors drafted a
resolution suggesting a single membership structure that would open
up the organization to more newcomers.
"We want to build
on and enhance our present member value, and that means bringing
more business to our existing members, which in the end is going to
strengthen the NTA and, in fact, strengthen the entire package
travel industry," said Randy Julian, chairman and CEO of the
NTA.
The NTA has three
primary members categories: tour operator, tour supplier and
destination marketing organization.
The proposal asks
the nearly 3,000 existing NTA members to weigh the benefits of
expanding membership to travel agents, nonprofit groups and other
travel organizations.
"The tour
operator-travel agent relationship has tremendous potential to
grow," said Julian. "The travel agent community presents a
tremendous sales network for our product."
As for how this
would affect the NTA's lobbying efforts, Julian said that though
interests were not always aligned across categories, there had been
greater harmony of late.
"Our governance has
been tilted, if you will, toward the tour operator, but as far as
our legislative and business initiatives, those really cross
membership lines and will certainly continue to do so," said
Julian.
The NTA will host
its first all-category-member forum during its annual convention on
Nov. 2 in Kansas City, Mo., during which the proposed membership
initiative will be a main focus. With member feedback obtained
during the meeting and beyond, Julian said he anticipated a final
decision on the initiative in early 2008.
To
contact reporter Michelle Baran, send e-mail to [email protected].