新泽西旅行社仍然帮助波多黎各,Year Later
by理查德·德·安布罗西奥(Richard D’Ambrosio)/
连续第二年,美国旅行顾问协会的新泽西分会向波多黎各进行了财务捐款,并在其从2017年秋季飓风季节恢复的过程中维持了对岛屿的支持。
在10月30日举行的分会的年度秋季博览会上,分会主席乔安妮·亨特(Joanne Hunt)和财务主管里克·阿迪斯(Rick Ardis)将波多黎各旅游公司的纳尔西索“ Ciso” Moreno交给了1,500美元。
“Puerto Rico Tourism has been strong supporters of this chapter and ASTA nationally,” said Ardis, owner of Ardis Travel, East Rutherford, New Jersey. “Ciso personally attends so many events of ours as well as those from other ASTA chapters across the country. After the back-to-back hurricanes, there was an extreme need in Puerto Rico, and we wanted to assist our friends and fellow Americans.”
这笔钱被指定为Puerto Rico Hope Lodge, a local extension of the American Cancer Society offering services to children and adults suffering from cancer in Puerto Rico and nearby islands.
捐赠来自ASTA PAC匹配资金,当分会超过其筹款目标时,国家组织允许章节用于这样的慈善努力。“我们感谢为ASTA PAC做出贡献的会员,因为您允许我们进行这些慈善捐款,” Ardis告诉与会者。
去年大约这个时候,波多黎各仍在黑暗中, nearly all of its hotel inventory shuttered and struggling to provide modern conveniences like electricity and cell phone service. The night of last year’s fall expo, Moreno, sales director for North America and Latin America and a New Jersey resident, was struggling to find out the status of family members living on the island.
“ CISO是我们中的一员,” Ardis说。在2017年的同一博览会上,新泽西分会将收益从50/50抽奖活动捐赠给了波多黎各 - 几百美元。
Moreno thanked the New Jersey chapter members for its ongoing support, and gave an update on the island’s tourism industry. “So many properties are opening up, and it’s changing the whole structure of Puerto Rico,” Moreno said. He noted how more than 95 percent of the island’s hotel inventory will be reopened by the end of the year; and how even El Yunque National Forest, which suffered severe deforestation, is reopening sections.
Chapter President Joanne Hunt and Treasurer Rick Ardis handed Puerto Rico Tourism Company’s Narciso “Ciso” Moreno a check for $1,500.
ASTA领导者提供第一手帐户
新泽西州波普顿平原的Pompton Plains Travel的所有者亨特分会主席Hunt最近参加了六晚前往该岛的家庭旅行。她告诉与会者,除了多拉多地区,她如何参观该岛的大部分地区,并报告说波多黎各已经准备好让顾问再次自信地出售。
例如,她谈到了参观岛上西南角科帕马里纳(Copamarina)附近的一个小渔村,那里有房屋在高跷上建造。她说,工作渔村很活跃,流行的旅游景点Luminecent Lagoon完全可以访问,并为游客准备好了。
亨特说:“我们也到达了埃尔·尤尼(El Yunque)(国家森林),但只能进入森林的边缘,因为他们仍在从事它的工作,而且对于游客来说仍然不安全。”“这是非常非常令人大开眼界的。”
她说:“我亲眼目睹了一切都开放,并且在旅游业方面处于良好状态。
Hunt said that, so far, her clients are not initiating requests or responding to her sales efforts for trips to Puerto Rico. “Most are just assuming Puerto Rico is not ready. But I’m not giving up. We had a very warm Fall here in the Northeast, and it will take a couple of miserable, cold chilly weeks to motivate travelers to start booking Puerto Rico again,” Hunt said.
Steve Powers, ASTA national treasurer, was in Puerto Rico in mid-October to attend an ASTA Puerto Rico chapter meeting. Afterwards, Powers rented a car and drove up to El Yunque to volunteer cleaning and clearing paths around Baño Grande, a natural swimming pool.
“热带雨林再次郁郁葱葱。鲍尔斯说:“这确实很快就恢复了。”船员们在一个可访问的游客区域工作,希望在感恩节附近开放。
鲍尔斯建议,特工和其他希望协助在国家森林的康复苏克志愿者尤恩志愿者(Yunque志愿者)的人。他们的电子邮件是:yunquevolunteers@gmail.com。
“在镇上,您不知道有飓风。主要地区的街道充满了游客。酒店繁华。”鲍尔斯说。他在参加分会会议时进行了许多现场检查,包括Serafina Beach Resort和San Juan的旧城区的太阳能床和早餐。
“It’s difficult for them to get back to the pre-storm tourism numbers, so we need to do our best to help our fellow Americans,” said Powers, who owns Hidden Treasure Tours in New Lebanon, New York.
Separately, the ASTA Long Island chapter also recently donated $1,000 in ASTA PAC funds.
旅行社New Jersey chapter flourishing
The ability for the New Jersey Chapter to provide such support is due in part to the growth in the chapter. At this year’s fall expo, the organization needed two meeting rooms for its trade show, increasing their capacity for exhibitors from 46 last year to 60 this year.
该活动的总出勤率从约115增加到140个,大约50%来自会员机构或独立承包商(IC)成员。阿尔迪斯说:“我们的东道机构成员,例如Nexion,KHM,Cruise Planners-帮助我们促进了出勤。”“他们中的许多人还不是IC成员,但这有助于向他们展示ASTA可以提供的东西。”
About five years ago, the chapter had about 35 suppliers and 55 agent members at their expos.