美国旅游经营者协会结束了2019年的乐观前景
byDavid Cogswell/
The U.S. Tour Operators Association (USTOA) held its annual conference last week at the Omni Resort at ChampionsGate in Orlando, wrapping up a good year for its members.
这是该协会成员中有69%的业务增加的一年。百分之八十二的成员预计在2020年增长,而45%的成员预计“繁荣年度”,增长7-10%或以上。这是在选举年中,尽管旅行社的这种增长预测总是伴随着警告,“只要在政治上没有任何事情发生……”
尽管它不断吸引新成员,但该组织不想发展到笨拙的规模。该协会限制了成员资格,以限制似乎是自然力量的增长。但是在2019年,该组织确实欢迎了一位新的活跃旅游经营者俱乐部冒险成员和来自58个国家 /地区的131名新副供应商。会议的与会者代表150个国家。
“有所作为的力量”
This year’s conference was launched under the theme of “The Power to Make a Difference.” At the opening session, USTOA President and CEO Terry Dale provided some background on the choice of that theme.
“It was about a week after we had our conference last year that I decided I want to use the theme ‘The Power to Make a Difference,’ because how many industries do you know that have that global impact, that can grow economies, create jobs, improve education and expand our customers’ awareness of different cultures around the world?
“So we have the power to make a difference. And that is what we celebrate this week. And I think we should be mindful and respectful in making sure that what we do helps expand our customers’ experience.”
他补充说:“强大的力量造成了巨大的责任。最终,我们必须对我们的客户负责,也必须对子孙后代和我们作为USTOA成员采取的行动负责。”
EF教育之旅副总裁兼过去两年协会主席Dana Santucci扩展了该主题。
她说:“对我来说,我们正处于一个关键的时刻,全球事物感到不安,这个消息通常令人恐惧,出于不同的原因,在不同国家发生了大规模的抗议运动。”“技术比以往任何时候都更加联系我们,但是在许多方面,我们感到更加孤立,而我们的星球正遭受气候变化的困扰。清单继续。”
As she had thought about the conference theme, Santucci said, she came to the realization that often very small things can actually make significant differences in the world. For her one of those key moments was when her family hosted an exchange student from Mexico when Dana was a child.
桑图奇说:“墨西哥的吉塞拉(Gisela)于夏季结束时来到我们家。”“她15岁,从未离开过。她在房间里花了头两个月的时间哭泣,因为她是如此想家。然后,我们在波士顿进行了这场疯狂的暴风雪。她打开门,看到雪,然后跑到她的房间,整天祈祷。”
最终吉塞拉越过她的乡愁和铁lt safe and cared for by her American family and by Christmas she was able to experience the joy of the season. She later returned to the US, to attend graduate school, married an American and now runs a school for low-income immigrant children.
For Dana it was her first intimate exposure to another culture. “It exemplifies to me how one small decision of taking in a young girl from Mexico created a ripple effect on my family and so many families around the world. For Gisela it led to a career that will affect the lives of many young immigrant children. For Dana it led to it led to a career dedicated to cultural exchange and educational travel.
“My point is that the power to make a difference is within reach for all of us,” said Santucci. “Sometimes that one small moment that can make an incredible difference. It inspires me so much to think what the members of this association are doing to make the world a better place. Wonderful things truly happen when we bring people together.
“旅游业建立友谊,引发相互的理解,鼓励商业,并帮助我们找到庆祝差异的方法。每年有超过900万人与USTOA成员一起旅行。想想我们在世界各地创造的所有涟漪。”
Progress Report
USTOA使用其年度会议来提供与会员建立联系的平台,并报告一年中的进度和成就,并为旅行社成员和助理供应商成员之间的商务会议提供论坛。
The news for 2019 was good: in USTOA’s annual trend and forecast survey of members, 67% reported a growth in the number of passengers they carried in 2019 and 52% exceeded that growth by 10%.
Amid the optimism, when asked what potential problems concerned them, the tour operators put the election year at the top of the list, fears of recession second and global financial insecurity third.
Destination survey
接受调查的旅游经营者将埃及,克罗地亚和哥伦比亚评为最新的目的地。埃及是常年最受欢迎的遇到定期坠机事故的人,在2011年阿拉伯之春之后的长时间停机时间后,埃及正在重新出现。
Operators voted Italy the overall favorite for 2020, followed by France, with Spain, Greece and the U.K tied for third; Ireland and Japan tied for fourth, and Germany and South Africa tied for fifth.
加州被评为最受欢迎的国内destination, followed by New York, with Florida and Nevada tied for third place, Arizona in fourth and Alaska and Hawaii tied for fifth.
The survey also asked tour operators what destinations they would list as urgent places to go before they change too much because of climate change, overcrowding or other circumstances that could impact the experience over time. On that list Antarctica came out on top, or on bottom, depending on how you look at it, followed by Machu Picchu, the Great Barrier Reef and Venice.
Tour operators named arts and culture as the top driver of sales in 2019, with nature and wildlife at a close second. The three top trends named in the survey were local immersion, small ships or small groups and uncharted destinations.
Sixty percent of the operators reported that the primary demographic of their customer bases are baby boomers, aged 51 and older. Twenty percent reported that their top demographic was the 35-50 age group.
New leadership structure
该组织在未来两年内宣布了新的领导者名单,并由荷兰美国执行副总裁查理·鲍尔(Charlie Ball)担任EF Educational Tours副总裁担任主席Dana Santucci副总裁。
新的副主席是旅行印象总裁Scott Wiseman。新的财务主管是CIE Tours International首席执行官伊丽莎白·克拉比尔(Elizabeth Crabill),美国旅行公司的高级副总裁Madhvi Buch是新秘书。
Other members of the board include:
- 鲍勃·德鲁姆(Bob Drumm),亚历山大 +罗伯茨
- Carol Dimopoulos, president, Perillo’s Learning Journeys*
- Dan Mahar, CEO, Tauck
- Emma Cottis, general manager – corporate affairs, Goway*
- Collette执行副总裁Jeff Roy*
- John Hanratty, chief marketing officer, Avanti Destinations
- Kirk Demeter, president and owner, Down Under Answers
- Nish Patel, president, Mayflower Cruises & Tours
- Ray Hourani, director of travel air operators, Club Adventures by AAA Exclusive Vacations*
- Scott Nisbet, president & CEO, Globus Family of Brands
Ustoa的下一个重大活动将是数字营销学院on Jan. 22, 2020, at the Stewart Hotel in midtown Manhattan.