USTOA’s Terry Dale Looks Back and Ahead
byDavid Cogswell/
Seven and a half years since taking over the leadership of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, Terry Dale has signed a three-year extension of his contract as president and CEO of the tour operator organization.
在一个动荡的时代变化,USTOA奋斗to stay on top of the wave and provide leadership to the industry. The organization has changed radically since 2011, when Dale was appointed by the association’s board of directors to lead it into a new era.
USTOA is now riding the wave of prosperity that has built steadily since the U.S. economy pulled out of the Great Recession of 2008. Times have never been better for the tour operator segment.
戴尔说:“现在旅行是如此强大,我没有一个做得不好的单身成员。从历史上看,将会有一部分业务强大。然后,我还有另一个部分,说“我们很稳定,提高一个或两个百分点”;还有另一个说“我们很平坦的部分。”今年,当我提出这个问题时,我们的每个会员资格都处于历史悠久的水平。”
While theNew York Times reportedlast week that Vanguard, the $5 trillion asset management firm, is predicting a likely correction in the next couple of years, the economy for now is firing on all cylinders. Tour operators are enjoying the benefits of a traveling public riding high on economic well-being. “Vanguard is able to tick off reasons why there will be a downturn,” said Dale. “Everything is cyclical and you don’t have this kind of ride forever. But, when things are good, it does help.”
Meanwhile, USTOA has made strides into its new era and feels strong and ready to weather whatever comes next.
倡导工作加剧
戴尔(Dale)在USTOA的任期开始了,当时该协会因突然失去32年的总统鲍勃·惠特利(Bob Whitley)而震惊,转向戴尔(Dale)领导该组织。戴尔(Dale)于2011年1月接任。当他谈论该协会的进度时,他以对惠特利(Whitley)的赞美开始。
“He was extremely successful at building camaraderie and the sense of this association of people enjoying working together,” said Dale. “That’s an art. So, I feel like I inherited a really unique association. Bob had a lot to do with creating that environment.”
When the USTOA board sought out Dale, they had specific objectives in mind. “I came in with a clear mandate for creating advocacy,” said Dale, “and a face and voice in the beltway to educate legislators and regulators about who our membership is and how what they do can have consequences and ramifications for USTOA.”
Through his work as head of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Dale knew the ropes of political advocacy in Washington. “The first priority was to engage a government affairs firm; make sure we have some policy experts on our team on DOT issues; and go down there on a consistent basis with our members to knock on doors and build relationships,” said Dale. “That has been one of more rewarding parts of that seven and a half years, because I have seen in that relatively brief period how it has really paid off for our members.”
One of the first tests was when tour operators were struggling to get licenses to operate tours to Cuba. “Some of our members were having trouble securing licenses, and through our relationship with Congressman Farr from California, we were able to expedite those licenses virtually overnight,” said Dale.
倡导工作永远不会结束,因为国会一直在变化。国会议员法尔(Farr)于2015年退休。亚利桑那州的参议员杰夫·弗莱克(Jeff Flake)是旅游业强大的盟友,他将于今年年底退休。但是,尽管这项工作正在进行中,但确实会产生持久的结果。
“It can be rewarding and it certainly can make a difference for our members,” said Dale. “I look at advocacy as an area in which we have made tremendous growth, and we’ll need to continue to make it a priority.”
经济影响研究
When USTOA board members told Dale they wanted advocacy to be a high priority, he asked what kind of economic clout they could bring to bear in discussions with government officials. “I said, ‘Tell me about your economic footprint, the numbers of jobs provided by USTOA members.’ They looked at each other and said, ‘Well, we’re not sure.’”
They knew the members moved a lot of people, but didn’t have specifics. “I said, ‘Well, we need to be sure,’” said Dale. “You can’t knock on doors without being able to say how large an industry you are and how many jobs you represent.”
The association started a relationship with PricewaterhouseCoopers to compile reliable information on its economic impact on a regular basis. “We just finished, last week, our fourth economic impact study,” said Dale. “We’ll have those new statistics to share at the conference this year.”
As of previous assessments, the association represents about a $15 million business providing 13,000 jobs. “We have to have confidence in knowing who we are financially and economically to be able to sit at the table across from a regulator or a legislator,” said Dale. “So, that’s been a very important project that we undertake every other year.”
网站行程和客户评论
在戴尔(Dale)的领导下,乌斯托阿(Ustoa)在其网站上建立了自己的TripAdvisor专业版本,从会员旅游运营商那里提供了广泛的产品信息,并通过客户评论来阐明它。
戴尔说:“我们有31,000多个USTOA成员行程,以及21,000多次消费者评论。”“我们坚信,今天的旅行者喜欢听到其他有特定行程的人的来信。他们想直接听到该消费者的声音。我们认为这是我们提供有关旅行社和消费者可以访问的旅行体验的关键,及时信息的一种方式。那是前瞻性的,当然可以帮助我们的相关性。”
Research partnership with Cornell
Soon after taking over in 2011, Dale spearheaded an initiative to partner with Cornell University’s MBA school to do research projects about the travel market.
“每年,我们有一个team of extraordinarily bright MBA candidates tackle a project for us and report their findings to our organization,” said Dale. “We’re now into our sixth year and we’ve covered things from Millennial travel to mapping the consumer purchasing journey, what has changed over the last decade and how will it change over the next decade. So, this partnership provides more value to our members and sets us apart as doing things that allow us to differentiate ourselves.”
与《今日美国》
随着戴尔(Dale)寻求新的方式来“确定创新的方式为我们的成员提供福利,以帮助他们经营业务并在这种景观中竞争竞争力”,他领导了《今日美国》的一项倡议。
“We were the first trade association to ever have a partnership with USA Today, and that has proven to be extremely beneficial,” he said.
通过合作伙伴关系,该协会与六个目的地合作,并与六名活跃成员合作。beplay银行卡“无论是打包旅行还是带领陪同的经验或河流巡游,我们都会派遣摄制组来捕获消费者。我们围绕视频和博客创建内容,其中包含由《今日美国》创建的编辑内容,并将其发布并通过其在线渠道进行分发。他们把这么多的眼球带到了桌子上。今年,我们应该超过3600万印象。这是《今日美国》第一次与贸易协会建立合作伙伴关系。”
可持续性
As Dale looks into the future, he plans to maintain efforts in the initiatives already undertaken, and he is looking at new areas. “I think an area we need to spend more time on is sustainability,” he said, “and what is our responsibility as leaders in the travel segment in making sure that we’re not contributing to overtourism. We need to be sensitive when we go to destinations with high-traffic challenges that these destinations, while wildly popular, are also places people call home.
“当您看到世界某些地区的当地居民对旅游业的纠察时,这真是令人心碎,对其造成的损害非常有声。我们必须找到平衡。我认为我们需要对可持续性进行更深入的对话,并确保我们将我们的钱拿到世界各地的钱掌握在最需要它们的人们的手中。这是一个有所作为的机会。我期待为Ustoa定义有关该主题的道路。
Engaging emerging markets
Ustoa也在寻求新兴市场。戴尔说:“我们一直想吸引年轻的观众。”“我们希望确保我们正在为年轻一代建立一个平台,以便他们了解他们如何从会员的旅行体验中获取和受益。”
Perhaps most importantly, as the association moves forward, Dale wants to be sure to maintain a link to its origins, when it was originally formed to help the public distinguish reliable tour operators from scam artists that prey upon an unwary public.
他说:“对于我们的过去和我们的未来来说,可能最重要的是'诚信'一词。”“创始人围绕'诚信'建立了USTOA。这是每天,我想到的,因为USTOA的文化是围绕该单一的单词而建立的。确保它仍然是前进的重点至关重要,尤其是在今天的环境中。”