At its quarterly board meeting in Columbus, Ohio, the board of directors of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) elected two members of…
At its quarterly board meeting in Columbus, Ohio, the board of directors of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) elected two members of ASTA`s Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) to serve on the Board. U. Gary Charlwood, CEO and chairman of the Board for Uniglobe Travel International Inc., was elected to the Executive Committee and Tony Hughes, president and CEO of RADIUS, was elected to the Board. Charlwood and Hughes will be installed at the World Travel Congress in Miami in October.
We`re excited to welcome U. Gary Charlwood and Tony Hughes as members of ASTA`s Board of Directors. Both bring with them years of experience in the travel industry and unique insights that will help ASTA implement new ideas and give us different possibilities to consider for the future, said Richard M. Copland, CTC, ASTA president and CEO. With these new additions to the Board, ASTA will become more representative of a unified industry and will be better prepared to serve its members.
ASTA members approved the Bylaws change in May allowing two voting at-large members to be added to the Society`s Board of Directors. ASTA`s Board of Directors proposed the plan, with the approval of the majority of Chapter presidents, in order to make ASTA representative of all segments of the travel agency community.
New Membership Criteria
In order to enhance ASTA`s membership qualifications and streamline the application process, the Board voted to incorporate new business models as requirements to join ASTA as travel agency companies and travel professionals. These changes will be presented to the membership for a vote during the next election.
Travel agents and agencies are changing the way they do business. In order to continue representing the travel agency community, ASTA has made revisions to its membership requirements. If approved by the membership, this will allow ASTA to maintain the Society`s high standards while allowing ASTA to remain an inclusive organization representing the entire travel agency community, Copland said.
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