March 18, 2010Bill Maloney, ASTA’s CEO for the last 11 years, resigned abruptly March 12 after what he called a "disagreement about renewal terms" of his contract with the trade group. March 18, 2010Continuing its efforts to reduce administrative burdens for travel agents, ARC is eliminating the long-standing requirement that agents ship unused or expired paper ticket stock back to ARC. March 17, 2010Tasked with the challenge of how to get their members out in front of more consumers, agency consortia are looking to consumer media partnerships. March 17, 2010MailPound, a distributor of news and promotions to travel agents, has launched a mini-portal featuring Mexico. March 15, 2010As part of an ongoing strategy to create alliances with consumer media brands, Signature Travel Network has partnered with Architectural Digest magazine to launch design-focused itineraries. March 15, 2010Rand McNally has acquired Tripology, a lead generator for travel agents, as the map publisher looks to expand its presence in travel planning. March 15, 2010Boosting its visibility and educating the industry about its mission are the top objectives for the Professional Association of Travel Hosts in 2010, according to its board of directors. March 12, 2010ASTA said on Friday that CEO William Maloney has resigned and departed the organization. Maloney had served as ASTA’s CEO since 1999. March 12, 2010Travel Guard has persuaded Australian travel insurance company iTrek to discontinue a promotion called "The Travel Agent Is Dead." March 5, 2010Montrose Travel, the retail and host agency based in Montrose, Calif., was named one of the Ensemble Travel Group's top five agencies at the 2009 Ensemble Travel Group International Conference in Alberta, Canada. March 4, 2010MassiveGood, a program enabling travelers to donate money to third-world health causes when purchasing travel, went live on Thursday. March 4, 2010ASTA’s annual Agency Profile shows that the typical ASTA travel agency is still small and still struggling with the effects of the recession — only a third realized a profit last year, down from 53% as recently as 2007. March 2, 2010Travel Leaders, the travel agency group formerly known as Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates, said its website program now allows more customization. March 1, 2010The benefits and drawbacks of hiring independent contractors vs. agency staff will take center stage at ASTA's Retail Travel Leadership Summit. February 28, 2010Condé Nast Traveler magazine and Signature Travel Network have partnered to create cruise itineraries with the Condé Nast brand. February 25, 2010YTB International said Andrew Cauthen, the company's corporate secretary, resigned on Feb. 23. February 24, 2010What a difference a year makes. Just over 80% of Virtuoso travel retailers are saying that future bookings were up compared to this time last year. February 24, 2010In what it says is the latest example of the merging of online and offline worlds, Orbitz has created a booking site for a group long considered one of its fiercest competitors: travel agents. February 23, 2010An unnamed company has signed a letter of intent to acquire Tripology, a lead-generation service for travel agents, according to the company's CEO. February 22, 2010Passport Online has launched a cruise-booking tool for travel agent websites that incorporates marketing as well as booking. February 22, 2010There's been a changing of the guard at the Professional Association of Travel Hosts. Jackie Friedman, president and general manager of host agency Nexion, was elected president of PATH, and she will serve as co-chair of the organization's supplier relations committee. February 22, 2010Niche marketing, branding and selling luxury products are among the topics in a new webinar series for members of the Network of Entrepreneurs Selling Travel. February 19, 2010The host agency America's Vacation Center now has a travel unit and website for Canadian customers. February 19, 2010CCRA Travel Solutions has launched its Commission/Express program, in which agents can earn 15% commission on many hotels booked at the company's portal, CCRATravel.com. February 19, 2010California travel industry members are taking issue with a proposal by state legislators to require employers to withhold state income tax from their payments to independent contractors and remit it directly to the cash-strapped state. |