Building and strengthening ties between specialized travel agents and the tour operators and ground suppliers who offer adventure travel product throughout the global adventure travel community is the key aim behind a newly forged alliance announced today by the Specialty Travel Agents Association (STAA) and the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).
Under the agreement, collaboration between both associations includes the creation of new channels of communications that help to bring qualified travel agents specializing in adventure travel product before the adventure travel network, and members of the adventure network before the certified and specially trained agents. Specifically, members of the STAA (www.specialtytravelagents.com) who join the ATTA (www.adventuretravel.biz) will now have access to communicate vis-à-vis business-to-business online networking in the ATTA’s new digital networking space, The Hub, which is set to launch March 4, as well as through shared Webinar programs and during the ATTA’s 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com).
According to ATTA president Shannon Stowell, adventure travel tour operators within the ATTA community continue to predict an increasingly important role for specialized adventure travel agents in the coming years.
“Through recent survey research, much event feedback and extensive discussions with operators, we’re finding increasing interest in developing stronger bonds between agents and operators,” said Stowell. “Our partnership will help to advance this mutual interest, and as a result, we fully expect to see immediate returns that helps both sets of professionals to grow their networks, the industry and in the end, bring more knowledge, value and support to adventure travelers worldwide.”
An exchange of cross-promotional and marketing support between both organizations, as well as mutual discounts for membership, resources and events within the respective organizations, is also a part of the cooperative agreement.
“This bringing together of agents and tour operators builds trusted connections that will give our members the best opportunities to succeed,” said Sandy McDowell, STAA president. “We see STAA agents adding to their bottom line. Any STAA agent can expand their client’s experience to include adventure travel in almost any destination they serve. Connecting with this professional supplier base from ATTA represents great new resources for all involved. We’re keen to tap into prospective adventure travel partners who are eager to realize the potential growth that agents can contribute, and in turn, to lean in and learn much more about supporting the outreach efforts of our supplier counterparts who offer a compelling depth and breadth of adventure travel.”