Statistics Point to Positive Year for ASTA Membership

Membership numbers at the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) are on the rise the Society reports, with an overall 20-percent increase in membership applications this year compared to the same time in 2003.

In the past two years, the Society has upped its voting membership by more than 20 percent. Moreover, since the start of 2004, the ASTA has increased its international membership by 15 percent and has seen the number of Travel Professional members increase by 30 percent.

“There’s no doubt that travel agents, and I include ASTA in that, have experienced tough times in the last several years,” said Richard M. Copland, CTC, ASTA president and CEO. “But now we’re seeing things turn around in ways that are positive for the Society and for our members. This bump in membership shows us that ASTA is as viable and important to the industry today as when it was formed in 1931. Our successful efforts, both on and off the hill, have benefited travel agents by giving them greater protection against government interference and by increasing their overall profitability.

“ASTA’s benefits are unparalleled within the industry, whether we’re talking independent home-based agents, company owners and managers or international travel agencies looking to connect with their U.S. counterparts. Travel agents are here to stay and ASTA will be there with them, every step of the way, to make sure they have what they need to succeed,” he said.