Michelle Baran
The feeling appears to be mutual: The U.S. Tour Operators Association wants to improve relations with agents, and agents want to improve relations with the USTOA.
And all are hoping that newly appointed USTOA President Terry Dale might be just the matchmaker they need to consummate a marriage.
"USTOA has not had much of a link to the retail side of the business historically," said Scott Koepf, vice president of sales for Avoya Travel/America's Vacation Center. "That's a new approach that I think is open and valuable that could be used moving forward."
"I think Terry is certainly the right guy to do that because he is respected and known in the agency circles," Koepf added. "There is a great opportunity for [the USTOA] to add some generic training and to embrace the travel retailer."
As Dale closes out his seven-year tenure as CEO of CLIA at the end of 2010, and officially joins as USTOA president at the start of 2011, both member operators as well as retailers will be watching to see whether and how the USTOA might get agents involved in the association.
"In no way am I looking to recreate the model from CLIA here," Dale said. But, he added, "that doesn't mean we shouldn't take the opportunity to strengthen the relationship with agents."
At the USTOA's annual conference and marketplace in New Orleans in December, the ideas of how to get agents involved in the association ranged from education to agent fam trips, from creating an agent event not unlike CLIA's Cruise3sixty to possibly giving agents some kind of membership opportunity.
"Terry has proven that he has the skills to organize and motivate agents, as has been done with the expansion of CLIA cruise3sixty. Despite USTOA's focus, my hope is that Terry will bring some of what CLIA does so well in the area of agent education and support," said Dwain Wall, senior vice president and general manager of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. "This could include the possibility of creating a similar type of industry event to bring land and tour operators together with the agent community."