The ASTA Caribbean Showcase event, hosted at Jamaica’s Sandals South Coast, ended on a high note this week with live music under the stars and a buffet spread that ran the gamut from Jamaican specialties to international favorites, capping off five days of meetings, networking, presentations and immersive destination experiences.
Over 350 travel advisors were joined by industry leaders and suppliers, as well as Ministers of Tourism from Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Turks & Caicos, St. Kitts and Grenada. Also present were Dona Regis-Prosper, Secretary General and CEO of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, and representatives from the Curaçao Tourist Board, the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Tourism, Discover Puerto Rico and other travel partners.
The general sessions and panels covered numerous subjects, including one moderated by award-winning travel journalist Peter Greenberg, which featured tourism ministers from Jamaica, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada and Saint Lucia. The session explored travel beyond sand and sun, inter-island travel, airlift to the region and sustainability. However, as behooved an ASTA event, there was also a distinct focus on the entity’s mission of safeguarding the travel advisor, advocating for the profession and offering support in the form of professional development.
“Our mission is to safeguard the profession,” said Zane Kerby, President and CEO of ASTA, “and to promote you and defend you at all levels of government within the industry itself and to the traveling public. We exist to serve you. Your success is our success. We don’t have any other priority. We don’t have any other commercial relationship that gets in the way of that or that might complicate or cloud our judgment.”
“We are here to make sure that you’re successful. If it’s good for travel advisors, we’ll endorse it…If it’s bad for travel advisors, we’ll fight it with everything we have.”
Kerby noted two key initiatives currently on the table—prompt commission payments and a pushback against cruise line non-commissionable fees (NFCs)—adding that ASTA is introducing a new function to the website that will allow members to report “slow or no-pay suppliers,” enabling them to utilize their legal department to collect.
And, adding there are “precious few barriers to becoming a travel advisor, unfortunately,” he spoke about ASTA’s Verified Travel Advisor (VTA) certification program, which offers courses and training that are separate from what a host agency provides new advisors. The training includes four courses, he explained, two of which cover the legalities of opening an agency, one on regulatory compliance and one on ethics. Once tests are passed, the VTA is then added to ASTA’s new consumer-facing VeriVacation.com lead generation website.
The ASTA – Sandals Connection
It was no coincidence that Sandals South Coast, which underwent a multi-million-dollar upgrade during the pandemic, adding new accommodations categories such as Swim-Up Rondoval Suites and Longbeach Beachfront One-Bedroom Butler Suites, served as the backdrop for the Caribbean Showcase. The connection between ASTA and the Sandals product is a strong one, as Gary Sadler, Executive Vice President of Sales and Industry Relations at Unique Vacations, Inc., an affiliate of the worldwide representative of Sandals and Beaches Resorts, pointed out.
”Why should you sell more Sandals? Because we’re committed,” said Sadler. “We’re committed to the travel industry, and our commitment is with ASTA, because of ASTA and the work that they continue to do to protect the interest of the travel advisor. And that’s critical. Because I believe that ASTA’s work in protecting your profession is something that is profound to Sandals and Beaches Resorts. What is our policy? Our policy is very simple, that you must work with a verified, professional travel advisor. Ladies and gentlemen, we are on record to say we do not work with multi-level marketing companies.”
Staying and Playing
But it was not all work and no play. In addition to the event cocktails and dinners and enjoying the many onsite activities offered by the resort, including the brand new pickleball courts, advisors were treated to guided tours in Negril, a snorkeling cruise aboard a catamaran or a visit to the Appleton Rum Estate and the YS Falls, all hosted by DMC Island Routes.
The Importance of Being There
Pamela Irwin, Senior Sales Associate at Mansour Travel / Vice President of Sales at ATB Travel, and a member of the ASTA Board of Directors, noted the high level of engagement and interest among the participating advisors and encouraged their participation.
“I’m just looking at the smiles and the vibes that are, feel from everybody. [They’re] wonderful. And everyone showing up for all of the events and sitting through all of the presentations. [The advisors] really want to learn and it’s a wonderful thing, [ as is having] presenters that are coming here to really teach. I think it’s a great opportunity.”
“If you’re going to focus on the Caribbean, you should attend a Caribbean Showcase… And then there’s the friendships you make with advisors, the connections and the collaboration.”
For more information, visit asta.org.
