Who reads The Group Travel Leader? Currently, the magazine’s guaranteed circulation of 20,000 readers includes more than 15,000 travel buyers and influencers.
Nearly 2,000 tour operator professionals (1,956) receive The Group Travel Leader each month. In the case of some large companies, more than one employee gets the magazine. The majority of these companies are members of professional trade associations like the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), NTA and the Student and Youth Travel Association (SYTA).
“We set out 25 years ago to build a comprehensive readership of travel professionals from all the industry’s major trade associations as a base for everything else we do,” said publisher Mac Lacy. “At the same time, through our relationship with The Group Travel Family, we pioneered the effort to bring thousands of grassroots volunteer travel planners into the industry.”
Nearly 1,700 bus operator professionals (1,687) currently receive the magazine. Most of these readers are members of the American Bus Association, the United Motorcoach Association, the International Motorcoach Group or the Ontario Motor Coach Association.
The magazine is mailed to 126 receptive operators across the United States and Canada. More than two dozen of these are members of the Receptive Services Association of America, whose members offer receptive services for groups arriving from countries like China, Brazil, Australia and Great Britain.
The Group Travel Leader is mailed to 4,268 traditional group leaders who plan trips for their preformed groups. Another 200 readers identify themselves as boomer travel planners who are serving the huge market segment of travelers in the 50-to-68 age group. Many of these have been identified through the Boomers in Groups Conference, which began five years ago. Another 121 are student and youth group travel companies.
More than 1,400 professional travel agents read the magazine. Most are American Society of Travel Agent members who are actively selling the packages of major tour companies to their clients.
“Travel agents have re-emerged as major travel influencers for groups over the past decade,” said Lacy. “Groups like USTOA have done a great job of expanding travel agents’ sphere of influence for the packaged travel industry. Like publishers, travel agents have used the Internet to reinforce their operations and increase their relevance.”
More than 2,000 (2,175) readers of The Group Travel Leader are travel planners for senior centers, corporate retiree clubs and retirement villages across the country. About 500 plan travel for local AARP chapters or for a local parks and recreation center.
