SALEM, Ohio — As we enter 2022, the debate about the safety of travel has raged on for two years now. While America seems to be split into two camps on most every conceivable subject these days, the group travel industry has a tremendous opportunity. This opportunity goes well beyond travel and affects the quality of life that human interaction delivers.
Group travel is about enjoying sights, savoring meals, strengthening established friendships and building new relationships. The country may be split on many subjects, but hardly anyone disagrees that traveling with friends and family is good for emotional and mental health.
The opportunity, then, is to help people get back on track and enjoy life through traveling with a group. This publication is read monthly by people who understand the value that group travel brings to life, and we have a responsibility to engage the public.
Engaging people in group travel begins with exercising relationships developed between the travel industry and the travel planner. That’s best accomplished by attending travel conferences designed to bring the two constituencies together.
Group travel starts by attending events such as the American Bus Association Marketplace, the NTA Travel Exchange, the Select Traveler Conference, the African American Travel Conference, the Going On Faith Conference and Boomers In Groups. The Group Travel Family of Brands, a national organization that delivers meetings where group travel planners meet the travel industry, has made the commitment to power ahead and operate all seven of its conferences in 2022.
“Travel has been impacted the past two years,” said Charlie Presley, president of the organization. “However, we made the decision to continue all of our brand travel conferences, even in 2020 and 2021.
“We have and will operate travel conferences within the health guidelines set by the state and local governments of the conference location.”
Although the debate on safe travel may well continue through 2022, the travel industry furthering the cause will gather, meet, plan and succeed at travel conferences. In doing so, millions of people choosing to travel with a group will be served. Be part of this opportunity by attending the travel conference of your choice.
