EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc. has just joined USTOA, furthering the association's membership diversity.
EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is under the direction of Olle Olsson, President. The company offers over 200 itineraries for teachers, students and adults, including customized programs, sports tours, performing arts tours and religious tour programs. Among the destinations served are Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Mexico, Canada and the United States. In 2000, Brazil and Ecuador will be added. The company also does business under the name Go Ahead Tours.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, EF Institute for Cultural Exchange has additional offices in Santa Barbara and Dallas. Other memberships include IATAN, ARC, CLIA, and TIAA. They can be contacted at EF Center Boston, One Education Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, and their Web site is www.eftours.com
"We are pleased and honored to have EF Institute for Cultural Exchange as a member," says USTOA President, Robert Whitley. "Cultural and educational tour companies are a growing sector in the association, and we welcome the variety."
Since its founding in 1972, USTOA has been instrumental in setting high standards of ethics and reliability in the tour operator industry. The organization's requirements for Active Membership status are among the highest in the travel industry, and include: a minimum of 3,000 passengers or $3 million sales volume annually, a minimum of three years under the same ownership or management, 16 industry references, and participation in USTOA's $1 Million Consumer Protection Plan, which requires each company to set aside $1 million security for the protection of consumers' deposits and payments in the case of bankruptcy or insolvency.
USTOA's Active Member companies are responsible for the majority of all package vacations and tours sold nationwide by U.S. travel agents. The organization's 57 corporate member companies, representing over 100 brand names, move an estimated nine million passengers annually, and account for a sales volume of more than $5 billion.
Public Relations Contact:
Linda Kundell Communications
(212) 877-2798, (212) 877-3387 fax
(For all other inquiries about USTOA, please contact USTOA.)
