Associate New Member Information

An invitation to join USTOA as an Associate Member is extended to travel service providers,  ground operators, common airline carriers, head offices of organizations, associations and locations of suppliers of tour products and services, government agencies and others interested in developing travel.  Associate Membership is open to such companies that share USTOA's interests and purposes, to encourage and support professional and financial integrity in tourism and in the future of the travel industry.

Why Join USTOA?

• Recognized by travel advisors, consumers and the press as the standard of excellence and leading association of its kind
• The buying power of USTOA Membership: $19 billion travel packages sold, 9.8 million travelers yearly, $12.8 billion goods and services purchased
• Connections to industry leaders and membership representing top destinations and suppliers from around the world
• Social responsibility, we are proud co-founders of Tourism Cares, the industry’s philanthropic organization

Benefits of Associate Membership

• Invited to take part in the member-only USTOA Annual Conference & Marketplace, held in early December every year. The conference is more than just another networking event. Associate Members have an opportunity to interface with top executives from worldwide tour operators on a one to one, buy and sell basis, and really build meaningful partnerships that can take their business to the next level.

  Members will also be able to participate in (or attend) state of the art symposiums that are both educational and interactive, and profit from the experience of industry leaders. Keynote speakers and expert panel discussions will help inspire and educate you to adhere to best practices, be an early adopter of trends and help you expand your global business.

• Receive the opportunity to feature the appropriate USTOA Associate Member logo on their marketing materials.
• Invitations to all events including webinars, Business After Hours networking mixers, and periodic events held throughout the year like the USTOA Congressional Caucus.

Advocacy

• Effective representation at the USTOA Congressional Caucus
• Proactive engagement with lawmakers at state, federal, or international levels

Education

• Seminars, Workshops, and Research such as:
  • Human Services Response Training
  • Innovation Lab with Cornell University
• Webinars
• Packaged Travel Index

Business Development

• Annual Conference & Marketplace
• Business After Hours events
• Facebook Coffee Chats
• Social Media Channels

Exposure

• Tour Review Site
• Co-Op Marketing
• Enhanced Visibility to Consumers and Travel Advisors
• Listing in annual USTOA Business Resource Member Guide

USTOA Annual Conference & Marketplace

The USTOA Annual Conference & Marketplace enables Associate Members to meet with top executives from the Active Member tour operators on a one-to-one, buy-and-sell basis. An additional fee is required to attend the Annual Conference.

USTOA Digital Resource Guide

USTOA publishes an annual membership publication: USTOA Digital Resource Guide, for the travel trade. Travel Weekly produces the guide and distributes it with its issue in late December. In order to be listed in the USTOA Business Resource, your membership application and payment of annual dues must be received by August 31.

Current Associate Member Categories

Qualifications

It should be noted that Associate Membership is not available to companies that have an office in the United States and sell tours to the North America travel market. These companies are eligible, subject to certain requirements, to join USTOA as an Active Member.

Most Associate Members of USTOA are permitted to use the ASSOCIATE MEMBER logo on certain materials provided they strictly observe the logo guidelines. In order to clarify possible confusion about membership type, any use of the Associate Member logo in commercial materials must also include the following information in the general conditions section:

"(COMPANY NAME) is an Associate Member of the United States Tour Operators Association. However, (COMPANY NAME) is NOT a participant in the USTOA $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program and is not held by USTOA to certain standards required of Active Members."

All new Associate Membership applications MUST now have TWO sponsor companies indicated on their application before it is submitted. One of the two sponsor companies must be a current Active Member and the other can be a current Associate Member. The sponsors will be contacted for a reference. Companies desiring to apply for Associate Membership who have no prior business dealings with Active or Associate Members, should contact the office of USTOA directly to discuss alternatives to this sponsorship requirement.

Annual Dues

The 2024 Associate Member annual dues have been increased to $1,150 per company.