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ASTA Advocacy

ASTA promotes and defends the travel agency community at all levels of government and within every segment of the travel industry. Our advocacy team is engaged around the clock, fighting against federal and state policies that will negatively impact you and your clients and for policies that will allow your business to grow and thrive.

Thanks to ASTA’s efforts, travel agencies have saved hundreds of millions of dollars (over $133 million in 2019 alone) in new taxes, fees and regulatory costs. Plus, since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have been helping members navigate the pandemic for themselves and their clients, bringing financial support to travel agencies and the first-ever unemployment benefits for independent contractors.

We also fought to end the COVID-19 testing requirements for travelers flying to the U.S. from abroad, a serious deterrent to international travel. Our successes rely on the involvement of our members; we make it easy for you to stay informed and speak up to legislators and regulators on the issues that matter to you, your clients and your business.

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STATE AND FEDERAL CAMPAIGNS

ASTA’s in-house government affairs team actively monitors legislation and regulations coming before Congress, the White House and federal agencies as well as in all 50 state legislatures for issues that might affect travel advisors, the industry or the traveling public and organizes campaigns so that the agency community can make their voices heard early in the process.

  • ASTA Requests American Airlines Delay Plan to Implement New Distribution Capability

    Society requests AA postpone full NDC implementation to the end of 2023

    Read Now

  • Travel Advisor Priorities for FAA Reauthorization Sent to Capitol Hill

    For the first time since 2018, Congress will reevaluate federal aviation policy this year through the FAA reauthorization process.

    Read Now

  • ASTA's 2021-2022 Advocacy Accomplishments

    ASTA fights to protect the interests of its members and the broader travel agency community at all levels of government— federal, state and even local.

    Read Article

  • Travel Advisors to Department of Labor: Independent Contractor Proposal Should Be Withdrawn

    The American Society of Travel Advisors strongly urged the U.S. Department of Labor to withdraw its proposal for determining employee or independent contractor classification.

    Read Article

  • Travel Advisor Priorities Included in Year-End Spending Bill

    Fiscal Year 2023 omnibus spending bill included provisions of the Visit America Act/Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act—a policy priority of ASTA’s during its Legislative Day event in June.

    Read Article

  • Travel Advisors to DOT: Don’t Put Us on the Hook for Airline Cancellations

    Today, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) urged the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to reverse course and not require travel advisors to pay client refunds out of pocket for cancelled flights when the agency is not in possession of the client’s funds.

     

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  • ASTA's Eben Peck Testifies before DOT on Airline Fee Disclosures

    Eben Peck, Executive Vice President of Advocacy for the American Society of Travel Advisors, testified before the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee at the U.S. Department of Transportation on December 8th, 2022. 

     

    Read Article

  • Bipartisan Senate Proposal to Restore Employee Retention Tax Credit Unveiled

    ASTA has been advocating for the Employee Retention Tax Credit Reinstatement Act, recognizing that, for many businesses, the pandemic is far from over.

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TAP INTO OUR EASY-TO-USE

ADVOCACY RESOURCES

Our Advocacy Toolkit provides time-efficient, powerful ways for you to advocate on the issues that matter to you. Sign up for our alerts and we'll make it easy for you to support our efforts. Take two minutes to complete a sign-and-send letter that we automatically dispatch to your legislators. Join our thrilling annual Legislative Day when we head to Washington D.C. and gather in state delegations to visit the Capitol and call on our Senators and Representatives.

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Advocacy Documents

Do you know how big the travel agency industry is in your state? What is the projected economic impact on the industry of pending legislation? Your federal and state representatives take your concerns seriously when they understand how important our industry is to their constituency and the potential effects of their decisions. Our fact sheets can answer these questions and more.


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THE IMPORTANCE OF

ASTAPAC

Established in 1979, ASTA’s political action committee (ASTAPAC) protects the interests of the travel advisor community by raising and spending money to elect members of Congress who support the travel industry. The PAC works for you by building strong relationships with lawmakers and providing ASTA with additional opportunities to share our most pressing concerns. ASTAPAC serves as the only PAC for travel advisors, educating elected officials about our issues and counterbalancing opposing positions. Legislators realize that ASTA's strength comes from the thousands of individual travel advisors who show their commitment to our shared priorities by contributing to its PAC program. 

 

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THE IMPORTANCE OF

ASTA ADVOCACY

New taxes. Onerous reporting requirements. Travel-inhibiting regulations. Our advocacy team is always on the lookout for legislative and regulatory threats that could negatively impact your business and your clients and empowers you to use your personal story and industry experience to effectively augment our advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C.

Thanks to ASTA’s efforts, travel agencies have saved hundreds of millions of dollars (over $133 million in 2019 alone) in new taxes and regulatory costs. Plus, since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have been helping members navigate the pandemic for themselves and their clients, bringing support to travel agencies and the first-ever unemployment benefits for independent contractors.

Sign up for our advocacy alerts, check out our advocacy toolkit and see how easy and rewarding it is to get involved. If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.

All Advocacy Resources
American Society of Travel Advisors

123 N Pitt St, Ste 400, Alexandria, VA 22314 U.S.A.
800.ASK.ASTA

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