Family Travel Association

What Family Travel Association does

The Family Travel Association (FTA), founded in 2014, is a US-based non-profit trade association operating as the self-described only association dedicated to family travel professionals. The organization's functional purpose is to provide tools, resources, education, and certification to three constituencies: individual travel advisors, travel suppliers (resorts, tour operators, cruise lines, DMCs), and travel media, with the stated mission of increasing the quality of family travel experiences. Its core products include two certification programs (Travel Advisor Certification and Supplier Certification), original research and industry intelligence, and a set of searchable consumer-facing member directories (certified advisor directory, supplier directory, and media member directory) that connect families to vetted professionals. The association also runs a recurring event portfolio comprising the FTA Annual Summit, Quarterly Connections, Lunch & Learns, and an annual Retreat, all intended to drive member engagement and networking.

The business model is membership-based with subscription-style recurring dues, supplemented by event registration revenue and premium partner sponsorships. Specific pricing is not publicly disclosed; the only public monetary signals are a $75 cancellation service fee for memberships and a $250 transfer fee for event registrations after deadlines. Membership is acquired and managed through a dedicated business portal (business.familytravel.org) running on the GrowthZone association management platform, and the organization distributes content and community engagement through its main website and social channels on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Premium partners include host agencies and networks (Signature Travel Network, Travel Planners International, Vacation Planners, KHM Travel Group), family-focused resort brands (Beaches Resorts), travel trade media (Travel Age West), and an educational content partner (LearnTourism.org), giving FTA built-in distribution into both the advisor and supplier sides of the family travel market.

The organization is headquartered per its privacy policy at 407 N. Midland Avenue, Nyack, NY, with a mailing address in Ada, MI. It is governed by an independent board; Ken Shapiro (Editor-in-Chief of Travel Age West) serves as President of the Board, and Mike Janes serves as Vice President. FTA claims a global footprint but its named supplier and media members are concentrated in North America, with selective presence in Latin America (Peru, Argentina, Chile) and the Caribbean (Bahamas). Revenue, headcount, and funding are not publicly disclosed, consistent with a small private non-profit trade association structure.

Name

Family Travel Association

Legal name

Family Travel Association, Inc.

Website

https://familytravel.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Family Travel Association is a US non-profit trade association that certifies and connects travel advisors, family travel suppliers, and travel media, offering certification programs, member directories, original research, and recurring industry events to support the family travel market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Trade Association Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (56151)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAKAFAD

Family & Multigenerational Travel Agencies

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Specialty/Niche Travel Agencies (Luxury, Adventure, Honeymoon, etc.)

SECONDARYTHAKAOAD

Family & Multi-Generational Itinerary Planning

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Custom Itinerary Planning Services

SECONDARYTHAKABAE

Family, Honeymoon & Romance Travel Agencies

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Traditional/Retail Travel Agencies

SECONDARYTHAKAGAJ

Alumni, Reunion & Affinity Group Educational Travel

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Group Travel & Educational Travel Operators

Keywords

• Travel trade association
• Family travel certification
• Travel advisor training
• Travel industry membership
• Family travel research

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The FTA generates revenue through membership fees from travel advisors, suppliers, media companies, and host agencies. Membership provides access to research reports, industry intelligence, specialization training, resources, best practices, and networking opportunities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Family Travel Association is a non-profit trade association that sells memberships to travel advisors, travel suppliers, travel media, and host agencies. Members gain access to research reports, industry intelligence, family travel specialization training and certification, best-practice resources, networking events, and listing in a searchable consumer-facing directory of certified family travel professionals. The association also produces industry standards and runs an events calendar including its Annual Summit, Quarterly Connections, Lunch & Learns, and the FTA Retreat.

Product overview

The Family Travel Association offers a membership-based platform with directories for connecting with certified travel advisors, suppliers, and media professionals. The core offerings include two certification programs (Travel Advisor Certification and Supplier Certification), research reports and industry intelligence, and member directories. The association also organizes events including an Annual Summit, Quarterly Connections, Lunch & Learns, and an annual Retreat. All services are accessed through a membership framework managed via the GrowthZone platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Travel Advisor Certification A specialization certification program that trains and credentials travel advisors in family travel, equipping them to better serve traveling families. Certification enables listing in the consumer-facing Certified Family Travel Advisor Directory.
• Supplier Certification
• Certified Family Travel Advisor Directory
• Family Travel Supplier Directory
• Media Member Directory
• FTA Research Reports
• FTA Annual Summit
• Quarterly Connections
• Lunch & Learns
• Family Travel Association Retreat

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered premium partner.

• Signature Travel Networkpremium partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium partner of the Family Travel Association. A network of independent travel agencies.
• Travel Planners International (TPI)premium partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium partner of the Family Travel Association. Host agency for travel advisors.
• Vacation Plannerspremium partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium partner of the Family Travel Association. Franchise travel agency.
• KHM Travel Grouppremium partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium partner of the Family Travel Association. Host agency for travel advisors.
• Beaches Resortspremium partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium partner of the Family Travel Association. Family resort brand specializing in Caribbean vacations.
• Travel Age Westpremium partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium partner of the Family Travel Association. Travel trade publication covering Western US travel industry.
• LearnTourism.orgpremium partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremium partner providing educational resources for tourism professionals.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA): ASTA is the largest U.S. trade association representing travel advisors; like FTA, it sells memberships to travel professionals, runs events, advocates for the industry, and offers credentials. It is the most directly comparable peer in operating model, even though its scope is broader (not family-travel specific).
• United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA): USTOA is a trade association whose members include tour operators and suppliers, the same supply-side constituency FTA serves. It generates membership dues, runs industry events, and provides a consumer-facing directory - a near-twin operating model to FTA's supplier-program and Annual Summit.
• Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA): CLIA is the global trade association for the cruise industry, with a similar membership-based, certification-driven model (e.g., CLIA Certified Cruise Counselor). It shares FTA's playbook of certification + events + research, and is comparable in using credentials as the core member-facing product.

Broad incumbents

• Virtuoso: Virtuoso is the largest luxury travel advisor network with agency members and supplier partners worldwide. It is comparable in network economics (member directory, preferred supplier relationships, annual events like Virtuoso Travel Week) but operates at far greater scale and in the luxury, not family-specific, segment.
• Ensemble Travel: Ensemble is a consortium of independent travel agencies that pools marketing, supplier relationships, and events. It is a comparable peer on the agency-network side of FTA's constituency and shares the member-directory and shared-supplier access model FTA uses.
• International Air Transport Association (IATA): IATA is a global trade association serving the airline industry with member accreditation, training, and standards bodies. While its domain is airlines rather than family travel, its operating model (members, training/credentialing, events, industry intelligence) is highly comparable as a large-scale trade association archetype.

Others

• Signature Travel Network: Signature is a FTA Premium Partner and one of the largest U.S. travel agency cooperatives. It is a peer on the travel-advisor network side and is closely tied to FTA as a partner, but is distribution-oriented rather than membership-association-oriented.
• KHM Travel Group: KHM is a FTA Premium Partner and a leading host agency for independent travel advisors. It is closely related as both a partner and a comparable entity serving advisors seeking to specialize, but its business model is host-agency services rather than association/credentialing.
• Travel Planners International (TPI): TPI is a FTA Premium Partner and a major host agency. It overlaps with FTA's host-agency and advisor constituencies and is a natural peer for the advisor-services slice of FTA's membership.

Emerging players

• Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA): ATTA is a trade association focused on adventure travel, a category closely adjacent to family travel. It is comparable in operating model (members, events, research, supplier directory) and serves a similarly shaped but distinct vertical, positioning it as a peer insight into how a niche vertical trade association scales.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FamilyTravAssoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/familytravelassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/family-travel-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/familytravelassociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Family Travel Association