ASTA
ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 1931 that represents US travel advisors, advocates for the travel agency distribution channel at all government levels, and delivers membership services including certification, education, events, and a hosted career center.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1931
- HeadquartersAlexandria, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ASTA does
ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors), founded in 1931 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit professional trade association serving travel advisors and the broader US travel agency distribution channel. Its members are reported to represent approximately 80% of all travel sold in the United States through travel agencies, and the organization functions as the industry's recognized advocacy body at municipal, state, and federal levels. ASTA operates a hybrid go-to-market combining membership acquisition through asta.org, event-driven engagement (Travel Advisor Conference TAC27 in Orlando, Annual Conference, destination and business webinars), and community-driven programming through chapters, committees, and a mentoring program.
ASTA's core product is membership, which unlocks advocacy representation, exclusive events, partner perks (including bonus commissions), the Verified Travel Advisor (VTA) certification, and access to member-only directories. The supporting product ecosystem includes the ASTA Learning Center (online certifications and a Roadmap course for prospective advisors), the Travel Career Center (Naylor-hosted job board with tiered Featured Employer branding packages priced up to $5,265 for a 365-day package), the VeriVacation consumer-facing advisor matching service, ASTA Mentoring, the Industry Partner Directory, and the ASTA Swag Shop. The technology stack is built on iMIS for membership management, PheedLoop for event registration, Naylor for career center infrastructure, Google Analytics for web analytics, and Microsoft Teams for internal coordination — all standard association SaaS tooling rather than proprietary platforms.
Revenue is generated through recurring membership dues (pricing not publicly disclosed), subscription-style job posting fees ($99–$385 for single postings, bulk packages at lower per-unit rates), Featured Employer branding subscriptions, one-time event registrations, professional services revenue from resume writing (via TopResume partnership) and reference checking ($79.20–$124 per check), and sponsor payments from travel suppliers (Versaton as Platinum Sponsor, Opus Inc. as Gold Sponsor, iMIS Foundation and Versaton Medical as Silver Sponsors). ASTA reports no parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity, operating as a member-governed association led by an incoming president (Anne Broussard) and supported by a small professional staff of 51-100 employees.
ASTA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ASTA
- Legal name
- American Society of Travel Advisors
- Website
- https://asta.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1931
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 1931 that represents US travel advisors, advocates for the travel agency distribution channel at all government levels, and delivers membership services including certification, education, events, and a hosted career center.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where ASTA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alexandria
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
ASTA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: ASTA generates revenue through annual membership fees from travel advisors, providing access to exclusive resources, events, partner perks, and industry advocacy.
- Job Posting Fees: The Travel Career Center charges employers for job postings, ranging from $99-$385 for single 30-day postings, with bulk packages offering discounts. Featured Employer packages range from $459-$5,265.
- Event Registration: Revenue from Travel Advisor Conference and Annual Conference registrations, including networking events, education sessions, and gala celebrations.
- Featured Employer Branding: Premium employer branding packages on the Travel Career Center, including header banners, logo visibility, enhanced job listings, and corporate video integration.
- Resume Writing Services: Partnership with TopResume for resume writing, critique, and LinkedIn makeover services offered to job seekers through the career center.
- Reference Checking: Employment verification and reference checking services for job seekers: Professional ($79.20-$99) and Executive ($99.20-$124) tiers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Single 60-Day Job Posting - Members |
| Subscription | Monthly | Single 30-Day Job Posting - Non-Members |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Three 30-Day Job Postings - Members |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Five 30-Day Job Postings - Members |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Ten 30-Day Job Postings - Members |
| Subscription | Monthly | 30-Day Featured Employer - Members |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 60-Day Featured Employer - Members |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 90-Day Featured Employer - Members |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 180-Day Featured Employer - Members |
| Subscription | Annual | 365-Day Featured Employer - Members |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Reference Check: Professional |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Reference Check: Executive |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
ASTA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ASTA is a nonprofit professional trade association that provides membership services, advocacy, education, and certification programs to travel advisors and the broader travel industry. Its core offering is paid annual membership, bundled with access to industry advocacy, partner perks (bonus commissions), events, mentorship, the Verified Travel Advisor (VTA) certification, the Learning Center, and the Travel Career Center job board that connects travel industry employers with qualified candidates.
Product overview
ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors) is a professional trade association serving travel advisors through a multi-faceted platform combining membership services, education, and career support. The core offering is ASTA Membership, which provides advocacy, credibility resources, and networking benefits. Supporting this are the ASTA Learning Center (certifications, webinars, video library) and ASTA Verified Travel Advisor (VTA) Certification for professional credentials. For career development, the Travel Career Center (job board with Featured Employer packages, resume services, reference checking) connects employers with job seekers. Additional products include VeriVacation (traveler-facing booking service), Tickets for Clients (event ticketing platform), the ASTA Travel Blog, ASTA Mentoring Program, ASTA Host Agency Directory, Industry Partner Directory, ASTA Swag Shop, and the Roadmap to Becoming a Travel Advisor Course. The organization also hosts an Annual Conference and Travel Advisor Conference (TAC) as flagship events, with webinars running throughout the year.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ASTA Membership Professional membership providing advocacy, credibility resources, exclusive events, partner perks including bonus commissions, and industry networking opportunities for travel professionals.
- ASTA Learning Center
Quantifiable outcome
- 80% of all travel sold in the United States through the travel agency distribution channel is represented by ASTA members
Companies that use ASTA
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ASTA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature4 records
ASTA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- VersatoncoreVersaton is a Platinum Sponsor of ASTA's Annual Conference. The partnership includes hospitality suite sponsorship during events and visibility as a leading conference sponsor.
- Opus, Inc.coreOpus, Inc. is a Gold Sponsor of ASTA's Annual Conference, providing testing and certification services and supporting professional development for travel industry professionals.
- iMIS FoundationminoriMIS Foundation is a Silver Sponsor of ASTA's Annual Conference, supporting association events and professional development initiatives.
- Versaton MedicalminorVersaton Medical is a Silver Sponsor of ASTA's Annual Conference, providing specialized services to the travel industry.
- Naylor, Inc.coreNaylor provides the software platform and hosting for ASTA's Travel Career Center (careers.asta.org), enabling job posting, resume management, and employer branding services.
- TopResumeminorTopResume provides resume writing services, critiques, and LinkedIn makeovers to ASTA Travel Career Center users, offering discounts and special offers to members.
- Tickets for ClientsminorTickets for Clients provides a customizable portal for travel advisors to access event tickets at exclusive pricing, with white-label options and commission structures for ASTA members.
- Sandals ResortsminorSandals Resorts partners with ASTA for educational webinars about their golf and scuba diving vacation packages, helping travel advisors learn about these niche luxury offerings.
- Hilton Hotels & ResortsminorHilton partners with ASTA for webinars on new properties and travel advisor tools, offering prize incentives like 2-night stays for webinar attendees.
- Corazón Cabo Resort & SpaminorCorazón Cabo Resort & Spa partners with ASTA for educational webinars, offering prize drawings for 3-night stays for two at the resort for live webinar attendees.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ASTA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Society of Incentive & Travel Executives (SITE): Global association for the incentive travel industry, providing education, certification (CITE), and events. Comparable to ASTA's model of certification, education, and member-driven events, but specialized to the incentive travel vertical.
- Global Business Travel Association (GBTA): The world's largest business travel trade organization, serving corporate travel managers and suppliers. Comparable to ASTA in mission (advocacy, education, events, certification) but focused on the corporate travel segment rather than leisure/advisor distribution.
- Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA): Global cruise industry trade association representing cruise lines, travel agencies, and travel advisors. Directly comparable to ASTA as a membership-based travel industry association providing advocacy, certification, events, and member services to a similar advisor/supplier constituency.
- United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA): Trade association representing tour operators in the US, offering advocacy, education, and a consumer protection program. Comparable to ASTA as a US-based travel industry association with advocacy and member services at its core.
- American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) - the subject company: This is the subject company itself, included for completeness as the anchor reference.
Broad incumbents
- Travel Leaders Network: Large US travel agency consortium providing marketing, technology, supplier relations, and education to member agencies. Comparable to ASTA's membership-based value proposition for agencies and advisors, with more of a commercial/agency-focus versus advocacy-focus.
- Virtuoso: Global luxury travel network of agencies and advisors with supplier partnerships, events, and member benefits. Comparable as a member-based travel advisor network with rich perks, but more of a marketing consortium than a broad trade association.
Others
- Skift: Travel industry media and events company covering the travel sector with research, newsletters, and Skift Forum events. Adjacent to ASTA's role in travel industry education and convening, with a media/events commercial model rather than membership.
- Phocuswright: Travel industry research and events company producing conferences and research reports. Comparable to ASTA's event and education programming, but operates as a commercial research and media business rather than a member association.
Emerging players
- IATAN (International Airlines Travel Agent Network): IATA's travel agent accreditation and identification arm, providing ID cards and supplier recognition to travel agents. Overlaps with ASTA's professional recognition role (e.g., VTA) but is supplier-driven and accreditation-focused rather than advocacy-driven.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ASTA social profiles
Digital presenceASTA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ASTA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
ASTA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ASTA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ASTA
What does ASTA do?
ASTA is a nonprofit professional trade association that provides membership services, advocacy, education, and certification programs to travel advisors and the broader travel industry. Its core offering is paid annual membership, bundled with access to industry advocacy, partner perks (bonus commissions), events, mentorship, the Verified Travel Advisor (VTA) certification, the Learning Center, and the Travel Career Center job board that connects travel industry employers with qualified candidates.
Is ASTA a public or private company?
ASTA is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ASTA founded?
ASTA was founded in 1931. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ASTA based?
ASTA is headquartered in Alexandria, United States, in the North America region.
How does ASTA make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are job Posting Fees, event Registration, featured Employer Branding, resume Writing Services and reference Checking.
Who are ASTA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Society of Incentive & Travel Executives (SITE), Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) and American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) - the subject company. Broad incumbents are Travel Leaders Network and Virtuoso. Others are Skift and Phocuswright. IATAN (International Airlines Travel Agent Network) is listed as an emerging player.
Does ASTA have an API?
No public API is recorded for ASTA.