Contact: Andrea
Hutchinson
203-878-2577 x117
ahutchinson@adventureexpo.com
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Adventure
Travel Professional Symposium™ set
for
Orlando, FL, September
8-9, 2006
Focused on the current state and future of adventure travel; designed
for active and adventure travel professionals, tour operators and
destination officials seeking to enhance their market position.
(June 6, 2006) – MILFORD, CT – The Adventure Council™,
in collaboration with the Adventures in Travel Expo (ATE) has
announced it will host the first Adventure Travel Professional Symposium
(ATPRO), September 8 and 9, 2006 at the Orange County Convention
Center in Orlando, Florida in conjunction with THETRADESHOW, the
premier event of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) and
The Travel Institute’s National Forum.
ATPRO is the first adventure travel industry event specifically
focused on delivering timely market information and strategic
business solutions for today’s active and adventure travel
professional.
This highly focused event will provide a forum for senior tourism
leaders, tour operators, destination marketing organizations,
CVB’s
and specialized travel agents to network and learn about the
latest trends in adventure and active travel including market
conditions,
risk management, emerging destinations, sustainable tourism,
integrated sales and marketing strategies, information technology
and industry
integration.
The Symposium will deliver a high level conference program featuring
tourism leaders, speakers, experts and adventure travel visionaries.
Symposium attendees will gain invaluable advice on increasing
adventure and active travel bookings, strengthening product offerings,
expanding
revenue and a better understanding of one of the fastest growing
segments of travel and tourism.
The core symposium programming will focus on providing travel
and tourism professionals with a comprehensive overview of the
state
of the market for active and adventure travel along with an understanding
of new industry trends and developments. Specific, “actionable” take
home strategies to build new sales channels and to increase and
accelerate bookings will be an important focus of both conference
and keynote sessions.
A highlight of the event will be the free flow networking meetings
and moderated roundtable discussions enabling speakers and attendees
to engage in a dynamic flow of ideas and information on new and
expanding industry trends. Topics will include experiential travel,
nature and heritage tourism, travel philanthropy, culinary travel,
family adventures and active vacations.
Dynamic keynote presentations include “The Adventure Travel
Revolution : Opportunities and Challenges ” by Fran Farrell,
Publisher, National Geographic ADVENTURE magazine, “Succeeding
In Any Economy” by national marketing icon Peter Montoya
in a joint keynote with the Travel Institute’s National Forum,
and “How Responsible Tourism is Transforming the Travel Industry” by
adventure travel visionary Costas Christ, among other speakers.
Following keynote sessions, ATPRO attendees will break out into
interactive roundtable discussions facilitated by industry experts.
“Adventure travel continues to be a major growth area in the global
tourism industry. Understanding the latest trends in adventure
travel and learning how to effectively market to an expanding
intergenerational audience is key to the success of travel professionals today,” said
Costas Christ, President of the Adventure Council and ATPRO Conference
Chairman.
“ATPRO will focus on key topics ranging from marketing and information
technology to sustainable tourism and travel philanthropy. This
will be the most important gathering of its kind for the adventure
travel community in 2006,” added Christ.
ATPRO is organized and developed by the Adventure Council in
partnership with Adventures in Travel Expo. Sponsors include
National Geographic
ADVENTURE Magazine, Travel Industry Association of America (TIA),
The Travel Institute, American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA),
Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Rainforest Alliance,
Yahoo!’s
Richard Bangs Adventures Media Group and Sustainable Travel International.
This unique alliance of industry organizations assures a solid
networking opportunity for all attendees, and an unprecedented
exchange of information on the state of active and adventure travel
today.
The Adventure Council/ATPRO Advisory Board includes some
of the world’s most distinguished travel experts and professionals
including:
• Costas Christ, ATPRO Conference Chair; President, The Adventure
Council
• Fran Farrell, Publisher, National Geographic ADVENTURE Magazine
• Roger Dow, President, Travel Industry Association of America (TIA)
• Ufi Ibrahim, Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, World
Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)
• Richard Bangs, Yahoo!’s Richard Bangs Adventures
• Brian Mullis, President, Sustainable Travel International (STI)
• John Golicz, Chief Executive Officer, Adventures in Travel Expos
(ATE)
• Richard Edwards, Executive Director, Trusted Adventures
• Yiannis Skevis, President, Aegean Adventures
• Hon. John Briceno, Deputy Prime Minister, Belize
• Hitesh Mehta, Director of Ecotourism E.D.S.A.
For more information on attending Adventure Travel Professional
Symposium, please visit www.adventuretravelpro.com or
call 203-878-2577
x125.
About Adventure Council
The Adventure Council™ believes the earth’s cultural
and natural heritage must be maintained if future generations
are to enjoy the challenges, rewards, and educational value of
adventure
travel. Our mission is to actively promote and grow adventure
travel that is responsible and sustainable and in so doing, help
to protect
the character, authenticity, and diversity of adventure destinations
worldwide. Charter members include Adventures in Travel Expo,
National Geographic ADVENTURE magazine, Sustainable Travel International,
Caribbean Tourism Organization, CC Africa and Trusted Adventures.
For more information, please visit: www.adventurecouncil.com
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