UKinbound has announced that it has signed a new partnership with the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), a trade association for the US travel industry.
The collaboration will provide UKinbound and its members with additional opportunities to work with US based travel agencies which will help to target and attract more US travellers to visit the UK.
As part of the partnership, ASTA is offering discounted membership to UKinbound members that includes benefits such as a listing in the ASTA member directory, in Travel Advisor magazine (ASTA’s quarterly print publication), access to its global network of travel professionals and a variety of other incentives.
The US is a key growth market for the UK, with over 3.45m Americans visiting the UK in 2016, spending over £3.3bn. Collectively they spend more than any other inbound market and are only succeeded by France in terms of visitor numbers.
UKinbound’s chief executive officer, Deirdre Wells OBE said: “I am delighted to announce our new collaboration with the American Society of Travel Agents. The US is an incredibly important market for our inbound tourism industry with over 3.4m Americans visiting the UK in 2016. This new collaboration will help our members to make new connections and build upon existing relationships with US travel agencies. We’re looking forward to embarking on this long-term collaboration with our tourism partners across the pond.”
“With US travel to the U.K. up 19% from last year, this partnership with UKinbound couldn’t come at a better time,” said Zane Kerby, ASTA president and CEO. “We are excited about this initiative, which we are confident will foster a greater understanding of the US travel market and generate new business for travel advisors on both sides of the Atlantic.”
