Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and as the chillier air signals the coming holiday season, the one thing that comes to my mind is giving back. Sometimes I give back because I can; other times I give back, even though it may be over my financial means—but my hope is that it will come back to me in other good ways.
We all were optimistic about this travel year, but, as we all know now, it has been difficult. We knew we would have to work harder to keep our ground. In this situation, it is easy to pull back and stop giving, especially when rival companies aren’t giving back at all. Luxury Travel Advisor, along with Tourism Cares, created the first intern program for the up-and-coming workforce. Pictured here is Lena Brown, an intern with Largay Travel in Waterbury, CT. She is flanked by Largay’s vice president, Amanda Klimak, and president, Paul Largay. Brown and several others were hard at work in travel agencies this past summer, learning about the industry.
Additionally, this summer we held our annual golf outing for the benefit of people suffering from cystic fibrosis. Many suppliers donated trips, which, in return, raised more than $100,000 for the cause.
Meanwhile, our sister publication Travel Agent magazine, took on breast cancer awareness. We, along with our distinguished cover subject, Kathy Sudeikis of All About Travel in Kansas, raised money for Kathy’s charity Gilda’s Club, Kansas City. Donations are still coming in on that effort and you can still contribute at the website above!
So that’s our give-back year in summary. But there’s one more thing: At this year’s Luxury Travel Expo in Las Vegas, we will be throwing a party celebrating Travel Agent magazine’s 80th anniversary. This publication has seen a lot over its tenure and you all have grown up in the industry with its guidance and insight. We are expecting more than 3,000 travel professionals and suppliers to join us on the evening of December 7th to celebrate. This will be a party that the industry hasn’t seen in years!
From all of us at The Travel Group, thanks for giving to us; we’ve had a great year and we hope you have, too!