united states tour operators association industry travel founded 1972 headquarters new york new york website http www.ustoa.com united states tour operators association ustoa is a 501 c registered nonprofit professional association representing the tour operator industry . its members are made up of companies who provide services worldwide but who conduct business in the u.s. as a voice for the tour operator industry ustoa represents this sector in matters pertaining to the travel industry as a whole both in the u.s. and abroad . among ustoa s goals are consumer protection and education 1 and its standards and work in this area have earned ustoa the endorsement of the united states government s consumer action handbook . 2 ustoa member companies must meet a number of ethical and financial criteria 3 4 including participation in the ustoa 1 million travelers assistance program which among other things protects consumer payments up to 1 million in case the company files for bankruptcy insolvency or cessation of business . 5 6 contents 1 mission 2 membership categories 3 external links 4 references mission edit ustoa s mission is focused on improving industry standards 7 and consumer advocacy 8 9 10 through the following inform the travel industry government agencies and the public about tour operators activities and objectives . educate consumers on matters pertaining to tours and vacation packages . help consumers recoup financial loss arising from an active corporate member s bankruptcy or insolvency . help maintain a high level of professionalism within the tour operator industry . represent the tour operator community and cooperate with other trade organizations and government agencies . facilitate and encourage tourism on a worldwide basis . ustoa active corporate members pledge to adhere to the principles of ethical conduct truth in advertising ethical and financial responsibility liability insurance and a solid background that includes multiple industry and financial references and current active members as sponsors . membership categories edit ustoa has two categories of membership active and associate . ustoa active members must meet the definition of a tour operator . in addition they must have 16 references from reputable travel industry organizations plus two from ustoa active members . be in business at least three years under same ownership and or management . carry minimum 1 000 000 of professional travel agent tour operator liability insurance with worldwide coverage . participate in ustoa 1 million travelers assistance program which among other requirements stipulates that each active corporate ustoa member post a 1 million bond to help protect consumers in case of bankruptcy or other insolvency . ustoa associate members are organizations common carriers and suppliers of tour products and services other entities connected with travel not directly serving travelers on tour itineraries . these members include companies that provide advertising and public relations airlines various attractions car rental companies financial services hotels and passport services among others . external links edit http www.ustoa.com ; http www.ustoa.us ; http www.ustoa.org https www.ustoa.com member directory references edit http www.smartertravel.com travel advice how can find the right tour operator.html id 3810934 http www.consumeraction.gov trade.shtml http blmc.enr corp.com onlineclips 21185 21185 72303087.pdf http www.travelmole.com stories 1115818.php http www.travelpulse.com resources editorial.aspx n 59535 http madeinatlantis.com travel ustoa protection plan.htm http www.americantourismsociety.org members ustoa.html goeldner charles r. and ritchie j.r. brent . tourism principles practices philosophies . http www.travelweekly.com article ektid215196.aspx http www.hellotravel.com associations ustoa retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title united states tour operators association & oldid 724676864 categories tourism in the united statestravel related organizations navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages add links this page was last modified on 10 june 2016 at 19 32 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; 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