Growing the Group Travel Industry
The more you know, the better you travel
There’s Nothing Blue About SMERFs
Search Google for SMERF tourism and more than 25,000 results appear – the overwhelming majority addressing the meetings sector. While packaged group tours are often ignored when addressing SMERFS, this White Paper is about finding opportunities for packaged group travel in these traditional membership organizations.

Bank Travel Club Best Practices
Once the darling of the group travel industry, the bank travel club sector has gone through significant change and consolidation over the last decade. While some prognosticators predict a turn-around in the bank travel market once interest rates return to normalcy, a lot of travel suppliers are wondering how bank travel clubs fit into their marketing.

Crafting Unforgettable Itineraries
What constitutes a great itinerary? We talked to tour operators and asked them what they looked for when considering new destinations. We researched market trends in the “niche” travel group sector. We took stock of sample itineraries and poured our findings into a must-have whitepaper for any CVB, Cooking Up Irresistible Itineraries.

A to Z Guide to Organizing a Sports Event
Are you responsible for planning an upcoming sporting event, but don’t know how to get started? Trying to take your event to the next level? Increase participation or sponsorship? This guide provide the tools needed by a sport organization that wants to conduct a successful, sustainable event. Authored by Bill Hanson, a 42 year industry veteran.

Guide to Winning the Event Bid Process
Authored by noted authority Bill Hanson, this publication details specifics of a winning sporting event bid. It includes identifying the needs of a tournament organizer, components of a successful bid book and planning a successful site visit.

Improving the Athlete Experience
This whitepaper addresses how sports event organizers can elevate the athlete experience at tournaments—an increasingly critical factor as families face rising costs and heightened expectations.

Learning Beyond the Classroom
How to Succeed in the Student and Youth Travel Marketplace – This market needs dedicated suppliers and vendors that can deliver consistent product, provide a safe and secure environment, and help change the lives of future generations. Are you up for the challenge?

Ultimate Guide to Fundraising for Student Travel
The Ultimate Guide to Fundraising for Student Travel is a one-stop playbook that lays out dozens of proven tactics—crowdfunding platforms, corporate matching, grant templates and more.

The Economics Behind Student Group Travel
Discover why student group travel is rocketing toward a $2.5 billion market by 2030—and how destinations, attractions, hotels, and restaurants can turn field trips into dependable, off-season revenue with clear spend benchmarks and actionable packaging tactics.