What’s happening with Adult Tours and Student Travel this year?
- Categories Latest News
- Date April 1, 2021

For so many of us, it’s hard to believe that our last in-person tour was over a year ago. Who would have guessed that more than 12 months later, we are still in a place of uncertainty when we can fully travel and take tours?
The good news is we are seeing a huge pent-up demand for travel. Research indicates a multi-year recovery, and some adult tour operators have groups out now. A decent percentage of travel is booked for Q2, Q3, and Q4. However, it may be a little further down the road before more business returns.
In the meantime, we’ve invited two of the top leaders in our industry to come and share their insights, findings, and perspectives on the status of our industry and what we can expect on the road ahead in the coming year.
Join us for a conversation with Catherine Prather, President of the NTA (National Tour Association), and Carylann Assante, CEO of SYTA (Student Youth Travel Association).
Webinar Replay
These ladies have met with countless industry leaders, tour companies, vendors, and other key stakeholders to better understand the challenges and opportunities of where we are, what’s working, what’s changing, what the research and data are indicating, and when we could expect the travel and tourism industry to rebound.
Specifically, Carylann will focus on the Student Travel market and Catherine will discuss the Adult Tour segment.
Special Guests
Catherine Prather
CTP & President, NTA

Catherine joined the National Tour Association team in 1994 and currently serves as president, the chief staff role. She focuses on strategic continuity, member engagement, and professional development to ensure NTA’s long-term growth and viability.
Catherine has been appointed to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which serves as an advisory body to the Secretary of Commerce on government policies and programs that affect the U.S. travel and tourism industry and offers counsel on current and emerging issues. She also actively supports Tourism Cares, NTA’s official philanthropy, and sits on the Tourism Cares Board of Directors. Other leadership roles include the Retailing and Tourism Management Advisory Board for the University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Advisory Committee for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.
Carylann Assante
CAE & CEO, SYTA

A seasoned tourism and association executive with more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Carylann Assante, CAE serves as the Executive Director of the Student & Youth Travel Association, the international association that promotes student and youth travel worldwide. Carylann is also the Executive Director of the SYTA Youth Foundation, the philanthropic arm that provides scholarships and educational experiences for students and youth who are unable to travel due to financial and personal hardship.
Since joining SYTA in 2010, Carylann developed and implemented initiatives that contributed to membership, registration and revenue growth for SYTA and the SYTA Youth Foundation. The SYTA Annual Conference, the premiere showcase for Student & Youth Travel experienced record growth with over 1000 attendees participating in business-to-business meetings. The SYTA Youth Foundation doubled its fundraising and the number of kids impacted through travel
Event Co-Hosts
ITMI is the International Tour Management Institute. We’ve been helping people make the dream travel careers come true for over 46 years by providing world-class education and career opportunities to tour professionals all around the world. ITMI has trained over 8,000 Tour Guides and Certified Tour Directors.
NTA is the leading business association for companies and organizations that serve customers traveling to, from and within North America. Our 700 buyer members are tour operators and travel planners who package travel product domestically and around the world. Our seller members — 500 destinations and 1,100 tour suppliers — represent product in all 50 U.S. states, each Canadian province and more than 40 other countries. Together. We go further.
At ITMI, our goal is to continually provide you with world-class learning opportunities. Our mission is to inspire and enrich your understanding of travel’s role in our global community, stewardship of the environment and making a positive difference in the world.
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