‘Better Together – Fostering inclusion in family travel’
October 23 – 27, 2017 • Royal Caribbean International’s Majesty of the Seas • Port Canaveral, Florida
Register | Travel Information | Sustainability | FAM Tours | 2016 Gallery | Attendees | Past Summit Archive
The annual Summit of the Family Travel Association (FTA) is a trade-only, conference-style event that brings together family travel experts, industry leaders, and media for three days of inspiring presentations, interactive workshops, enlightening research, and a diverse array of networking opportunities. It has become the preeminent industry event to:
- Network with family-focused tour operators and media
- Further personal development and knowledge of the trends in family travel
- Help promote your family travel products to the travel industry’s influencers and decision-makers
The 2016 FTA Summit was held in beautiful Tucson, Arizona, where more than 150 family travel industry influencers convened at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa. Attendees included:
- More than 40 media, including AFAR, Family Fun, Scholastic Parent & Child, Expedia, Travel Age West, and a host of vetted, quality bloggers and freelancers
- Industry leaders from Disney, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, the U.S. National Park Service, Keystone Resort, and Kampgrounds of America
- Dozens of buyers, both agents and tour operators (Globus, Lindblad, Scott Dunn, etc.)
- Destinations from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Anchorage (and many in between, like South Dakota, Arizona, and Florida) and attendees from Australia, Italy, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and many more
- Industry service providers and other B2B opportunities
And we managed to make great business fun, with a variety of networking activities (hiking, horseback riding, a SCUBA demo, museum tours, and more), a local dine around night in delicious downtown Tucson, and a closing night outdoor cowboy cookout at the spectacular Tanque Verde Guest Ranch.
In 2015, family travel industry leaders and decision-makers took over the Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Montana for networking, professional development, knowledge sharing, and more. Attendees included AFAR media, Travel + Leisure, Travel Age West, USA Today, Austin Adventures, Disney, Expedia, Geographic Expeditions, Lindblad Expeditions, Montana Tourism, Royal Caribbean, South Dakota Tourism, and many more.
For more information, please review our FTA Summit Deck which you can download via this link.
To review the 2017 event, please check out:
- 2017 Agenda
- 2017 Attendees
- Sustainability
- 2017 FAM tours (for media and buyers)
To review the 2016 event, please check out:
- Day-by-day Recap
- 2016 Agenda
- 2016 Attendees
- 2016 Gallery
- 2016 FAM tours (for media and buyers)
- The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa
To Review the 2015 event, please check out:
Summit Testimonials
The FTA Summit was well-organized, informative, and enjoyable. Kudos! I especially appreciated the panel discussions, keynotes, and casual opportunities for networking.
Stephanie Sheaffer, Travel Blogger - Metropolitan Mama
I loved the conversations we had through the Summit breakout sessions, and the thought-provoking and inspiring keynote speakers. The Summit provides us with a broader view and deeper conversation about ‘family travel’. It was fabulous!
Moo Bishop, Thomson Family Adventures
I had a wonderful time at the FTA Summit; I got a lot out of all the speakers and the networking. It was a lot of fun being among like-minded people and get to absorb myself in learning all about different aspects of family travel!
Julia Slatcher, Owner & Principle - Inspire World Travel
The FTA Summit was unlike any other conference I’ve been to. There was a special emphasis on networking activities, whether it was over lunch, dinner or drinks, or through outdoor excursions. That valuable time spent with other attendees made my experience more engaging, interesting and fun.
Cliff Hsia, Live Family Travel
The FTA did a phenomenal job of organizing everything, and the presentations were a great mix of topics. Thank you for, and congratulations on, a tremendous first summit!
Wanda Goodman, Deputy Secretary, South Dakota Department of Tourism
I personally took away a great deal of new information, insights and inspiration.
Margo Peyton, Kids Sea Camp
Fantastic conference! It was wonderful to connect with everyone. I’m raving about it to all who will listen …
Amie O'Shaughnessy, Founder & Managing Editor, Ciao Bambino
My compliments to the FTA team for pulling such a wonderful and diverse group together, and for sparking meaningful conversation once everyone had gathered. The presentations were top-notch, and people were genuinely excited about the future as they departed the ranch.
R.C. Townsend, Assistant G.M., Mountain Sky Guest Ranch
Thank you so much for everything, it was an incredible event—we met some amazing people with some exciting ideas.
Zoe Browne, Aardvark Safaris
What a fantastic FTA summit! I enjoyed the chance to meet so many other smart and inspiring people.
Maclaren Latta, Vice President of Consumer Insights, MercuryCSC
Such an exciting summit, and I’m honored that we were there! I walked away with some great contacts, so many ideas for future content and even more enthusiasm for family travel, which I believe very deeply in.
Mindy Poder, Executive Editor, TravelAge West | Family Getaways | Explorer
Job well done. Deborah is back so fired up about what she was exposed to and so validated that our family endeavors are on the right track. Thank you for your guidance and for making FTA a reality.
Ashish Sanghrajka, Big Five Tours & Expeditions
It’s an honor to be associated with such an amazing group of travel industry leaders.
Dan Austin, President, Austin Adventures
Thank you once more for such a wonderful experience: the Summit’s content, flawless organization and relationship building for life. I am excited to share all the new perspectives and new vision I gained about family travel with our Cayuga family.
Ana Maria Baldioceda, Sales & Marketing, Cayuga Collection of Sustainable Luxury Hotels & Lodges
Family Travel continues to be a major focus for us, and at the FTA Summit last year we made a number of positive connections with media, agents, and new partners - connections that have really paid off for us.
Steve Markle, Vice President, Sales & Marketing - The O.A.R.S. Family of Companies
Thank you for a fantastic Summit! I loved being a part of the event and I'm excited to be a part of this great community!
Julia Dimon: Travel Expert, Blogger, and Author: Travel Junkie: A Badass Guide to Solo Female Travel