Bates International RV Blog

Donna Flora, this year’s Pow Wow Chair, is a familiar face to so many in the global travel industry.  Her career in the industry spans more than 25 years, but her enthusiasm is always fresh and invigorating.  Today she is Vice President, Travel Industry Relations for American Express, a position she has held since 2002.  In this capacity she is currently responsible for advancing American Express brand awareness and card acceptance within the travel industry and serves as the primary liaison to the U.S. travel agency community and travel industry associations.  Her dedication to the travel and tourism industry and her concern about the environment have collided in her most recent efforts on behalf of American Express and TIA in the name of sustainability.

 Today, in her capacity as Pow Wow chair, she shares some of her insights with the readers of Pow Wow Daily.

 PWD:  American Express has always been a strong supporter of TIA and its efforts on behalf of the U.S. travel and tourism industry.  Are you pleased with the progress made to date on the Travel Promotion Act and on the unification of the industry’s voices under the TIA public affairs umbrella?

Flora:  TIA has done a very effective job of unifying the travel industry, reflected in the number of c-sponsors of the bill.  They have made a lot of progress and we are pleased.  It must be recognized, however, that there is still a long way to go.  It is up to all of us, as corporate citizens of the travel industry, to communicate the importance of travel and tourism to our legislators on an ongoing basis.

If we, as an industry, commit to this and we facilitate a grass roots effort via our employees, I know we can make a difference.  Our international colleagues, joining us here for the 40^th Pow Wow, are counting on us too!

PWD:  This year, TIA is reporting Pow Wow has returned to participation levels from the year 2000 and this is expected to be one of the best events in TIA history.  Are you seeing a return to the energy and excitement levels of pre-9/11 in the U.S. travel and tourism industry?

Flora:  Absolutely.  People from around the globe are viewing travel not as a necessity but as a right.  Traveling to America is still viewed as a dream come true.

We truly are a land of opportunity.  During Pow Wow, global purchasers of travel can expect intensive and productive business appointments, educational, informative and entertaining luncheon programs, sightseeing tours and memorable evening events that have the WOW factor that only Las Vegas can create.

This is the year for inbound visitors to come back to the United States.  Many international currencies are strong against the U.S. dollar.  Most importantly, by every measure, we can all agree we are a safe place to visit that offers a diversity of geography and cultures.  Our doors are open and our people are waiting to greet the international traveler.  We hope our international buying partners go home energized to bring their customers here!

PWD:  As Chair of this year’s International Pow Wow, what do you hope that the delegates accomplish during their days here in Las Vegas?

Flora:  First and foremost I hope you take the time to personally experience this great country of ours.  You know what they say, “one person will tell 10 people.”  I am positive that once you visit Las Vegas what happens here will not stay here, because we know you will want to go back and tell your customers, your friends, your families.  In America, though we have incredible natural resources and beautiful lands, our best asset is our people, and there are incredibly hospitable people in Las Vegas.  In addition, I hope you learn about all the wonders of America by visiting with all the suppliers that are exhibiting at Pow Wow.  I hope this year breaks all records of business sold to the US.  The timing is perfect for people from around the world to come visit.  America is on sale and we want to share her with the world. This is going to be a terrific Pow Wow for getting business done.

PWD:  What does American Express, as a company, hope to accomplish as such involved and active participants in Pow Wow and in TIA’s ongoing efforts throughout the year?

Flora:  I am very proud to work for a company that truly walks the talk.  As one of the worlds largest travel companies, we obviously want to promote travel around the globe and support the travel industry by being good corporate citizens.

PWD:  Your event this year, on Monday afternoon, had a focus on “green tourism” and our environment.  American Express has long been a leader in these initiatives in the travel and tourism industry.  In what ways does American Express get involved in sustainability and green tourism efforts?

Flora:  American Express is a global travel company with presence in more than 100 countries.  We also have millions of card members worldwide who love to travel.  Sustainable, responsible tourism is in the interest of our card member and customer, our communities and consequently to our business.  As a result, we are seeking to make contributions in a variety of ways.  First, we are committed to reducing the company’s carbon footprint 10 percent by 2012.  In addition, we are involved in a number of industry initiatives to promote sustainable tourism.  American Express and the World Monuments Fund, longtime partners in protecting endangered sites around the world, are now focusing their joint efforts in historic preservation to emphasize conservation and sustainable tourism at sites in need.  Our involvement in a number of trade organizations, in addition to the TIA, is also supporting this effort.  The Global Travel and Tourism Partnership (GTTP), started in 1986 by the American Express Foundation, is a global coalition of travel and tourism education programs currently serving more than 420,000 secondary school students and young adults around the world working to raise awareness of the industry’s economic and cultural impact on their communities.  We are also founding members of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) which aims to raise awareness of the economic and social impact and potential of the travel industry and the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), a forum to share knowledge, develop policy and implement programs that have a positive impact on social, economic and environmental issues.

PWD:  American Express is also helping to promote the Transportation Safety Administration’s efforts to assure travel security when leaving our U.S. airports.  Can you tell the Pow Wow Daily readers the motivation behind the gifts they received at yesterday’s luncheon and a bit about why educating them on this effort is so important to you personally?

Flora:  In my opinion, your last impression is just as important as your first.  When a visitor leaves from a U.S. Airport and he/she is not aware of our policies and procedures, it can be a detrimental experience that can tarnish their entire vacation.  Just think about it, for a moment, as an international traveler to our country.  You bought this great bottle of wine or perfume that you are hand carrying because you treasure it so much and it’s confiscated at the airport.  That is the kind of memory we don’t want our visitors to take home with them.  That’s the story they will remember in the end, the story they will go home and tell others.  However, if we manage the traveler’s expectation and they know how to prepare in advance, it can be a seamless process. I am sure that we all want security and peace of mind when traveling.  Balancing security with ease of travel can be accomplished if we all know what to expect. 

We at American Express felt we could help educate the Pow Wow delegates about airport security requirements, ensuring a happy ending to what we hope we will have been a great trip to the USA.  By giving each of you a travel kit that contains the airport security requirements (3-1-1) that of course comes in a recyclable bag it would help manage your expectations when traveling from a U.S. airport.  Consider the Avon hand crème our “made in the USA” gift to you. 

PWD:  As a long time Pow Wow participant, do you have a favorite Pow Wow memory?

Flora:  Every Pow Wow creates new and exciting memories.  But the friendships old and new that I have developed are my best memories.   Pow Wow gives me the ability to meet people from around the globe that have the same passion for travel as I do.  For me, it is really a gift to sit back and observe how 5,000 people from over 70 countries can come together and not only do business but genuinely enjoy each others company. What I think about when I think about Pow Wow is the people that attend and the new doors that we open together.  For me, considering all the nations represented here and all the shared goals and visions, it is so incredible to think about the reality that we could actually achieve peace through tourism.