MEET THE MEMBERS
‘The best seat on the coach’
Longtime NTA member Ted Bravos marks a career milestone and
reviews changes within the tour industry.
The International Tour Management Institute celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2016, and co-founder
and CEO Ted Bravos reflects on group travel’s past and present. More than 8,000 alumni have earned
ITMI certification by completing the San Francisco-based company’s 15-day tour director/guide
training program.
How did you get your start?
I led my first tour in 1970 in California’s Death Valley. I was
paid $25 a day and had the best seat on the coach, my own
room and my meals covered. I thought it was amazing.
What changes have you seen in our industry?
The perception of group travel has gone through a remarkable
transformation. Forty years ago, a hotel manager would come
out and say, “Could you please move your bus to the back of
the hotel? We don’t want our regulars to know we have bus
tours here.” Today restaurants are thrilled to have our business,
and hotels put out big signs that welcome groups.
What about technology?
We used to lug a box of books with us on tour; now we don’t
have to because of apps and portable devices. And our curriculum has evolved in step with trends and tools. Students
navigate with Google Maps, but they know the value of reading a traditional map when technology fails.
How would you describe your students?
Ages ranges from 25 to 65, with a strong interest from millennials who want to kick the cubicle and from empty nesters and
seniors who want to combine their passion for travel with a
meaningful career.
You were part of an NTA trade mission to China last year.
How is that market part of your business plan?
In 2010 we launched a Chinese Tour Director Certification
Program, recognizing the need for English- and Mandarinspeaking individuals who understand both Chinese and
American culture and traditions. I believe the Chinese tourism
market will continue to dominate group travel conversations
for the next 10 years and beyond.
You’ve been an NTA member since 1977. What role has the
association played in your company’s growth?
We’ve grown up together, and NTA has helped raise awareness for the importance of professionally trained tour directors and guides. Some of the best lessons I’ve learned about
tour directing have come from tour operators, suppliers and
DMOs at 40 years of NTA conventions.
Ted Bravos
1
2
3
1 ITMI co-founders, William Newton (left) and Ted Bravos,
in Yosemite National Park, 1977. 2 Some of ITMI’s earliest
graduates gathered in 1978 for a reunion, an event that evolved
into an annual symposium for education and networking.
3 2014 ITMI graduates in Big Sur, California.
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July 2016
ITMI
For more information about ITMI, visit itmitourtraining.com.
For questions or congratulations, contact Bravos at
[email protected].