Don Reynolds, EVP of ATS Steps Down
Served the Organization Since Its Inception In 1989
December 14, 2010 - Don Reynolds, who has served for more than 25 years as Executive Vice President of the American Tourism Society (ATS) will step down from that position on December 31st. Reynolds, who played an instrumental role in ATS's creation in 1989, was “responsible for much of its success” according to Dave Parry, ATS Chairman, and Chairman, Academic Travel Abroad. Parry, a founding ATS member, added “it was Don's intimate knowledge of the travel industry and his broad range of contacts both at home and abroad that allowed ATS to grow and prosper over the past 20 plus years.”
Reynolds announcement was made at ATS's 2010 Annual Fall Conference held in Kosovo, Oct. 25-31, with a post product development tour to Albania.
Phil Otterson, president of ATS and a partner at Cragmont Baron Group, LLC, also spoke of the important role that Don Reynolds has played as Executive VP of ATS over the years, “Don's service to the American Tourism Society has been instrumental to its success and longevity, and his commitment to the transformational tenets of the organization have allowed it to adapt to changing times.”
Alex Harris, CTC, Chairman, General Tours, ATS founding member, past president and Honorary Chairman, in praising Reynolds for his devoted service, patience and selfless attitude, said “Reynolds' vision and support of all of us who held leadership positions in the organization, enabled us to ensure that ATS as an organization stayed on the cutting edge of the travel industry, adapting to the changing needs of our members."
Reynolds long time commitment to ATS will continue as an advisor and consultant on special projects. As President of Reynolds Associates, where he has an active client list that has included American Express, the German National Tourist Office, Amtrak, Canada, Austria, Radisson and Avis among others, he will provide his expertise as tourism consultant to overseas organizations and destinations on the American market.
Reynolds travel industry experience is deeply intertwined with the story of ATS. When a group of American and Canadian travel executives met in Moscow in the 1980's Reynolds was there. He had worked closely with Francis Goranin, former ASTA President when Reynolds was ASTA's Vice President for public relations and advertising. In 1989 the informal group led by Goranin, Alex Harris of General Tours, Wally Lawrence of the Russian Travel Bureau, other tour operators and travel executives decided to form the American-Soviet Tourism Society and invited Reynolds to take charge of creating what was then called the American Soviet Tourism Society .
The collapse of communism in the late 1980's led to unbridled changes in the region's tourism and under Reynolds leadership the organization quickly grew. It changed its name to the American Tourism Society, and reached out to the new travel entrepreneurs throughout the Baltic Region, Eastern Europe as well as the republics of the former Soviet Union.
Later in the 1990's Reynolds was instrumental in the expansion of ATS into the Eastern Mediterranean which led to conferences in Israel, Jordan and Egypt. In the ensuring years, in keeping with ATS's new motto “Presenting Tomorrow's Destinations,” Reynolds managed conferences to emerging destinations throughout Europe including the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland and in 2010 Kosovo.
Mike Stolowitzky, President and CEO of ATS during the expansion into the Mediterranean said, “Don was ATS' strongest link with the Travel industry and he was instrumental in making things happen. He made a major contribution to ATS's continued growth and recognition around the world.”
Marylou H. Foley CTC, President of Tour Designs Inc, a founding ATS member and former ATS President and CEO, said that "Reynolds' keen people-skills helped to bridge many cultural and nationality gaps in our early years and helped us through some stressful political situations and conferences.
About ATS - Presenting Tomorrow's Destinations
The American Tourism Society (ATS) was established in 1986 by a group of US tourism industry executives to provide exclusive access, business networking and promotion for transformational destinations. It is a nonprofit, nonpolitical travel industry organization whose membership includes experienced tour operators, destination tourist offices, hotels, airlines and other travel industry professionals. Collectively ATS members generate over four billion dollars in sales involving three million North American travelers. ATS holds an Annual Fall Conference and a Tourism College hosted by a different member destination each year; travel marts and seminars in the US for its members; has a website.
For more information about ATS visit www.AmericanTourismSociety.org.
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