The APTA Executive Board and the Sacramento Chapter wrapped up a very successful APTA National Forum in Phoenix on June 11. The National Forum is an annual conference of corporate, associate and individual APTA members from thirteen chapters across the US. Attendees at the Forum gave a total vote of confidence for the strength of the African travel market in the US. In addition to covering general business, our new focus on destination training and product marketing has attracted increased participation from our individual and corporate membership. With the excellent support of our chapters, our goal is to double attendance at the Forum in 2011!

Partnering with many APTA corporate members, the National Forum featured presentations on Egypt Destination Training, Social Media, The Power of Writing your Travel Stories and Putting your Experience to Work. A special "keynote" presentation titled "It's Not Just about the Big Five Anymore" brought the audience up to date on the "new" East African safari for the discerning modern day client. Many thanks to all our presenters!

As we move forward into the second half of the year, our members will see many positive and creative changes initiated at the Forum that will bring increased visibility to our organization and value to our membership. On behalf of the Executive Board, a gigantic THANK YOU goes out to Kathy Moroney and the Sacramento Chapter for their incredible organizational support. Also, many thanks to our chapter presidents and all the Forum participants for the wonderful spirit of cooperation and vision for the future that continues to propel APTA to a premier leadership role in the African travel industry.