Preferred Tour Operators
PTOs Take the ‘UN’ Out of these UNcertain Times
By: Amy Countryman, HCI Administrative Director
July 2009
Do you find yourself taking extra precaution these days to protect your bank, your club and customers, and yourself and your job? Many of us are finding ourselves asking more questions, requesting more information and proof of financial stability from all the businesses with which we work. This is a very wise policy AND Heritage Clubs has already done much of this work for you when you choose to travel with one of our 8 Preferred Tour Operators (PTOs).
“I don't require any proof as I figure that is what Heritage does for us as bank directors. I just know that our PTOs are in good standing or Heritage wouldn't let us use them,” said Renee Zaiser (Two Rivers Bank & Trust – Burlington, IA)
“I just do not use any other operators but our PTO's for that very reason,” responds Val Kelsey (D.L. Evans – Burley, ID) when asked what she requires from tour operators to prove their financial stability.
Heritage Club’s PTOs have proven success and a long history of working with our clubs. Hundreds of clubs have planned hundreds of tours over the years with our Preferred Tour Operators. This not only provides you with the opportunity to get references from your fellow HCI club directors, it also provides opportunity for you to network trips with your fellow HCI club directors, who represent ‘non-competitive’ banks.
HCI membership requirements for PTOs:
- Each PTO must be a member of either the National Tour Association (NTA) or the United States Tour Operator Association (USTOA) and thereby meet their standards of excellence, ethics and business standings. What does this mean for you as a club director? NTA / USTOA members are reputable companies that agree to a code of ethics and standards and have liability insurance. In addition, they are a unified voice to protect the traveling public.
- Each PTO must carry a minimum of $1 million liability insurance.
- Each PTO must meet the approval of the HCI Board of Advisors
- Each new PTO’s products and service must complement the other PTOs by providing HCI club directors with greater variety of travel options.
- Each PTO must abide by the HCI Code Of Ethics and Rules of Conduct
- Each PTO must sign the Membership Statement (below) signifying their financial stability and support of HCI
Heritage Clubs PTO Membership Statement:
As a Heritage Clubs International (HCI) Member, we believe in acting with the highest standards of professionalism and ethics, and we agree to exercise integrity in all we do with HCI members. We will promote public confidence in HCI and fully support HCI as an industry leader in Bank Marketing and Travel. We will keep informed of the latest techniques, developments, and knowledge pertinent to the bank marketing and travel industry in order to best serve the HCI member needs.
By submitting this application/renewal, we are stating that we have read and agree to the PTO Membership Policies; we are in compliance with all applicable federal, state, national, provincial and/or local laws and regulations. In addition, we do not currently have an active bankruptcy petition under any jurisdictions and we are a solvent company/organization.
Tour Operator and Cruise Line Bankruptcy Protection
Heritage Clubs recommends that you purchase a Travel Protection plan. Heritage Clubs offers an excellent and very competitive Travel Protection plan as just another great benefit of your Heritage Clubs membership. By purchasing this insurance HCI bank clubs also protect themselves against unforeseen tour operator or cruise line bankruptcies. This is not the case if the bank purchases travel insurance directly from the tour operators as tour operators and cruise lines cannot insure against their own financial demise.
HCI Is Looking Out For Our Bank Members:
As the premier bank marketing organization in North America, our mission statement clearly defines our objective to provide the best for our members’ success. Through networking, education, innovation and industry expertise, Heritage Clubs provides its members with the resources and opportunities to be the most knowledgeable and successful in their field.
The reality is that these are uncertain times. The good news is that with Heritage Clubs as your resource and confident advocate when recommending our PTOs, we can all come through these times together with great security and success.
Travel With Confidence When Traveling With Our PTOs!
Heritage Clubs International is privileged to have a consortium of trusted and respected Preferred Tour Operators (PTOs) for our members to plan their travel. These 8 PTOs are committed to providing the very best in service and quality for the members of Heritage Clubs International.
Check out the special HCI member FAM tours offered by our PTOs and other trips that you can network wtih your peers who are traveling with our HCI PTOs.
Start planning your next trip with one of our PTOs:
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