At an event honoring nearly 30 years of outstanding service to ASTA's government affairs program, the Interactive Travel Services Association (ITSA) paid tribute to Barbara O'Hara, ASTA's vice president of government affairs, by unveiling the Barbara O'Hara Advocacy Award. As a tribute to her achievements on behalf of ASTA and the entire travel agency industry, O'Hara, who is retiring this June, became the award's first recipient.

The award will be presented each year by ITSA to the ASTA member who has made the most significant contribution in advocating for the interests of the travel agency community before federal, state and/or local governmental authorities.
 
In presenting the award to O'Hara, Bruce Charendoff, senior vice president–Government and External Affairs  for Sabre Holdings, Inc. and ITSA president, said: "Barbara O'Hara set the gold standard for travel agency advocacy during her distinguished 29-year career.  She has been a first rate advocate for the cause of travel agents – she is the best known and most highly respected travel agency lobbyist on the Hill. What Barbara does is create high art – she assembles time and time again, passionate, motivated travel agents who come forward to give policymakers heartfelt reasons why government action makes sense or makes no sense at all. People return Barbara's calls. They trust her judgment. They follow her lead. They imitate her style. And so, too, do we."

The second winner of the 2008 Barbara O'Hara Advocacy Award, an engraved crystal bowl on a wooden base, will be announced at the upcoming ASTA Advocacy Dinner, held this year on September 8 at the Portofino Bay Hotel in conjunction with THETRADESHOW (Sept, 7-9, Orlando).    

ITSA's Board of Directors will select the winner from a pool of candidates nominated by ASTA's Government Affairs department. ITSA is the trade association for online travel companies and global distribution systems and has had a productive 10 year partnership with ASTA.  Among its members or their subsidiaries are: Amadeus, CheapTickets, Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Orbitz, Priceline.com, Sabre Holdings , Travelocity , Travelport and Vegas.com .