With ABA’s Certified Travel Industry Specialist (CTIS) Program, motorcoach and group travel professionals get the training they need to be one move ahead of the changing sales game.

It’s your move. Enroll in CTIS.

Certification is a mark of excellence that you carry with you everywhere you go. The American Bus Association (ABA) created the Certified Travel Industry Specialist (CTIS) Program to provide an opportunity for members of our industry to gain practical business and industry-specific knowledge to build a strong business reputation for the industry. These continuing education programs were created exclusively for the motorcoach and group travel industry and extend the benefits of professional education past our industry shows and into your business.

ABA believes in the value of professional certification and the creation of programs that are industry specific, relevant, and flexible. To this end, ABA has partnered with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The CTIS correspondence courses are administered by IUPUI's highly acclaimed professional staff. These rigorous, demanding but essential courses, designed exclusively for the motorcoach and group tour industry, introduce you to new concepts in the industry and expand your professional and personal skills.

YOUR INVESTMENT

One time ABA Enrollment Fee:
$125 ABA Member | $175 Non-ABA Member

Course Fee includes all of the materials for the IUPUI courses:
$252 ABA Member per course| $267.75 Non ABA Member per course

Total Fee for CTIS program for ABA Members in 2010:
$125 Enrollment
$252 for Customer Service
$252 for Promoting Your Business
$252 for Business Grammar and Writing
$252 for Elective 1
$252 for Elective 2
$1385 Total Investment

ENROLLMENT DISCOUNTS
$50 Discount on the enrollment fee for the program if enrolled by Feb. 28, 2010.
20% Discount when you register for five IUPUI 2010 courses by Feb. 15, 2010.
10% Discount when you register 30 days prior to the IUPUI course start date.

YOUR RETURN

Whether you are an individual looking to enhance your group travel expertise or an employer looking to hire the best, the professional certification programs of the American Bus Association can help you achieve your goals. Certification represents a widely-respected stamp of approval for the highest quality skill levels. Designations help define career paths and help identify the most desirable professionals in the industry to build business relationships.

PROGRAM DETAILS

Certification requires successful completion of two components:

FIVE INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS (IUPUI) CORRESPONDENCE COURSES
As an enrollee, you will complete three required courses and two electives of your choice. All IUPUI registration materials, enrollment forms, and course assignments (including books) will be sent to you from IUPUI. All of the IUPUI courses in the CTIS program are correspondence courses and will be mailed, e-mailed or faxed to the address on the application form.

Required Courses (All Three Courses)
Customer Service
Promoting Your Business
Business Grammar and Writing

Elective Courses (Pick Two of the Four)
Personal Organization and Effectiveness
Sales: Motivation and Skills
Effective Advertising
Using Business Information for Decision Making

EIGHT MARKETPLACE EDUCATION SEMINARS

Seminars may be attended during ABA's annual Marketplace or listened to on purchased CD's of the seminars. You will receive credit for any recorded educational seminar from 1989 through the present Marketplace. If you have not previously completed educational seminars and wish to listen to them, they are available on ABA's website or at Marketplace each year for approximately $10 each. Credit will be given when seminar evaluations are received by ABA. The seminar credit form is available online under the re­lated resources sections, www.buses.org/ctis.

You may enroll in the program at any time during the year. The CTIS program is designed to be completed within 12 months. However, you may take longer with no additional ABA enrollment fees.

CTIS GRADUATION IS CELEBRATED EACH YEAR AT THE AMERICAN BUS MARKETPLACE.

REQUIRED COURSES

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Course Dates: September 1 - October 30, 2010
Learn to identify and profile your customer base; analyze their environment, develop tools to access that base and learn techniques that can enhance your company's image to your customers. Five operating principles will be reviewed. Through exercises, you'll have an opportunity to take a look at your organization's strengths and weaknesses as well as your own.

PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS
Course Dates: May 1 - June 30, 2010
Learn how to make your business stand out. This course can help you promote your business with an understanding of the "guerrilla-marketing" concept for large and small businesses. Basic marketing strategies will be developed along with exploration of successful advertising and promotions programs. Learn to create a stronger identity to better position your product or service, and develop a strategy to get the most out of your promotion dollars.

BUSINESS GRAMMAR AND WRITING
Course Dates: July 1 - August 31, 2010
Learn practical tips and techniques for successful business writing. This course provides a basic understanding of grammatical relationships rather than mere memorization of rules. Acquire skills to better target your audience and establish positive communications with your clients. Enhance your

writing skills through exercises and letters, applying persuasive, controversial, and routine correspondence styles. Upon completion, you will have a portfolio of assignments for reference to gain greater confidence and proficiency in both your business and personal correspondence.

ELECTIVE COURSES

PERSONAL ORGANIZATION AND EFFECTIVENESS
Course Dates: March 15 - April 30, 2010
T.S. Eliot is quoted as saying, "We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time." This course provides the opportunity for you to examine and improve your effectiveness, not only at work tasks, but also as a whole person striving to fulfill your responsibilities as an entrepreneur or employee, a spouse, a friend, a parent, and other life roles. Stephen Covey has described timeless wisdom of the ages in a way that helps you tailor your own life plan for maximum benefit to yourself and others in his book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". Benefit from this excellent book, and improve your interpersonal skills in your professional environment and personal life.

SALES: MOTIVATION AND SKILLS
Course Dates: March 15 - April 30, 2010
Everyone, regardless of his or her job, helps their company sell a product. This course is designed for sales and non-sales professionals in the group travel industry who want to develop or sharpen their selling skills. Explore what motivates successful salespersons, the dynamics of a sales presentation and the perspective of the customer and learn techniques you can use to enhance customer response from your sales presentation.

EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING
Course Dates: November 1 - December 15, 2010
This course explores the fundamental principles and procedures of advertising. Through exercises and readings, you'll examine the psychology of advertising, yearly programming, image barriers, graphics, layout and copy, publicity and public relations. Whether you're responsible for preparing your company's advertising strategy or want to better understand the basic advertising concepts, this course will provide you with a solid foundation. You'll gain greater confidence in working with ad agencies or providing input to your organization's advertising program.

USING BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKING
Course Dates: November 1 - December 15, 2010
This course is designed to make business professionals comfortable with using business data to make informed decisions. Learn how financial statements are prepared, how the budgeting process works, how to turn operating plans into dollars and how to use financial data to make decisions. Areas covered include understanding financial statements, preparing revenue and expense budgets, making projections, management analysis and dealing with accounting and financial personnel. Learn to take advantage of the various tools available in any organization to help you plan future activities.

MARKETPLACE SEMINAR CREDITS

After enrollment in the CTIS Program, ABA will research and document the number of educational courses you have earned since 1989 based on educational credit records. To receive credit for a seminar, the CTIS enrollee would have had to attend the entire seminar, complete the on-site evaluation and complete the contact information section.

RECORD KEEPING

All enrollees can check their progress towards graduation at www.buses.org/ctis. Enrollees can view the number of IUPUI courses that they have completed and the number of Marketplace seminars credited towards graduation. All enrolleess who have completed or are in the process of completing all IUPUI course credits will be notified before the next graduation ceremony to confirm graduation status.

KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GAME - TESTIMONIALS

Earning my CTIS designation provided me with an opportunity to strenghten and learn specialized business skills which I put into practical use each day. I appreciate the hard work and efforts of those in the industry completing the program and am proud to have joined the many who proudly wear the CTIS designation.

Peter J. Pantuso, CTIS
President & CEO
American Bus Association

The CTIS education program is THE standard in the tourism industry. Being a CTIS graduate definitely sets me apart from my colleagues and strengthens my commitment to the motorcoach and group travel industry. CTIS has helped me better understand and serve our guests year after year.

Michelle Jennings, CTIS
Longwood Gardens
CTIS Committee Chair

As a "seasoned" ABA member, the CTIS designation has validated my committment to the travel industry.  Not only does it set me aside as an educated professional, but I value our CTIS suppliers and they are my first choice when booking business.

Dale McClelland, CTIS
MOmentum Tours

 

Graduate List