PJ Douglas Sands
Greater Houston Chapter President 2024-2025
& National Brand Awareness Chair
Welcome to the Greater Houston Chapter of Professional Travel Agents of North America (PTANA). We appreciate you taking time to visiting our website, hope you will join this powerful organization and please come back often to keep yourself informed on what PTANA Greater Houston has to offer.
This year’s theme is “Building Your Travel Agency with Tools.” In this post-COVID era it is essential for active Travel Professionals in the states of Texas and Oklahoma to have essential tools we can use to BUILD and GROW our agencies, and I am truly excited to be a part of it as President of PTANA Greater Houston. It is my goal to make PTANA a truly welcoming, learning experience for each member. As Travel Professionals we feel there’s never enough time in a day, so it is our hope that the time spent with PTANA increases your business profits, assists in making your agency more efficient and the booking tools and itineraries shared by Industry Partners help you earn more and learn more. We have a great Board of Directors that is comprised of talented Agency Owners, Tour Operators, Hotel Suppliers who represent their companies well and each bring their unique skills to the table in a positive atmosphere. We believe Travel Advisors can succeed in the Travel Industry today as there has been a significant increase in bookings by Travel Agencies versus online. However, we must operate from a different perspective to capture these clients in a new way. PTANA is here to help you learn, earn and grow as you welcome the future of booking with open arms and a clear vision, mission and goal.
We introduce Texas and Oklahoma-based Travel Advisors (home based and brick/mortar) to tour operators, wholesalers, airlines, consolidators and tourist boards from a wide variety of niche travel destinations and organizations. You get to know them intimately in a small environment each month with an opportunity to ask questions, build your own personal relationship and speak with each representative before and after monthly product trainings. Webinars are helpful, but they just don’t cut it when you really need solid advice for that special client trip or prefer hands-on teaching with an interactive approach face to face with a Business Development Manager. Having that business card of a representative you can call, email or even meet in person for coffee is something PTANA provides.
PTANA also exists as a local community of Travel Professionals who come together to network, share ideas, build relationships and help the community. With fewer storefront Travel Agencies and many Travel Advisors working from home, it can be easy to feel isolated, and perhaps even lonely. PTANA provides a local network of friends we can turn to with a question, concern or help with a client challenge. We are colleagues in a community, not competitors. With 4.6 million people in Harris County TX alone as well as several specialties among us, there is more than enough business to go around.
Attend our monthly dinner trainings, quarterly lunch and learn trainings and community service projects. We also invite you to attend industry events like Travel Agent Forum each April and PTANA’s Annual Convention each October. Welcome your Travel Business to the Future with PTANA Greater Houston. We invite you to consider investing in YOU and becoming a part of our professional community!
