Walking the floors of a tradeshow with Kevin is a bit like tailing the President. Everyone stops to say hello and he knows absolutely everybody. Kevin took time out from his duties at NTA to tell e-Travel Blackboard what, at the age of ten, marked his future in the industry.

How long have you been in the travel industry?
I’ve been in the travel industry for seventeen years, beginning in 1995 when I graduated from Washington State University.

What drew you to work in the industry?
I was exposed to the travel and hospitality industry from my earliest years. My father worked for Six Flags theme parks and later served as president of the Space Needle Corporation in Seattle, WA (U.S.A.).

I think a tell-tale sign of how much I loved tourism is that at the age of ten years old, I began writing to tourist offices throughout the U.S. requesting travel information. I have been passionate about the travel industry ever since!

What do you like most about your job?
I love the opportunity of meeting and serving professionals throughout the entire travel industry. I’m honored to know people from every corner of the globe and from virtually every segment of travel. In addition, I love how one of my roles at NTA is finding and creating new ways and possibilities of serving our members and the industry.

Who do you admire and see as a role model in the travel industry?
I’ve been very fortunate over the years to work with some very extraordinary, fun, and remarkable individuals. For this reason, the list of those I admire is long and diverse. However, my single greatest role model is Lisa Simon, president of NTA. I met Lisa three years ago when my previous organization (WRTA) partnered with NTA. By working together I came to hold her in the greatest esteem. Today I have the great honor of serving NTA under her tutelage. It’s exciting!

What do you want to see improve in the industry?
I would like to see an improved “networking structure and foundation” within the travel industry, making it even easier for sellers and buyers to identify and communicate with each other.

What destinations are on your travel bucket list?
I’ve been very fortunate to travel to 30-plus countries in my life. I haven’t yet, however, been to Asia, Australia, or Antarctica - so these remain on my bucket list.

What are three things you must always take with you when you travel?

• My camera.
• My contact lenses.
• My iPod (for the long plane trips!).

If you were on a cancelled flight and the only option to get from A to B was by land, what mode of transport would you use and name three people you'd take with you?
I’d love to travel by recreational vehicle (RV) with all available amenities included.

Aside from wanting my entire family to go, the three people I’d travel with would include three of my dearest friends: Joe, Kathy, and Mary.

In Kevin’s role at NTA as Director of Growth Markets, he is tasked with identifying and developing industry growth market opportunities for NTA members and the industry at large.

“Faith-based, student, adventure, and family travel are among the top growth markets we’ve identified and will seek to further develop”, Kevin told e-Travel Blackboard.

To contact Kevin, email him at: .