The program, with the theme �Personal Growth through Connectivity�, is unique among hospitality industry conferences, in that it is designed specifically for executives and senior management in travel and tourism, with all sessions emphasizing the individual�s personal development. Attendance is also limited to 200 to ensure participants can network with their peers and many of the guest speakers throughout the day-and-a-half conference.

This is the second annual in a series of �Tourism Leadership Summit� programs presented by Skål International Orlando, whose membership is comprised of industry leaders in a destination which attracts some 50 million visitors annually. Registration is open to any executive in travel and tourism worldwide and membership in Skål is not a requirement to attend.

Among those scheduled to speak are 

• Ronald Andruff, CEO of Tralliance, the company overseeing the implementation of the �dot travel� domain worldwide; 
• Denise Godreau, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Walt Disney World; 
• Vincent Chirico, Head of Travel Sales for the online giant Google; 
• Michael Hannan, President of Abercrombie & Kent; 
• Joanne Smith, Senior VP of Consumer Marketing, Delta Air Lines; 
• Chris Austin, VP, Global Customer Partnerships, Leisure and Luxury Sales, Starwood Hotels & Resorts; 
• Hugh Riley, Director of Marketing, Caribbean Tourism Organization; 
• Maurice Zarmati, Senior VP Sales, Carnival Cruise Lines; 
• Tony Clegg-Butt, publisher of the African travel magazine �TN�; 
• Mark Brown, Executive VP, American Automobile Association; 
• Peter Yesawich, CEO, Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell; and 
• Dr.  Abraham Pizam, Dean of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida.

• Roger Dow, President & CEO of the Travel Industry Association; and 
• Jan Sunde, current worldwide President of Skål International, from Bergen, Norway. 

Registration for members of Skål is $299 per person, and US$399 for non-members.  Accommodations are available at the Omni Orlando Resort for US$119 per night, single/double, plus US$10 nightly resort fee and taxes. Complete program information and secure online registration for the program, as well as hotel registration, can be found at http://www.2006tourismsummit.com.

Sponsors of the 2006 Tourism Leadership Summit are Wyndham Worldwide; eTurboNews; YPB&R; Kenya Airways; Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau; Travel Agent Magazine; Dollar Rent A Car; Omni Orlando Resort; Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau; TURKEL Advertising; Simon Properties/The Florida Mall; Kenney Communications: Reunion Resort & Club; Crowne Plaza Universal: HuddleOnDemand.com; HotelReservations.com; ATME (Association of Travel Marketing Executives); PSAV Presentation Services.

The 2006 Tourism Leadership Summit is endorsed by the North American Association of Skål Committees (NAASC).

What is Skål?

Skål is the only international organization which brings together all branches of the travel and tourism industry. Representing the industry's managers and executives, Skålleagues meet at local, national and international levels in an environment of friendship to discuss subjects of common interest.

The first Club was founded in Paris in 1932 by travel trade managers who had been on an educational tour of Scandinavia and the idea of international friendship gained such popularity that in 1934, Skål achieved international status with the formation of the Association Internationale des Skål Clubs (A.I.S.C.), on the initiative of the first President of the Paris Skål Club and the man considered the "Father of Skål", Florimond Volckaert.

From that modest beginning, Skål now has more than 25,000 members in over 500 Clubs, spread throughout 80 countries. As in other associations of professionals (such as Rotary, Oddfellows and Lions), most Skål activities take place within the Clubs, but the movement also features National and Area Committees coming under the umbrella of the A.I.S.C. (Skål International), which has its own Secretariat in Torremolinos, Spain.

Skal is managed by an Executive Committee of nine members, elected by Club delegates to the General Assembly, which is held in conjunction with the World Congress. This five-day Congress is hosted by a different country each year, thus offering members and their companions the opportunity of observing, first and, the travel and tourism industry potential of other countries.

The 2006 Tourism Leadership Summit 
www.2006tourismsummit
[email protected]
+1.407.737.0434