Travel Weekly's list of the 33 most influential people in travel is not populated by folks with fancy titles who pull the right strings and make the industry behave as it should. It's not about that sort of influence.

It's filled with people who, often working in isolation, had ideas that veered from the
status quo and succeeded so spectacularly that the industry jumped out of its rut and
followed. They're the ones who, when they set their own agendas, set ours as well.

We didn't give people much credit for their great deeds of yesteryear. If they're on this list today, it's because they've influenced the course travel is taking in 2007, and we think they'll be just as influential in 2008.

Kim Sorensen, CEO, YTB Travel Network

Sorensen went, in a matter of weeks, from a virtual unknown in the industry to its favorite target for vitriol (from traditional travel agents and some suppliers) or admiration (from his tens of thousands of referring agents and, behind closed doors, some suppliers). He has demonstrated some grace under fire, admitting his organization is still maturing, and we suspect that he and YTB will be around for many years, forcing all parties to examine what constitutes a legitimate seller of travel and challenging suppliers to assess how, and with whom, they wish to do business.

                                           

                                        Click on the Cover above or HERE

 
                      





YTB International Recognized by Travel Weekly as Leading Travel Agency in 2007 Power List

July 11, 2007: 08:00 AM EST
 
WOOD RIVER, Ill., July 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- YTB International, Inc. , a provider of Internet-based travel booking services for travel agencies and home-based independent representatives in the United States, today announced that the Company has been named as one of the country's leading travel agencies in Travel Weekly's 2007 Power List. As part of the Power List, YTB was ranked 35th among all travel agencies and included in the top 11 leisure travel agencies. The Power List is primarily determined by gross sales volume, as well as several other factors including travel-related subsidiaries, percentage of sales from business and corporate structure. Other leading leisure travel agencies named in this year's Power List are Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and AAA. "We are honored to be included in Travel Weekly's annual list of leading travel agencies. This recognition further validates the progress we have made over the last year as we continue to build YTB into a leading travel company," commented J. Kim Sorensen, President and CEO of YTB Travel Network. "We are committed to the leisure market and have been growing our business at a phenomenal rate. As we look towards the future, we will continue to enhance the services and capabilities offered to our expanding network of RTAs and customers." About YTB International YTB International, Inc. provides Internet-based travel booking services for travel agencies and home-based independent representatives in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. It operates through three subsidiaries: YourTravelBiz.com, Inc., YTB Travel Network, Inc., and REZconnect Technologies, Inc. YourTravelBiz.com division focuses on marketing on-line travel agencies through a nationwide network of independent business people, known as "Reps." YTB Travel Network division establishes and maintains travel vendor relationships, books travel transactions of on-line travel agents (RTAs, now numbering over 100,000), collects travel payments and licensing fees, and processes travel commissions. Each RTA sells travel through a personalized Internet-based travel Website. The REZconnect Technologies division builds online reservation systems for suppliers within the travel industry. Statements about the Company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, and the Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances.

 

                                             
                                                                  

                                        For full article click on magazine above.
                                                YTB is listed on page 41