A recent article in Travel Weekly highlighted a "travel agency" formed by some students at East High School in Rochester, NY. The program is sponsored by the National Academy Foundation’s Hospitality and Tourism Academy.
And powered by, wait for it, YTB. The article goes on to explain how the "agency" will teach the high schoolers the information they need to work in the travel industry. However, YTB is merely a booking engine--just a private labeled Orbitz site.
The administrator of the program, Jim Spawton, claims to be working with Marriott Corporation to arrange internships for these students. Apparently Spawton is unaware that Marriott does not recognize YTB as a legitimate agency and does not offer their FAMtastic rates, etc.
However, encouraging young people to become involved in travel is laudable. But as this blog has pointed out time and time again, the programs offered by YTB are more focused on recruiting and other products such as coffee, girdles, and picture frames. I am surprised that Spawton and the National Academy Foundation’s Hospitality and Tourism Academy did not look into other more legitimate hosting arrangements that would give them access to all the suppliers (YTB is not allowed to sell Royal Caribbean products and they have lost their IATAN accreditation), provide then real training, a booking engine that did not actually COST the school money, and much higher commission rates and splits. The article in Travel Weekly does not indicate Spawton's association with YTB, but it is a good bet that he is a representative in the Multi Level Marketing Program and by enrolling the program into his downline he will be profiting.
Perhaps a better life lesson for these students would be to investigate the various options available to them and make a presentation to the school explaining their choice.
