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22 Anatolia
`reliability' in service delivery. Continuity among
service providers fosters `assurances' that tourism
experiences will take place as planned. This in
turn decreases apprehension toward tourism,
making it more likeable and less arduous both
physically and emotionally for individuals. In
response to a need by tourists, businesses are
now working together and forming partnerships
for the provision of tourism-related services.
The American Society of Travel Agents
�ASTA) is one such organisation.
The society was founded in 1931 as the
American Steamship and Tourist Agents Association.
ASTA's mission is to enhance the professionalism
of its members worldwide through
effective representation in business and government
affairs, education and training and by
identifying and responding to the needs of the
travelling public. ASTA claims to be the largest
travel trade organisation in the world. The
society is comprised of 28,600 members in 168
countries, although the majority are USA-based
members.
Its membership is divided into two categories,
active and allied. The former are travel agencies
and the other suppliers and providers of tourism
products. The typical active member of ASTA
has 58 per cent of its business in leisure and 42
per cent in commercial travel sales. To provide
cohesiveness and reliable service from one business
to another, members must operate and abide by a
code of ethics, which in turn is monitored by the
association.
ASTA provides a number of services to its
members and the public at large. The society
convenes several meetings and conferences per
year in addition to trade shows. In the form of
bursaries and scholarships, about $50,000 is made
available to students of tourism and academic
researchers each year. Support services provide
members with access to legal and industry affairs
information.
As the number of individuals who travel
continues to grow, a greater demand will be
placed on the tourism industry for the uniformity
and reliability of related services. ASTA and its
member agencies have taken steps to respond to
this demand. The society updates members and the
public on scam operations, and provides resources
and travel tips information.
RUSSELL R. CURRIE, CANADA
amusement park see theme park
Anatolia
Anatolia:An International Journal of Tourism and
Hospitality Research, was published in Turkish from
its launch in 1990, but switched to English in 1998.
Its overall mission is to provide an outlet for studies
which make a significant contribution to the
understanding, practice and education of tourism
and hospitality. Through its update on Mediterranean
tourism, Anatolia also aims to heighten
awareness of the region as a significant player in
tourism. Submissions are reviewed by a doubleblind
review system. The journal is published
quarterly by Nazmi Kozak �ISSN 1300±4220).
animation
RENE BARETJE, FRANCE
Animation is a form of care for guests or tourists
with the aim of fostering their behaviour and
consequently enticing enthusiasm for certain
touristic activities in order to promote specific
experiences. Tourist and cultural institutions increasingly
interpret animation as a form of
communicative leisure work with the objective to
free up tourists from their homebound or frequent
passivity, to create more intensive sensitivity for
new forms of experience and to even facilitate joint
adventures, leading to customer satisfaction.
HARALD PECHLANER, AUSTRIA
Annals of Tourism Research
Annals of Tourism Research is a social sciences journal
focusing upon the academic perspectives on
tourism. While striving for a balance of theory
and application, Annals is ultimately dedicated to