Published for the Travel Agents of Suffolk County
Our September 8th TASC dinner meeting will be held in person at Shandon Court.

Our Presenter this month will be
Antoinette Larman
featuring
Club Med Resorts

Shandon Court has told us they can host up to 100 guests in their large room where we always hold our meetings. Seating will be limited to a maximum of 7 guests per table.

We kindly request all guests to please wear masks whenever they are not seated at their table. We ask that you please comply with these rules to keep everyone safe.
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TASC SEPTEMBER MEETING - LIVE!!
LOCATION
SHANDON COURT, 115 EAST MAIN ST., EAST ISLIP, NY

DATE AND TIME
09/08/21 6:30pm - 09/08/21 8:30pm

SIGN IN: 6:00PM // MEETING & DINNER: 6:30PM MEMBERS: $25, NON-MEMBERS: $35 RSVP IS MANDATORY
YES I WILL BE ATTENDING

RSVP
RSVP’S for the general meeting should
now be made by using the RSVP button above.

At this time you will continue to be able to RSVP to:
Honey Pressgrove’s office 631-363-9522
or email to tascrsvp@gmail.com
RSVP's must be received no later than the MONDAY
before the meeting. If you are unable to attend the meeting after you have already responded PLEASE call to cancel.


TASC ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER

PLEASE RSVP WITH THE "YES I WILL BE ATTENDING" BUTTON ONLY IF YOU DEFINITELY PLAN ON ATTENDING OUR MEETINGS
IMPORTANT INFORMATION IF YOU SHARE A SINGLE EMAIL ADDRESS WITH A COLLEAGUE
SINCE EACH EMAIL ADDRESS IS LINKED TO ONLY 1 PERSON, ONLY THAT 1 PERSON CAN BE COUNTED WHEN YOU RSVP ELECTRONICALLY, ADDITIONAL ATTENDEES MUST PHONE OR EMAIL IN THEIR RSVP.
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The 2021 TASC Trade Show
will be held on Thursday, October 28, 2021.
We have a new venue for our show.
It will be at the recently re-branded
Holiday Inn Islip Airport East
(formally the Radisson) located on the south service road of the LIE-Exit 63
& North Ocean Avenue in Holtsville.
Plan to come out and support our Suppliers!!
Trade show hours: 5:30pm - 7:00pm
There will be raffle prizes.
Suppliers may contact our Trade show chairperson Jeaneane De Cicco at Jeaneane.decicco@gmail.com
for further details on reserving your table.
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PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Dear Members,
This summer has gone by in a heartbeat for me! Between finally moving and unpacking my new home I can't believe it is already September! I also hope we have seen the end of the hot humid weather we experienced this summer. Looking forward to the cooler days of Fall.

I am so happy that we will be holding a live meeting this month with presenter Antoinette Larman with Club Med who will be updating us on all their resorts and locations.

I am also so excited to be able to spend time with the members of TASC in person again. Of course with the Delta variant continuing to spread we kindly ask members to please wear a mask when not seated, especially those who have not been vaccinated. We do this to protect everyone's health. I do hope as many of you as possible will come out and show your support.

Jeaneane DeCicco has been working hard booking suppliers for this year's TASC Trade show being held on October 28th at the Holiday Inn at Exit 63 off the LIE. Suppliers may contact Jeaneane at jeaneane.decicco@gmail.com to obtain information and book your table. The trade show will be open to all travel professionals in Suffolk County and will be held from 5:30 to 7:00pm. Spread the word and let's get a good turnout. While we decided against holding a dinner this year, there will still be prizes raffled during the show.
 
TASC wishes it's members who observe Yom Kippur an easy fast and a Happy Rosh Hashanah. 

Respectfully,
Susan Bonesso
 
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
           -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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UPCOMING TASC MEETING/EVENT SCHEDULE
SEPT 8 - CLUB MED
OCT 13 - GLOBUS FAMILY OF BRANDS
OCT 28 - TASC TRADE SHOW
NOV 10 - STAN ENDEN
DEC 8 - HOLIDAY PARTY

Attention suppliers, you may contact our Programs Director, Fran Raupp at franr@baytravelandtours.com
to book your program.
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Current Industry Affairs (CIA)
Hyatt Hotels to purchase Apple Leisure Group (ALG)
Hyatt Hotels Corp. has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Apple Leisure Group (ALG) for $2.7 billion in cash in a deal that will double its resort footprint.
The transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, will add about 100 AMResorts properties to its portfolio. Many of those resorts are in Mexico and the Caribbean, operating under the Secrets, Dreams, Breathless, Zoetry and Sunscape brands. 
The Hyatt acquisition includes all of ALG's other businesses, including its well-known brands in packaged travel: Apple Vacations, Travel Impressions, Funjet Vacations, CheapCaribbean, Southwest Vacations, United Vacations, BlueSkyTours Hawaii and BeachBound. 
Hyatt also becomes the parent of technology company Trisept Solutions, ALG's Unlimited Vacation Club and Amstar, a provider of transportation and excursions in resort destinations.

Cruise Lines navigate new vaccine mandates
The cruise industry has worked exhaustively during its pandemic pause to figure out how to carry passengers safely. But the restart is now being complicated by conflicting vaccine protocols that challenge its very business model.
The most impactful among them are the contradicting rules from the cruise industry's home base and main embarkation point, Florida, and the popular ports its ships visit in the Caribbean.
On Aug. 19, the Bahamas issued an emergency order requiring that all adult cruise ship passengers be vaccinated in order for any ship to call in the islands. The Bahamas has emerged as a particularly important country for cruise lines, since it's a close and convenient destination from Florida and is home to most of the lines' private islands.
Several major lines changed their vaccination policies on their cruises from Florida to comply with the order: Carnival Cruise LineDisney Cruise LineMSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean International all now require that any cruiser 12 or older provide proof of vaccination to sail. 
However, if not for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' (NCLH) victory in a lawsuit against Florida, the lines would not likely have been able to make those changes.
Earlier this year, Florida made it illegal for businesses to require proof of vaccination for service. The law affected cruise ships embarking passengers in the state. Royal Caribbean, for example, changed what had been an adult-vaccine requirement on cruises from Florida to a suggestion, since it could not legally ask for proof of the jabs. MSC came out of the gate saying that it would not mandate passengers be vaccinated on its cruises, which launched this month. 
NCLH, however, has stuck to its 100% passenger-vaccination mandate on its three brands, Norwegian Cruise LineOceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. And so it sued the state to invalidate its law, and earlier this month it won. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction enabling NCLH's brands to ask for proof of inoculation on sailings from Florida. 
That has enabled the other lines to comply with the Bahamas order by being able to ask passengers for vaccination status.
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For current travel openings and restrictions for the Caribbean, go to: https://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbean-Travel/Caribbean-readies-for-a-wave-of-reopenings
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European Union Set to Reinstate Travel Restrictions on the United States
After a recent surge in COVID-19 numbers in the United States, the European Union is recommending to reinstate travel restrictions, including testing and quarantine requirements, on Americans. While the exact details of the restrictions are not yet known, the move would make it more difficult for unvaccinated travelers to travel into the E.U. under nonessential purposes.
The U.S., despite a push to do so, has yet to fully open up its borders to Europeans. 
Over the weekend, the U.S. reached 100,000 daily COVID hospitalizations for the first time since March when most Americans weren’t yet eligible to be vaccinated.
According to the latest available data, 52.4% of Americans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with 61.6% of Americans receiving at least one dose of an approved vaccine.

For current travel openings and restrictions for Europe:

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MEMBERS CORNER:
TASC sends condolences to the family of member Bella Silvestri. Cards of Condolence may be sent to: The Silvestri Family, 26 Holiday Park Drive,
Hauppauge, NY 11788
TASC sends get well wishes to Past President
Lou Fenech who has recently underwent surgery but is now home recuperating. Cards may be sent to Lou at: Royal Holiday, PO Box 1117, Sayville, NY 11782
TASC ANNUAL DUES
Your annual TASC membership renewals are now due. They are still only $40 per year.
A Membership form is available at our website.
Your TASC board has a new email address: TASCEMAIL@OPTIMUM.NET
If you have any member news that you would like posted in this newsletter please send an email with information to: tascemail@optimum.net
WWW.LI-TASC.COM
This is our website. Visit us !!!
Also visit our TASC Facebook page and “like us”.
Only TASC members will be able to post on the Facebook page.
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Supplier Rep Updates

We would like to welcome several new supplier reps that have recently been assigned to the Suffolk County area.

Apple Leisure Group/Travel Impressions
Richelle Nicoletta, rnicoletta@algvacations.com

Carnival Cruises
Grace Ambrosia, gambrosia@carnival.com

Celtic Tours
Rose Christopher, rosec@celtictours.com

Collette Vacations
Tracy O'Neill, toneill@collette.com

Holland America
Ann Hall, ahall@hollandamerica.com

Oceania Cruises
Thierry Vuolo is still the local rep for many agencies on LI, her email remains tvuolo@oceaniacruises.com
Maggie De La Cruz, mdelacruz@oceaniacruises.com covers less active accounts from her Florida location

Regent Seven Seas
Amelie Dubois, adubois@rssc.com

Royal Caribbean
Molly Paolini, mollypsupport@rccl.com

Sandals/UVI
Kimberly Daino, kdaino@uvi.sandals.com

Seabourn Cruises
Ann Hall, ahall@seabourn.com

Executive Board
President
Susan Bonesso
(email) susanbtravel@optonline.net
Vice President
Fran Raupp
(email) franr@baytravelandtours.com
Secretary
Liz Henn
(email) lizLbac@gmail.com
Treasurer
Ginny DeFeo
(email) gindef@hotmail.com
Director Owner
Will Porrier
(email) willjohn39@aol.com
Director Affiliate
Gavin Simmons
(email) gsimmons@uvi.sandals.com
Director Agent
Jeffrey Austin
(email) jaustin@vacationwiser.com
Past President
Garrett Simulcik
(email) gsimulcik@cruiseplanners.com


Rogers Travel


Bay Travel & Tours


LBAC Travel


Empress Travel


Ginger Peachy Travel


Sandals


Vacation Wiser


Cruise Planners



631-289-5252


631-447-6440


631-648-8032


631-698-7767


631-563-2001


631-526-3301


631-499-4483


631-274-5490



Committee Chairpersons