Charlottesville Travel Organization Remains Financially Strong Despite Tough Economy

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – While many Virginia companies are struggling with layoffs and hiring freezes, one Charlottesville-based organization is enjoying stable revenues and organizational growth, actively filling new positions despite the country’s increasing unemployment rate. WorldStrides, an accredited student travel organization headquartered in Charlottesville (and formerly known as Lakeland Tours) is steadily increasing its staff of 385 full-time and 400 seasonal and part-time employees located in 12 offices around the nation.

WorldStrides’ financial security is undoubtedly attributable to the organization’s diversity of programs, which are spread across three separate divisions: University, Performing, and Education. The newly acquired University Division, which coordinates MBA and Executive MBA educational travel programs to emerging international business markets, is expected to grow as the threat of a poor job market drives students to enroll in MBA programs. Sales in the Performing Division (which encompasses Utah-based Heritage Festivals’ adjudicated competitions for high school music programs and Bowl Games of America’s halftime shows for student dancers and marching bands) remain strong as schools continue a long-standing tradition of participating in competitions.

WorldStrides’ oldest and largest division, Education, has been buoyed by sales of Inauguration programs and interest in student travel to Washington, D.C. during President-elect Barack Obama’s first term in Washington. In the days following the election, WorldStrides fielded hundreds of calls from schools around the nation interested in participating in the Inauguration Heritage Festival and Inauguration educational programs.

For information on employment at WorldStrides, please visit www.worldstrides.org/jobs.