HU Dean's New Book Offers Inside Look at Travel Industry

Hampton, VA - Dr. W. O. Lawton, dean of the College of Continuing Education at Hampton University, is sharing his travel industry knowledge through the release of his new book, "Competing for Travel Dollars: The Fight for Survival of Travel Agencies."

This book examines the fast-changing dynamics of the travel industry, the pitfalls of using the Internet to book travel and the challenges facing travel agencies today. Lawton is the co-owner of Lawton Travel Service located in Hampton and drew from his experiences within the industry for the book. It is considered a "must read" resource tool for travel industry professionals, business owners and thrifty consumers.

"The information inside [this book] is based on data and real-life experiences from owning a travel agency for the past 25 years. It includes a lot of history and background from the market and gives an insight into what travelers may not know about the aspects of booking travel," said Lawton.

Lawton is also the author of "Increasing Your Travel Profits: Employing Outside Salespeople to Increase the Profits of Small Travel Agencies" and "The Beginner Entrepreneur: Avoiding the Pitfalls," which is used as a reference in the College of Continuing Education’s online entrepreneurship program.

Lawton holds a bachelor’s degree from South Carolina State University, a master’s degree in education and history from Lincoln University of Missouri, and an education specialist and doctorate in higher education administration from George Washington University.

"Competing for Travel Dollars," published by Publishing Connections of Williamsburg, Va., is available in paperback for $16.95 at the HU Bookstore located in the Hampton Harbors shopping center or by visiting www.publishingconnections.net. To schedule speaking engagements for your bookstore, club or organization, please call (757) 220-0830.