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Mike Spinelli, seen here on a trip to Budapest, was elected president of ASTA in 1996.
Mike Spinelli, founder of the Action 6 consortium and a former ASTA president, died Saturday, Feb. 6, in Portsmouth, N.H. He was 88.
Spinelli s career in the industry began in 1959 by founding the agency Merrimac Travel in Lowell, Mass. The agency specialized in cruises, tours and groups. While there, he worked closely with both ASTA and the consortium Giants, which became Ensemble Travel Group.
The consortium founder and former ASTA president who died this week is remembered fondly by industry veterans. Continue Reading
In 1976, he founded Action 6. Spinelli grew the consortium from 141 agencies to 2,200 members. In 2001, Action 6 would merge with Vacation.com, which eventually became today s Travel Leaders Network, a division of Internova. After the sale of Action 6, Spinelli was named chairman emeritus of Vacation.com.