ACTE's board on Monday voted to "remain a stand-alone organization,"

according to a prepared statement. The Beatlast week reported that some officials with the Association of Corporate Travel Executives supported a combination with the National Business Travel Association, given budgetary pressures on suppliers and buyers for sponsorships, memberships and conference attendance. An ACTE spokesman declined to comment on what specifically prompted the vote or how ACTE would fund its "own course of action," as described in the statement. An independent ACTE would "best guarantee the integrity of its programs and the quality of deliverables to its global members," according to the group.