Travel Industry Association and American Express Join Forces On Travel Sustainability Initiative

Recognizing that the status of the environment has become a top business and public policy priority; with major implications for travel, the Travel Industry Association and American Express announced today they have joined forces in the name of travel sustainability. The two organizations are working together to develop the Travel Sustainability Initiative, a comprehensive plan designed to make crucial information available and to guide the travel industry in its response to assuring sustainability in travel and tourism.

“Our initiative with American Express is a comprehensive review of domestic and international efforts related to travel and climate change, and the larger issue of travel and the environment,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of TIA. “This Sustainability Initiative will place emphasis on better understanding what the travel community is doing to go “green”, where we are still vulnerable, and preparing travel leaders to play a more active role in the policy making process concerning our impact on the natural environment.”

The Initiative is designed to educate and build awareness among public and private stakeholders on the subject of travel sustainability. This is to be accomplished by aggregating, organizing and synthesizing the most relevant information, including existing consumer research, eco-friendly travel programs, other travel association efforts, overviews of proposed legislation, case studies and more.

“We value our partnership with TIA, and we certainly value our role in the global economy of travel and tourism. We have a responsibility, as an industry, to understand our impact on the environment and to find the most responsible and economically feasible ways to ensure the future of all the destinations our industry touches,” said Donna Flora, vice president of Travel Industry Relations for American Express.

Travel is an activity that can have a major impact on sustainable development, but is also uniquely dependent on quality environments to sustain its own long-term competitiveness, vitality and prosperity. It can also be a major driving force for environmental conservation and protection.

Results of this Initiative will be disseminated to the industry through a web site, to be launched at TIA’s Marketing Outlook Forum in October, 2008.

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