As a leader in the travel industry, sustainable tourism is the focus for Expedia corporate citizenship efforts. Our primary objective is to enhance the geographical character—the environment, culture, aesthetics, and well-being of local residents—at travel destinations around the world.

In the fall of 2005, Expedia teamed with the United Nations Foundation to create the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism. This organization unites travel industry partners, visitors, and local communities to better protect and preserve World Heritage sites. Our leadership role in the alliance is the cornerstone of the Expedia social and environmental responsibility strategy.

Expedia employees play a critical role in conservation efforts. Since the inception of the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism, Expedia has sent three teams of employees to Mexico and the Caribbean to help local tourism cooperatives develop business plans to promote, enhance, and conserve their unique World Heritage sites:

• Sian Ka'an, the first established Biosphere Reserve in Mexico
• El Senor, focused on Mayan cultural tours in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula
• Dominica’s Morne Trois Pitons National Park in the Caribbean

The fourth trip, planned for the spring of 2008, to Baja California, Mexico will support three irreplaceable World Heritage sites: the whale sanctuary of El Vizcaino, the islands of the Gulf of California, and the rock paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco.

Our employees are committed to improving the quality and marketability of community tourism products, aiding in the success of the economic and environmental sustainability of local tourism businesses in and around World Heritage sites.

The Expedia employee community engagement program serves as a reward for employees who are exemplary representatives of our company values and demonstrate a passion for—and commitment to—community service. These Expedia teams experience a deep immersion into the challenges and opportunities facing small communities trying to attract and manage tourism sustainably.

The employees have a very personal impact in helping protect the environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and well-being of local residents in and around World Heritage sites. They return to their jobs with renewed energy and a deeper understanding of the sustainability issues facing our industry—and they inspire other employees to contribute to this mission.

These economic development projects supporting World Heritage sites and their surrounding communities will be an ongoing part of our corporate social responsibility strategy. We will continue to challenge these teams to uncover the magic formula for wise stewardship of irreplaceable destinations to help preserve what our travelers come to enjoy.