TRAVEL COMMUNITY APPLAUDS CONTINUED VISA WAIVER EXPANSION
 TIA praised the Department of Homeland Security for expanding and strengthening the Visa Waiver Program by signing memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the nations of Slovakia, Lithuania, and Hungary. The MOUs are the first steps toward enabling their citizens to travel to the United States securely without a visa.
Click here for the release.
- TIA's Green Primer on Travel and Climate Change
The Green Primer introduces various components of climate change and explains how the issue of climate change is becoming ever more attractive to Members of Congress, where the travel community is vulnerable and some of the opportunities to shift the debate.
- U.S. Welcomes 2 Million Fewer Overseas Visitors in 2007 Than in 2000
The U.S. continues to see a decline in overseas arrivals despite a boom in international travel and a favorable exchange rate. The Travel Promotion Act would help reverse the decline by establishing a nationally coordinated travel promotion campaign at no cost to the American taxpayer. Click here for the release.
 SEMI-FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR TRAVELCOM'08 INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 
TIA would like to congratulate Amadeus, Avis Rent-A-Car, Hotwire, Orbitz Worldwide, and Travelocity for being selected as semi-finalists for the Established Innovator Award and kudos to Kayak.com, Virgin Charter and Yapta, Inc. for being selected as semi-finalists for the New Innovator Award. Click here for details on the companies’ products receiving recognition. The final winners for both awards will be announced at TravelCom'08 in Chicago, IL, April 8-10. Click here to register now.
AOL PLANS HIGHLIGHT OF NATIONAL TOURISM WEEK IN MAY
 AOL® plans to salute great American travel traditions during National Tourism Week and invites TIA members to participate. The global Web services company will include travel and tourism messages on AOL.com and the AOL Travel channel. TIA members can submit editorial ideas and images to AOL for inclusion on one of 10 themed galleries featuring U.S. destinations and also receive a reciprocal link from AOL Travel, one of the top five travel information sites on the Web*. More details on this opportunity will be sent in early April or visit www.tia.org/NTW. * comScore MediaMetrix, February 2008
- Specialty Merchandise Available For Tourism Week Promotions
Promote “Tourism Works For America” during your National Tourism Week celebrations with Elite Image, Inc.’s specialty products. The Maryland-based company offers affordable merchandise, from balloons and buttons to stickers and pins. Visit Elite Image’s site for product information.
INTERNATIONAL POW WOW: TWO KEY DEADLINES IN EARLY APRIL
 The last day to submit changes and register additional delegates to be listed in the International Pow Wow printed Delegate Registry is Tuesday, April 1. The Delegate Registry will be distributed during International Pow Wow in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 31 - June 4, 2008.
Appointment Requests must be submitted directly to TIA by April 4 to be included in the computer-generated scheduling process. Any organizations registering after this date will not receive pre-scheduled appointments. Click here to view key dates and deadlines for TIA's International Pow Wow. To learn more about International Pow Wow, click here.
JATA WORLD TRAVEL FAIR THEME ZONE IS NORTH AMERICA
 JATA World Travel Fair, September 19-21 at Tokyo Big Sight, is both a trade fair featuring a dedicated day for exhibitors to meet one-on-one with the Japanese travel trade and a consumer travel show where destinations and suppliers can showcase their travel offerings and appeal directly to potential Japanese travelers. This year, the Discover America Pavilion will have the best location! Please contact Kayoko Inoue (kinoue@tia.org) for more information.
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Volume
8: Issue 6 - March 25, 2008 
