London, UK. – October 7, 2008 – TripAdvisor® (www.tripadvisor.co.uk), the world’s largest travel community, today launched the “More than Footprints” philanthropic initiative, in which TripAdvisor will donate $1 million to five travel-related nonprofit organisations. With nearly 20 million reviews and opinions from real travellers, TripAdvisor believes in the power of the collective voice. Accordingly, TripAdvisor will divide the $1 million between the nonprofits democratically, through online voting. Voting is open at http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Causes through November 9, 2008.
This “democratic philanthropy” not only fits the TripAdvisor ethos, it also empowers people to have a direct impact on corporate giving at a time when the economic downturn might make individual donations difficult. By simply voting online in the “More than Footprints” initiative, people can leave a lasting impression on the world.
We’re all aware of the popular travel mantra, “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” TripAdvisor believes people can leave more than footprints behind when travelling – by making a difference in the places they visit.
The five travel-related nonprofit organisations TripAdvisor selected to participate in the “More than Footprints” initiative are:
• Conservation International – Eco-tourism
• Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) – Emergency relief
• National Geographic Society – Exploring and sustaining authentic places
• The Nature Conservancy – Environmental protection
• Save the Children – Aiding children around the world
Voting takes place at http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Causes. After voting ends, each nonprofit organisation will get a portion of the $1 million donation, based on the percentage of total votes it receives. Although each person may vote only once, they can build extra support for the cause they choose by referring friends to cast their own votes. Each participating nonprofit is guaranteed to receive at least $50,000 from TripAdvisor. Results will be announced on November 12.
“We’re a community of travellers around the world, and we wanted to do something that could really make a positive difference in people’s lives,” said Steve Kaufer, founder and CEO, TripAdvisor. “We know that people want their voices heard, and we hope they’ll raise those voices collectively to help us support nonprofits addressing global problems.”
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TripAdvisor:
Luke Fredberg
+44 (0) 203 320 3294
lfredberg@tripadvisor.com
Betsy Croft
+44 (0) 203 320 3230
bcroft@tripadvisor.com
