Expedia, Inc. and the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) today
announced a new relationship in which Expedia will become a
Strategic Partner. With this agreement, Expedia further strengthens its commitment to growing the tourism industry in the Caribbean.As a Strategic Partner, Expedia will actively participate in the CHA’s
programs to drive travelers’ interest in the group’s 849 member hotels,
which hail from 36 national hotel associations. Expedia will also have the opportunity to work closely with these hotels, providing them with the tools and information they need to enhance their marketing efforts in the Expedia marketplace.

“The Caribbean has a high concentration of popular tourist destinations so with all of our hotel partners there, it remains an important region for
Expedia to support,” said Laura Veglia, regional director at Expedia and
Hotels.com(TM). “Expanding our relationship with the CHA will benefit the organization, its member hotels, and in turn help to drive increased
tourism in the Caribbean.”

Beginning this month, Expedia will work with the CHA’s marketing and
promotions group to help educate CHA members about the benefits of online distribution. These programs will also teach them how they can increase bookings for their hotels, which represent more than 125,000 rooms in a broad range of properties, from mega-resorts to privately-run inns.

“Expedia has consistently been one of the top distributors of travel to
the region and is a valued partner of the CHA,” said Alec Sanguinetti,
director general and CEO of the Caribbean Hotel Association. “This
strategic relationship reinforces Expedia’s ongoing investment in
Caribbean tourism and will support our efforts to expose our members’
unique hotel inventory to the millions of customers shopping for travel on
Expedia.com(R) each month.”

Expedia has been a member of the CHA since 2001. In 2002, Expedia
co-developed http://www.gocaribbean.com/ with the Caribbean Hotel Association Charitable Trust to encourage travel to the region. Powered by WWTE(TM), Expedia’s private-label booking solution,
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