Expedia and the United Nations Foundation are launching the World Heritage Alliance, a joint initiative to promote sustainable tourism and awareness of World Heritage sites and communities
around the world. This partnership believes conscientious travelers can
contribute directly to nature conservation, historic preservation, and poverty
reduction through sustainable tourism.
“As one of the world’s leading travel service providers, Expedia has the
unique privilege of helping educate our customers, suppliers, and employees
about the importance of sustainable tourism,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of
Expedia, Inc.  “By working with the UN Foundation to found the World Heritage
Alliance, we hope to expand our customers’ travel horizons and help preserve
our world’s treasures for current and future generations to enjoy.”
There are currently 812 designated World Heritage sites that span 137
countries.  These sites
have been internationally recognized for their outstanding value and are
protected by the 1972 World Heritage Convention, signed by 180 countries and
administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO).
World Heritage sites include many of the most iconic travel spots on the
planet, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; the Egyptian Pyramids;
the Taj Mahal in India; England’s Stonehenge; the Galapagos Islands in
Ecuador; and 20 sites in the United States, including Yellowstone and the
Statue of Liberty.  But the list also encompasses scores of lesser-known
places of singular importance, including Garamba National Park in the
Democratic Republic of Congo; the Buddhist Borobudur Temple Compounds in
Central Java, Indonesia; the archaeologically rich Orkhon Valley in Mongolia;
and the sub-Antarctic islands of New Zealand, home to more than 125 separate
species of birds.
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