As part of Expedia’s annual Community Service Day, close to 100 Expedia employees will be volunteering to help sustain Olympic National Park’s beauty by cleaning and repaving its historic trails. This is part of the Expedia call to action to help preserve and sustain World Heritage sites around the world.

Since the November announcement of the World Heritage Alliance, a joint initiative between the United Nations Foundation (UN Foundation) and Expedia, Inc. to promote sustainable tourism and awareness of World Heritage sites and communities around the world, Expedia has been actively working to educate the public and help promote responsible travel to the irreplaceable World Heritage sites found locally, as well as internationally.

“As one of the world’s leading travel service providers, Expedia has the unique privilege of helping educate our travelers, supply partners and employees about the importance of sustainable tourism,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Expedia, Inc. “By working with the UN Foundation through 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.”

“I have been working with Olympic National Park for over three years and visited often as a hiker beginning in 1970, and I continue to be amazed at the beauty and splendor this site has to offer,” said Bill Laitner, superintendent of Olympic National Park. “We applaud Expedia for heightening awareness of sustainable tourism and promoting World Heritage sites both at home and abroad. We are pleased to welcome Expedia employees to Olympic National Park and thank them for participating in the World Heritage community.”

“World Heritage sites are irreplaceable global treasures inherited by all of us-to enjoy, experience and protect, and it is our responsibility to preserve these sites for future generations to visit,” said UN Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth. “We commend Expedia for their commitment to engaging their employees in the preservation of World Heritage sites around the world and are impressed with the company’s vision to shape the way future travel can strengthen and sustain these World Heritage sites.”

From the Olympic National Park to the Galapagos Islands to Angkor Wat, World Heritage sites span 137 countries and offer an extraordinary range of travel experiences. These sites are protected by the 1972 World Heritage Convention, signed by 180 countries and administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Olympic National Park is one of the 20 World Heritage sites recognized by UNESCO in the United States. Others include:

 

“I am delighted to be able to contribute today, alongside my Expedia colleagues, in helping preserve Washington State’s unique World Heritage site,” said Brian Regan, senior vice president of finance, Expedia, Inc.
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