Memorial Day serves as the official kick off of the busy summer travel season. As millions of American’s take to the sky and road to visit their favorite destinations, attractions, and nature parks, the Center for Sustainable Tourism, at East Carolina University, officially introduces the U.S. Visitor Care Code (www.visitorcarecode.org). The code is designed to highlight small and practical efforts travellers can make to protect the natural environment and unique cultures of the places they visit.

Annually, more than 1.5 billion leisure “person trips” are made in the U.S., even small changes in behavior can make a big difference in tourism’s impact on communities. The 10 point code encourages travelers to:

Learn About Your Destination– Enjoy rewarding experiences learning about the environment, culture and history that make each destination unique. ·

Don’t Leave Your Good Habits at Home - While traveling, continue to recycle, use water wisely, and turn off lights as you would at home.

Support Locals – As a visitor, the money you spend on your trip can help support local artisans, farmers and business owners who depend on tourism.

Protect Your Natural Surroundings - Be mindful of plants, animals, and ecosystems that you might impact. Avoid feeding wildlife, stay on designated trails and follow all fire restrictions.

To promote the code, the Center for Sustainable Tourism has partnered with Miles Media, a leader in marketing solutions for tourism destinations and hotels/resorts, to spread the word. The Code is available free of charge at www.visitorcarecode.org where all 10 recommendations can be accessed to share and distribute. Businesses are encouraged to add it to their web sites and other marketing efforts.

The Center for Sustainable Tourism at East Carolina University promotes sustainable tourism throughout the nation through innovation in graduate education, leadership development, community consultation, and collaborative research. SustainableTourism.org.

With offices in Sarasota, Fla., and Denver, Colo., Miles Media partners with state divisions of tourism, convention & visitor bureaus and other organizations in the tourism industry to create custom online, mobile, email and print marketing solutions. MilesMedia.com.