The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) has introduced an online authentication and pre-registration process at www.adventuretravel.biz for entities to secure the .travel domains.
Early registrations for the .travel Internet domain begin in October. The initial pre-authentication deadline is September 25, 2005, 00:01 EST. Those organizations who apply within that launch period will have priority over the general public to ensure that they secure their appropriate URLs.

All registrants for .travel domains must be verified as eligible to hold a .travel domain name according to criteria established by Tralliance Corporation.

Authentication will be carried out by the Registry (Tralliance Corp.) with the support of the ATTA. As an “Authentication Provider,” the ATTA is able to carry out pre-authentication for .travel registrations for more than 300 members and newly joining members. ATTA Members are encouraged to finalize submissions by September 21, 2005, to ensure ample processing time.

Pre-authentication, a free service to ATTA Members, gives the .travel Registry the information to determine an entity’s eligibility and will speed the registration of a name when the .travel Registry begins to take name registrations in early October. Once an entity is pre-authenticated, it will be entitled to register a .travel domain name(s).

For this purpose, the ATTA also announced the opening of .travel pre-registrations. ATTA partner EnCirca, which provides a fully integrated system for .travel registration, will pre-register ATTA member applicants. The .travel name registration fee ($99 per year per domain—5% discount for ATTA members) includes the cost of pre-authentication. Pre-registration allows applicants to get authenticated names queued in the registrar’s system before the official launch.

Consumers will know that the operators of .travel Web sites meet clear, standard and objective criteria. They will know that names registered in the .travel TLD have met published standards as established organizations. Thus, consumers can have greater confidence purchasing travel over the Internet through .travel Web sites.

Businesses that register .travel domain names will be found in one location and will be instantly seen by consumers as recognized travel businesses with regard to conducting e-commerce transactions. This will serve the industry as well, since .travel enables the trade to confidently conduct business with other .travel domain name holders that they may not know. The .travel TLD will also enable the .travel Directory, permitting both travelers, and the travel and tourism trade, to more efficiently locate precise and detailed information about any travel or tourism offerings of .travel registrants, via the Internet.

Dot-com domain names are registered on a first-come-first-served basis, with no requirement that registrants meet any registration criteria. By contrast, eligibility to hold a .travel domain name requires that the registrant be a verified business or organization operation in the travel industry. .travel will be an exclusive space for the travel and tourism industry on the Internet, with every .travel registrant being authenticated before it is given a domain name(s).

Tralliance Corporation President and CEO Ron Andruff will address authentication of all .travel registrants, the .travel Directory, and the overall impact .travel will have on the global travel and tourism industry at the October 16-18, 2005, Adventure Travel World Summit (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com) in Seattle.
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