Call for Qualified Applicants – July 29, 2011 Submission Deadline
(SEATTLE) July 12, 2011 – Providing financial support to early-stage adventure tourism enterprises is the purpose behind the Tour Operator Scholarships launched today by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and Away.com. Away.com is a leading travel website that inspires travelers on where to take their next vacation, and is owned by Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW).
Deserving scholarship winners for 2011 will gain access to the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s global network of more than 750 members, its membership resources, and travel fare and a delegate seat for the 2011 Adventure Travel World Summit set for October 17-20 in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.
Scholarship winners will use these ATTA resources to help them grow their business, network, develop their professional skills, and be inspired by industry peers and influencers, all with the end goal of providing them the chance to take their business to the next level. Specifically, each of the three scholarship recipients selected by August 19, 2011, will receive:
- One annual Tour Operator membership in the Adventure Travel Trade Association ($500)
- One pass for one person from the Tour Operator company to attend the Adventure Travel World Summit held October of this year ($895)
- $1,500 USD for Scholarship winner's travel to the Summit
- Demonstrated need (start-up's, non-profit status, located in an emerging, but impoverished destination, etc.);
- Potential for positive impact on local cultural, ecological, and/or historical resources;
- Exemplary ecological, historical, and cultural practices;
- Exemplary efforts to work with local and indigenous peoples;
- Proof of the highest level of professional ethics and practices; and,
- Ability to prove how this Scholarship will be used to elevate the business to a higher level of success – and how it can be utilized over the long run in order to build long-term and lasting success for the company.
About Away.com
Away.com is a leading online destination inspiring travelers on where to take their next vacation. Founded in 1999, Away.com provides a distinctive blend of expert and consumer advice for its more than 1 million monthly visitors who view over 12 million pages of inspirational travel content a month. The Away Travel Network is a portfolio of travel websites that meet all of the information needs of active travelers throughout the entire travel cycle, from finding their next vacation destination, searching for the best deal, or looking to share their travel experiences with the larger travel community, The Network includes Away.com. Trip.com, GORP.com, and AdventureFinder.com, and is owned by Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW).
About the Adventure Travel Trade Association
Established in 1990, Seattle-based ATTA is a global membership organization dedicated to unifying, networking, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure travel market. Host of the annual Adventure Travel World Summit executive trade conferences, the ATTA also makes possible AdventureTravelNews.com, the industry’s source of adventure tourism trade news, and Adventure.Travel, the traveler’s hub of physical, cultural and nature-based adventure travel and guide to trusted tour operators.