TIA Announces Innovator of the Year Finalists; Winners to be Recognized at TravelCom, April 8-10 / March 2008

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TIA Announces Innovator of the Year Finalists
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Winners to be Recognized at TravelCom, April 8-10
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March 28, 2008 - The Travel Industry Association has announced the semi-finalists for the TravelCom�08 Innovator of the Year Awards, which recognize companies whose outstanding innovations in the areas of technology, eCommerce and distribution have transformed their business and had a broad impact on the travel industry.

The first place winners and runners-up will be honored during TIA�s TravelCom on April 10 in Chicago, along with Sir Richard Branson, Founder and Chairman of the Virgin Group of Companies, who will receive TIA�s first ever Steve Fossett Innovation Award, an annual honor established to recognize an industry leader who has broken ground, pushed boundaries and revolutionized the industry, leaving a long lasting legacy of beneficial change.

In addition to receiving the Fossett Award, Branson will speak at TravelCom on innovation and its changing role in business today and tomorrow. Other TravelCom speakers include the leaders of Google, Travelocity, Priceline, YouTube, Orbitz Worldwide, American Express and Forrester Research. Nearly 300 companies have already registered delegates for this year�s TravelCom.

Companies in the final competition for Innovator of the Year Awards in the Established category (in business at least five years) and their respective products entries include:

Amadeus for Altea Customer Management Solution and its eCommerce Airline Suite;
Avis Rent A Car for Where2 GPS Navigation, Portable Internet Access, Electronic Toll Collection and Avis Chauffeur Drive;
Hotwire for Deal Engine, Flexible Date Search and Airfare Savings Hub;
Orbitz Worldwide for TLC Traveler Update; and
Travelocity for ExperienceFinder Planning Tool.

New Innovator Award (companies in business less than five years) semi-finalists and their respective product entries include:

Kayak.com for Travel 2.0;
Virgin Charter for its online marketplace for charter services; and
Yapta, Inc. for its web browser add-on.

For more information and to register for TIA�s TravelCom08, go to www.TIA.org/TravelCom.
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The Travel Industry Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $740 billion travel industry. TIA's mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States. TIA is proud to be a partner in travel with American Express. For more information, visit www.tia.org.

Contact:

The Travel Industry Association
www.tia.org

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