New Years Eve is a time for us to reflect, as well as look to the future, and along with that comes the typical New Years resolutions. If you are looking for a resolution that is different from the typical “loose 20 pounds” or “clean out the garage”, .travel has some resolution ideas for the Travel Industry.

1. Register your business with .travel! It is time for travel and hospitality businesses to register and use their .travel names. With a price tag at approximately $100, .travel is THE solution to aid in these economic times and beat the competition.

Great .travel names are available: cheapbeachtrips.travel, discovereurope.travel, bestofsanfran.travel, exploreafrica.travel, ofertas.travel, trips4U.travel, weddingtrips.travel, moscowtrips.travel, rometours.travel, praguetours.travel, viajesandmore.travel, and thousands of others. To check if your chosen .travel name(s) is available, please click here…

2. Be satisfied with your career. If you are looking for a job, consider using www.job.travel, a new employment website specifically for the travel and tourism industry. It has launched in over 100 cities so far!

3. Travel more! There is always somewhere new and exciting to discover. Some interesting places to discover: ElSalvador.travel, SantaCatarina,travel, and Slovakia.travel.

4. Skip the paper check-in for flights, and use online check-in. You can check in 24 hours before a flight, and even get better seat options. Online check-in also allows you to bypass standing in line and go straight to security if you are not checking bags. Some companies are now even making a cell-phone check-in available, where the e-Ticket is sent straight to your PDA device. Check out 2go.travel, a website that allows you to upload your trip itinerary, pictures, and much more!

5. Become more environmentally responsible in your travels. Many hotels are adopting the idea of being a “green hotel” by using energy saving measures such as fluorescent bulbs, and low-flow showerheads. Consider re-using your towels and bed sheets instead of having them changed everyday to contribute to the movement.

Some great .travel websites with more information include: www.GreenSpot.travel, ReduceMyCarbonFootprint.travel, ClimateSolutions.travel and www.EarthLung.travel.

Have a happy and safe New Year!

ANNOUNCEMENT—On November 11, 2008, The Travel Partnership Corporation granted Tralliance, the .travel Registry, the right to register the names forming the Industry Names reserved list and to use such names or to release them for general registration. Tralliance has taken up that right and does not currently have plans to release any of the names.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL- December 29, 2008- Tralliance, the .travel Registry, announces that the policy changes approved by The Travel Partnership Corporation (TTPC) went into effect on December 20 after a 30 day comment period. For a full description of the new policies, visit, www.travel.travel or www.ttpc.travel

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December 20, 1008-Important policy changes are now in effect.  A summary of these policy changes is found in the announcement made on November 19, 2008.  You may review that announcement here.

All policy and procedure changes announced on Novebmer 19 have taken effect. You may review the current .travel policies here.

As the Holidays approach us, we wanted to take some time and look back at this year’s trips, events, and other exciting highlights at .travel. Traveling has been a major component of furthering the awareness of .travel. Washington, Berlin, Paris, Mexico, New York, Costa Rica, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando, Quebec, London, and Miami have been on our list of destinations this year.

2008 has taken us all over the world, but the world has also been talking about us. Over the course of 2008, .travel was featured in major travel industry publications that reached well over 1 million viewers. You may be familiar with a few of these key trade publications: Travel Weekly, TravelMole, Travel Trade, TiViPro, FVW, eTurboNews, Washington Daily News and Travolution.

It is true that 2008 has been a year of highlights from travels and press, but also various important announcements and additions to the .travel family. In May, EXPOTUR, one of the largest Buyer/Seller conferences in Central America announced the launch of EXPOTUR.TRAVEL for promotion of its 25^th anniversary event. We have also witnessed many other key industry players that have adopted .travel including: Argentina.travel, Poland.travel, Slovakia.travel, ClimateSolutions.travel, EarthLung.travel, BruneiTourism.travel, and Normandy.travel, just to name a few!

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Seasons Greetings from .travel!

.travel Around the world in 365 days

As the holidays approach us, we would like to wish you all a happy holiday season. The .travel executive team has been all over the world this year.

We visited:

TIA in Washington (2/08), ITB in Berlin (3/08), Le Map Monde in Paris (3/08), Eye for Travel in Mexico (4/08), TTPC Meeting in New York (4/08), EXPOTUR in Costa Rica (5/08), ICANN Regional Meeting New Orleans (5/08), ICANN Paris (6/08), Travel Weekly Leadership Forum in Las Vegas (8/08), THETRADESHOW in Orlando (9/08), Canada’s Tourism Leadership Summit in Quebec (11/08), Travel Marketing Forum in Fort Lauderdale (9/08), ETOA Workshop in London (11/08), TTPC Meeting in London (11/08), World Travel Market in London (11/08), Travel Leisure Conference in Miami (11/08)

Highlights:

This year, we were featured in the following Major Trade Publications and Internet Sources with a reach of over 1 million readers!

Travel Weekly, TravelMole, Travel Trade, TiViPro, FVW, eTurboNews, Washington Daily News, Travolution

It has been a great year at .travel, and we look forward to a prosperous New Year, with the expansion of .travel. In January we will be attending the UMA Motorcoach Expo in Orlando, Florida, as well at DOMAINfest in Los Angeles, CA. Hope to see you there!

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This week’s newsletter highlights some of the team’s participation at the Travel Leisure Conference in Miami and a new .travel success story to add to our growing list, www.SolomonIslandsHotels.travel.

.travel Team Attends Travel Trade’s 25^th Annual Leisure Travel Conference

The .travel executive team attended Travel Trade’s 25^th Annual Leisure Travel Conference last weekend in Miami, Florida. Held at the Miami Hyatt Regency, the largest and longest running Travel Trade event presented various educational seminars, workshops, cruise ship inspections, and networking opportunities. .travel executive team members had the opportunity to speak on two panels. .travel also exhibited at the Leisure Travel Marketplace, held on November 17^th.

SolomonIslands-Hotels.travel Geared Towards Responsible Travelers

SolomonIslands-Hotels.travel is a new web portal that is opening the door to independent travelers wishing to book services with local tour operators and accommodations. “The portal is an important addition to our country’s tourism promotion channels,” said the Solomon Islands Minister for Tourism, Mr. Seth Gukuna. “It will not only enhance Solomon Islands appeal, but also enable business to be conducted in this important sector.”

SolomonIslands-Hotels intends to use its .travel name in all marketing aspects including email, business cards, collateral materials, and expos. It has also used its .travel name in a recent interview on a National ABC radio program - “Talking Pidjin” - and in its participation in the Adventure Travel shows in Sydney and Brisbane in November 2008.

The name “Solomon Islands” was a natural choice to the owners, as “hotels” is a significant key word in searches and .travel reflects the nature of the site. By using its .travel name, SolomonIslands-Hotels expects to see an increase in independent travelers due to the additional exposure and well presented information available to them. They are also expecting a broad spectrum of visitors. The Solomon Islands has a variety of activities and special interests that will attract a wide spectrum of travelers from backpackers to business travelers.

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SolomonIslands-Hotels.travel is a new web portal that is opening the door to independent travelers wishing to book services with local tour operators and accommodations. “The portal is an important addition to our country’s tourism promotion channels,” said the Solomon Islands Minister for Tourism, Mr. Seth Gukuna. “It will not only enhance Solomon Islands appeal, but also enable business to be conducted in this important sector.”

The website is owned and operated by Kerrie and Danny Kennedy of Dive Gizo. Founded in 1985, Dive Gizo is the oldest owner-operated tourism facility in the Solomon Islands specializing in diverse and exciting dives in the town of Gizo. While also operating snorkeling, bush walking, birding, village visits and WWII tours, Dive Gizo places primary important on serving social, cultural, and environmental goals.

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SolomonIslands-Hotels.travel Geared Towards Responsible Travelers

SolomonIslands-Hotels.travel is a new web portal that is opening the door to independent travelers wishing to book services with local tour operators and accommodations.

“The portal is an important addition to our country’s tourism promotion channels,” said the Solomon Islands Minister for Tourism, Mr. Seth Gukuna. “It will not only enhance Solomon Islands appeal, but also enable business to be conducted in this important sector.”

The name “Solomon Islands-Hotels.travel” was a natural choice to the owners, as “hotels” is a significant key word in Web searches and .travel reflects the nature of the site. By using its .travel name, SolomonIslands-Hotels expects to see an increase in independent travelers due to the additional exposure and well-presented information. They are also expecting a broad spectrum of visitors. The Solomon Islands has a variety of activities and special interests that will attract travelers from backpackers to business travelers.

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Travel Technology Is Good for Bottom Line

Fri Nov 21 2008, by Dori Saltzman

Miami –”Technology is the future of the travel industry,” said Alan Gerstner, MCC, president of Travel Doctor Consulting, opening the Leisure Travel Conference’s technology panel. Panel members agreed, adding that especially in these tough times technology can help agents optimize services, increase efficiencies and grow revenue.

“Especially in these tough times, you have to cut back and optimize efficiency using technology,” said David Goodis, CEO of Revelex, responding to the question, “How does your company’s technology increase agent’s bottom line?”

Using a booking engine, such as Revelex, can introduce agents to other products they can sell, like travel insurance, thus creating an incremental revenue stream, which Goodis said agents need to focus on.

Joff Romoff, vice president of sales for Amadeus North America, agreed, saying that the Amadeus GDS is committed to bring alternative revenue sources to North American agents. Romoff told agents that Amadeus will soon be bringing a new traveltrainment product online, which will offer the ability to book new ground services and excursion products.

Bob Maier, president of MailPound, said technology makes it easier for agents to do their job. In particular MailPound makes it easier to communicate and market the products that agents sell through personalized and targeted email marketing materials.

Both Ed Cespedes, president and CEO, Tralliance Corp., the .travel Registry, and John Peters, president and CEO of Triplogy, said technology also helps agents expand their client base.

“It doesn’t matter how much you have to sell, if no one can find you,” Cespedes said, adding that most people first search travel on the Internet. In fact, he said travel is the biggest commerce category on the Web and because of their vast numbers travel companies often get lost in the .com world. Taking on a .travel extension instead of a .com, Cespedes said, will bring more Web traffic to an agent’s site, thereby providing new leads.

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