DELRAY BEACH, FL, July 31, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the fourth consecutive year, The Travel Corporation sent a group of employees, representing eight company brands, on a trip to the Grand Canyon to volunteer in a hands-on vegetation restoration project. Treadright, The Travel Corporation's sustainable tourism foundation, partnered with Tourism Cares, a non-profit organization founded by the tourism industry to preserve many of the world's natural sites for future generations of travelers. In addition to employees of The Travel Corporation's shared services departments, the other company brands represented were Brendan Vacations, Contiki, Destination America, Grand European Tours, Insight Vacations, Trafalgar, and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.
As part of the project, the 20 volunteers flew out to the Grand Canyon and worked in the nursery, which houses hundreds of indigenous species of plants native to the Canyon. Tourism Cares and the National Parks Service crew--headed by team leader Ashton Bedford--provided information, guidance, and support on restoring natural vegetation to the area, located at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. This year's volunteers planted nearly 1,000 plants during the morning hours in the nursery, a project which would take the National Parks Service over a week to complete, working full time. The second half of the day was spent collecting Cliffrose seeds to grow and replant for future restoration projects along the rim. Xanterra supported the initiative and the volunteers by providing accommodation and meals.
"The Travel Corporation and The Treadright Foundation are equally proud to continue our partnership with Tourism Cares. Their work with The Grand Canyon National Park Service allows our team to support one of the United States' most iconic tourism destinations," said Richard Launder, President of The Travel Corporation. "Our team is proof that the tourism industry stands to make a big difference to the destinations in which we operate. My special thanks to all of the staff who volunteer to participate in this noble cause. They all use their company sponsored 'volunteer days' for this effort, and we are proud of each member of the team."
The Treadright Foundation has numerous projects that all fall under the themes of Water, Biodiversity, Community and Leadership. Brett Tollman, President and CEO of The Travel Corporation and TreadRight founder, believes strongly in empowering his team to participate where they can. According to Mr. Tollman: "The Travel Corporation and our teams are committed to participating in the sustainable development of tourism. We encourage their participation by providing every team member two paid volunteer days a year, and by further supporting events such as the cleanup of the Grand Canyon."
About The Travel Corporation
The Travel Corporation is a highly successful, family-run international travel group with over 25 award-winning brands which include luxury hotels and boutique river cruise ships, niche tour operators, and other leisure interests. The Travel Corporation award-winning brands include African Travel, Inc., Brendan Vacations, Contiki, Insight Vacations, Lion World Tours, The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, and Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection. The Travel Corporation's guiding principle is one of providing the most enjoyable, enriching travel experience for its customers across the globe. For more information, please visit www.TheTravelCorporation.com.
About The TreadRight Foundation
The TreadRight Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established in 2008 by The Travel Corporation (TTC) to undertake conservation work and foster sustainability in the tourism industry.
Collectively funded by TTC's family of brands, TreadRight supports projects that fall under the themes of water, biodiversity, leadership and community, and which drive the foundation's vision to preserve the earth's unique environments and diversity for future generations.
To date, TreadRight has donated more than US $1.5 million to sustainable tourism projects around the world, in addition to supporting the World Travel & Tourism Council's 'Tourism for Tomorrow' awards. To find out more about the foundation visit: www.TreadRight.org.
About Tourism Cares
Tourism Cares, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit public charity that benefits society by preserving the travel experience for future generations by awarding grants to natural, cultural and historic sites worldwide; by focusing on workforce development through our student programs which provide support from classroom to career; and by organizing volunteer efforts to restore tourism-related sites in need of care and rejuvenation. For additional information, or to contribute to Tourism Cares, visit www.TourismCares.org.