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MAHWAH, N.J., July 30 /PRNewswire/ — Directravel, a leading corporate travel management company, today announced the release of its white paper, travel Management 2.0, Harnessing Data to Take Your travel Management Program to the Next Level.
(Logo: )
The white paper was developed to provide advanced travel management strategies that will enhance established travel programs, including aggregating a corporation’s business travel data, improving data quality thought internal controls, using benchmarking techniques to drive compliance and realize additional savings, leveraging travel data to negotiate with suppliers amid current market conditions and other leading-edge tactics to complement data-based optimization.
“We’ve pooled our expertise with the industry insights of ProMedia.travel Content Solutions to develop a white paper that will help our clients and other mid-sized companies more effectively manage their travel programs,” said Pat Fragale, president of Directravel. “In this economy, when travel budgets are so tight, costs are up and conveniences are down, everyone is looking to get as much as possible out of their program. We believe the information provided in this white paper will show them how to move beyond the strategies they may currently have in place to take advantage of other opportunities.”
The 10-page paper provides insights directed to C-suite executives and senior managers that will better guide travel management initiatives and enhance their current travel programs. It has sections on:
— The Age of Optimization
— Improving Data Quality
— Management Reports and Benchmarking
— Enriching Supplier Relationships
— Demand Management
A case study is also provided.

The white paper is available through Directravel’s website at .
About Directravel
For more than 25 years, Directravel has provided its corporate clients with high-quality business travel management services, internet-based technology solutions and significant cost savings. With corporate offices in Mahwah, New Jersey, and regional offices in New York City; Princeton, NJ; Scranton, PA; Chicago, IL; and San Francisco, CA; Directravel is ranked among the top 10 US corporate travel management firms. More than 300 Directravel travel professionals serve clients at both onsite and offsite locations nationwide.
For more information call 1-800-air-travel or visit .

Directravel

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BEIJING, July 29 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ — HereisChina.com, a professional marketplace to meet more than 2,000 professional inbound tour operators and experts throughout China, announced today the launch of customized trips through their online portal.
The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) has revealed that during the Olympics, more than 30,000 media delegates representing major press outlets from all over the world will arrive to cover the games and the real China behind them. At the same time, a total of half a million inbound tourists will arrive in Beijing to watch the games and explore China. The hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games will trigger a new wave of interest in China travel around the world. The World travel Organization has stated the by 2015, China will become the world’s biggest travel destination country with its annual inbound tourists reaching 200 million.
So how will such a big number of inbound tourists organize their travels? The answer is — online booking via the INTERNET! Statistics show that in the European and American countries where the internet has reached the average family, up to 60 percent of tourists use the internet to search and book their trips. This figure will continue to rise as the younger generation grows up in the internet era, which has been called the information age.
However, searching for tour packages in China is a confusing process for people who wish to come to China. Simply typing “China tour” into Google yields too many options, and it’s difficult to tell which services are the best. When people attempt to find China-based tour operators to save on budget, they often find that the tour operators’ websites are poorly designed and provide slow response times. These China-based websites also provide insufficient information.
Foreign sites like Expedia.com, one of the leading online platforms for worldwide tours based in the United States, currently only list a few overpriced China tours on their website. They actually anticipate that they’ll be able to find an online marketplace or platform of China tours based in China.
People can easily get lost or confused, and they often are uninformed about what they should do and what they should avoid. What people searching for China tours need is a way to refine and filter their search, a way to customize their tour packages.
“They will be happy if they discover HereisChina.com,” says Robert Zhang, the founder of HereisChina.com, “We are just the right marketplace they are looking for. On our platform, we integrate thousands of different China tour products at difference budgets, and in different themes. Hundreds of professional China-based tour operators have joined HereisChina.com and uploaded their tours into the marketplace.”
With just a few weeks to go before the Beijing Olympics, Robert, with his ambitious startup team, recently launched the brand new site — HereisChina.com. Besides China tour packages, HereisChina.com also offers total customization of your China tour. If you are planning a tailor-made China tour, simply visit the homepage of and submit an online trip request. Within 24 hours, up to 3 tour operators will respond by email with a proposal and quotation. In this way, you can find the tour operator that works best for you. The responses normally start within 12 hours for clients in North America.
As Robert describes, the technical development team is also adding some new functions to the platform, such as an interactive travel review sharing system, travel blogs and forum, etc. HereisChina.com is also planning to launch a content campaign to motivate those who have traveled in China to contribute their travel reviews and travelogues, so that future users can use these reviews to help them make a decision when comparing tour itineraries and destinations. The more users that the site attracts, the more powerful it will become.
About HereisChina.com
HereisChina.com is the “Walmart” of China Tours, where you can book all kinds to China tour products, like packaged group tours, private tours and optional city tours, etc. HereisChina.com is not a travel agent, but a marketplace to meet more than 2,000 professional inbound tour operators and experts! With these partners, we can offer you full tailor-made travel service, catering to all personalized requests. On HereisChina.com, Planning a China tour has never been more convenient!
Visit:

For more information, please contact:

Robert Zhang
HereisChina.com
Tel: 86-10-8589-5339 x801
Mobile: 86-131-6424-9933
Fax: 86-10-8580-2753
Email:
HereisChina.com

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NEW YORK, July 28 /PRNewswire/ — CheapOair is proud to announce the official launch of their new travel affiliate program. The affiliate program is a major value-add to Web sites and bloggers, as payouts to affiliates are based on bookings, not travel consumed. Unlike most other travel affiliate programs, CheapOair affiliates will benefit from all of CheapOair’s travel products, including flights, hotels, car rentals, activities, events and travel insurance.
The CheapOair affiliate program is an innovative and viable program for Web site owners and bloggers. Anyone can join for free. By selling flight tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals and travel insurance, affiliate partners can achieve $15,000 or more per month through the program.
CheapOair also offers a turnkey private label travel program offering a full booking engine for 3rd party sites powered by “TravelSpot.us”. Web site owners can generate lucrative revenue by promoting the largest selection of global travel products and services on their Web site using their own brand identity.
“The travel affiliate program offered by CheapOair provides the most competitive incentives across the North American travel industry today,” said Mr. Brijen Rajput, Vice President of Online Marketing at CheapOair.
“An alliance with CheapOair breeds customer confidence when purchasing travel services via a trusted brand and known leader, enabling affiliates to truly monetize their traffic,” Mr. Rajput continued. “CheapOair works closely with all affiliate partners and we provide ongoing support, exciting offers from global and national airlines, hotels, car rental companies and the marketing expertise to assist in converting traffic to sales.”
Mr. Rajput said, “The CheapOair brand is a six-time, consecutive Hitwise Award winner with diversified travel services, exceptionally high conversion rates and quality customer support.”
To learn more about CheapOair’s affiliate program log onto or email
To learn more about CheapOair log onto http://cheapoair.com
*(LOGO Link: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/08-0714-Cheapoair_72dpi.jpg)

This release was issued on behalf of the above organization by Send2Press(R), a unit of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com
CheapOair

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 28 /PRNewswire/ — At the National Business travel Association International Convention and Exposition, TripIt () announced the use of its travel itinerary and social networking service among corporate travelers at some of the nation’s leading companies, as well as a partnership with Sabre VirtuallyThere.
TripIt reports having registered users at 76 of Fortune 100 companies, and all 100 of the BTN 100; which is a list of the 100 top traveling companies compiled by Business travel News magazine. With TripIt, business travelers, travel arrangers and corporate travel agencies can organize and share their business trips more efficiently.
“TripIt is like having a personal travel assistant,” commented Omar Shahine from Microsoft. “TripIt manages all the details of our trips for us. If this is the future, I love it.”
Business travelers simply forward their flight, hotel and rental car confirmations emails to TripIt and automatically receive a combined master itinerary with all of their plans in one place. TripIt is expanding the traditional travel itinerary to also include meetings, events, restaurants, car services, trains and cruises. In addition, the free service also automatically provides helpful information such as daily weather, local maps, driving directions and city guides. TripIt itineraries can be printed, viewed online, accessed from a mobile device, and shared with fellow travelers in their TripIt social network.
TripIt is also now available as part of the VirtuallyThere itinerary service from Sabre travel Network, which is used by leading travel agencies and their customers to access their travel plans.
“We’re thrilled to work with Sabre and to have business travelers and travel arrangers from many large companies already using our free service,” said Gregg Brockway, TripIt co-founder and president, “With our open platform, we make it possible for travelers to book within their company’s managed travel programs and forward their confirmation emails to TripIt to customize and collaborate on their trips. The new integration with Sabre VirtuallyThere makes that even easier for Sabre customers.”
“TripIt is an exciting social travel service that complements Sabre VirtuallyThere,” said Greg Webb, CMO at Sabre travel Network/Sabre Airline Solutions. “We make the best travel services available to our customers and the TripIt option is another tool for customers to optimize their travel experience.”
TripIt currently accepts confirmation emails from more than 150 booking services, including all the major online travel and business travel sites, travel agencies and online corporate booking tools. As an open travel platform, TripIt continues to add the ability to support corporate travel programs of all sizes.
TripIt co-founder and president, Gregg Brockway will be speaking at NBTA in Los Angeles, discussing “Social Networking and Corporate Travel” on Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 8:00 a.m.
About TripIt
TripIt helps people organize their online travel plans-flights, hotels, rental cars, trains, car services, cruises, restaurants, events and meetings — no matter where they booked. Travelers just forward their travel confirmation emails to . TripIt processes these emails and automatically creates a master itinerary with travel plans, daily weather, local maps, city guides and more. With TripIt, it’s easy for travelers to access all their trip plans online or from a mobile device — and to share itineraries and see when their trips overlap with friends and colleagues in their TripIt social network. TripIt has been honored by TechCrunch, Under The Radar, Web 2.0 Summit and was a 2008 Webby Nominee. More at .
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DALLAS, July 23 /PRNewswire/ — With the Sheraton flag proudly on display at Dallas’ largest hotel, the Sheraton Dallas is celebrating its recent reflagging from the Adam’s Mark hotel by making a donation to The Bridge, Dallas’ newest homeless assistance center serving people with severe mental illness, addictions and disabilities. The donation will consist of new sets of sheets and bedding for the 200 residents of the transitional housing units, as well as televisions to support the complex’s lounge, entertainment and community areas.
Originally a Sheraton when it opened in 1959, the 1,840-room hotel became a Sheraton again in late April 2008 and is undergoing a $90 million renovation to the guest rooms and public spaces that is estimated for completion in June 2009.
“As the largest hotel in Dallas, we have a responsibility to be an active participant in our community, and we are excited to partner with The Bridge,” said Ray Hammer, general manager of the Sheraton Dallas. “We’ve seen the overwhelming response of the community to The Bridge, and we want to help them fulfill their tremendous needs through volunteer support, in-kind donations and, eventually, job placement assistance.”
The Sheraton Dallas is the first member of the local business community to partner with The Bridge. The hotel’s initial donation will consist of 1,600 brand new sheet sets, and 15 20- to-25-inch television sets for use in the pavilion and common areas of the transitional housing units.
“We are very pleased to partner with Sheraton Dallas,” said Mike Faenza, president and CEO of Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance. “The need is great — and their donations are helping to create the respectful environment that we want to provide.”
In addition to the hotel’s support of The Bridge, the new leadership team at the Sheraton Dallas plans to re-affirm its role as a major player in downtown Dallas by cultivating partnerships with other community organizations to help address civic issues and stimulate economic growth, tourism and development.
About the Bridge
The Bridge is a nationally unique multi-service facility whose 17 on-site partner organizations provide services to chronically homeless individuals. This public/private sector partnership offers overnight shelter and meals, substance abuse treatment and health care, mental health, job seeker, social security and veterans services. Case managers enable individuals to transition to low-income and permanent supportive housing with programs appropriate to their long-term needs. The Bridge is expected to serve up to 5,000 homeless individuals annually. In its first six weeks of operation, The Bridge served more than 2,100 meals a day and over 600 individuals were provided emergency shelter daily. 800 individuals received job seeker services over the first six weeks and 143 received mental health/substance abuse services each weekday. These are just some of the services provided at The Bridge to help the homeless get back on their feet again.
For more information about The Bridge, visit the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance website at .
About the Sheraton Dallas
Located at the heart of Dallas’ commercial center, the Sheraton Dallas offers an ideal meeting environment for events of any size. Featuring 1,840 guest rooms and over 230,000 square feet of meeting space, including the largest single ballroom in Texas and the historic Chaparral Club, the Sheraton Dallas combines form, function and style to host a video conference for 10 or a gala for 5,000. The hotel’s meeting and event amenities include high-speed Internet access, complete audiovisual and production services and technicians, meeting and event staff, convention center staff and a full-time wedding coordinator. Guest amenities include 24-hour room service, express/video check-out options, an indoor and outdoor pool, full-service health club, sauna and complimentary breakfast and afternoon hors d’oeuvres with a wide selection of beverages at the Club Lounge. A variety of dining and entertainment options are also available.
For more information about the Sheraton Dallas, or to make a reservation, visit . From the U.S. and Canada, reservations for any Sheraton hotel worldwide may be obtained by calling 1-800-325-3535 or logging onto .
Sheraton Dallas

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ATLANTA, July 21 /PRNewswire/ — Hyatt Regency Atlanta is always looking for ways to enhance the quality of service offered to hotel guests. Beginning in the summer of 2008, Hyatt Regency is investing over $15 million in renovations and innovations to its guest room product, ballrooms and exhibit space. In addition, a pedestrian bridge that connects Hyatt and the Marriott Marquis will be installed.
The International Tower guestrooms will be undergoing a major renovation which begins this summer and will be complete in early 2009. The $9 million project will bring a stylish and sleek new look to the 333 International Tower guestrooms. The new room will be bathed in rich, chocolate wood colors and accented by cream and burnt orange and will include replacement of carpeting, wall coverings, furnishings, drapes, lighting, closets, and artwork in 310 guestrooms plus corridor renovations. Additionally, each room will be outfitted with a 37″ LCD television. The bathrooms in the International tower will also receive a makeover including new wall coverings, mirrors and lighting, low flush toilets, new sinks, floors and energy saving thermostats.
In addition, the 9,150 square foot International Ballroom’s renovations will encompass all new finishes that include: carpet, wall coverings, new lighting, chandeliers and dimmer system, an art wall and a new sound and AV systems.
One of Atlanta’s largest hotel exhibit halls is also included in the renovations for 2008. The 40,000 square foot Grand Hall will feature new wall-to-wall carpeting, lighting, wall coverings, doors, re-designed entries and the addition of four 1,500 square-foot break-out rooms. The cost for this project is $2.6 million. Currently Grand Hall can accommodate 225 8′ x 10′ booths and 178 10′ x 10′ booths and divides into two sections for maximum flexibility. Convenient street access already provides for quick and cost efficient load in/load out. Grand Hall is located on the same floor as the 10,104 square-foot Hanover Hall. Together the two halls are connected via a 12-foot-wide hallway to provide more than 54,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, the most of any hotel in Atlanta, and allows for easy traffic flow for tradeshow attendees and variety of exhibit opportunities.
“Hyatt Regency Atlanta constantly strives to reinvent itself and take guest service to the next level,” said Joe Hindsley, general manager at Hyatt Regency Atlanta. “We hope to exceed guest expectations with these improvements and renovation projects.”
TVSA is the architectural firm overseeing all of Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s design projects and Winter Construction is overseeing the actual renovations for the hotel.
Hyatt Regency Atlanta, designed by Atlanta architect John Portman, was the first contemporary atrium hotel in the world. The concept of an atrium lobby began a revolution in the design of hotels, placing Hyatt Regency Atlanta in the forefront of the luxury hotel industry. When it opened in May of 1967, the hotel towered above the burgeoning Atlanta. Though no longer the tallest building in Atlanta, Hyatt Regency Atlanta still remains a towering presence in the city.
Hyatt Regency Atlanta

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WALTHAM, Mass., July 25 /PRNewswire/ — Global Insight, the world’s leading company for economic and financial analysis and forecasting, today released its annual ranking of the Top 100 U.S. Tourism City Destinations for 2007. The ranking compares domestic and international tourism spending, tourism job creation, and the degree to which each city’s economic vitality is dependent upon visitors. The study is part of the City Tourism Impact service offered in partnership with D.K. Shifflet & Associates, the foremost authority on U.S. travel volumes, visitor spending, and trip behavior.
New York City jumped two positions from its 2006 standing, overtaking Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada to capture the top spot in total tourism spending. The influx of international visitors, who stay longer and spend more than their domestic counterparts, is driving Big Apple growth. In fact, New York gained about 1.5 million overseas visitors last year and increased its share of total international visitors by 3.3%. Foreign visitors also pushed up Washington, DC, Miami, Florida, Seattle, Washington, and Santa Ana/Anaheim, California, in the rankings.
“Exchange rate advantages, economic growth at home, and re-doubled promotional efforts are behind this success,” said Christopher Pike, Tourism Principal at Global Insight.
With mostly impressive domestic tourism growth among the largest U.S. cities, the big got bigger in 2007. Combined, the top 100 cities grew overall tourism spending by a remarkable 8.7%. The top 20 increased by 9.3% and the “Big 3″ by a whopping 12%. For the first time ever, the top three U.S. city destinations combined to surpass the $100 billion mark. Orlando, Las Vegas, and New York City each pull in tourism spending that is six times the average of the combined Top 100.
Not surprisingly, transportation and lodging topped the spending category list. Rising travel costs, particularly for transportation and lodging, forced visitors to spend more and/or divert trip budget away from other categories, most notably entertainment and shopping. Still, the impressive gains of 2007 were not entirely caused by inflation.
Translating tourism spending into economic impact, a number of cities stand out for their dependence on visitor commerce. Examining tourism’s percentage of total private employment, each destination city was given a concentration rank. Orlando, Las Vegas, and Honolulu top the list with a job dependence score that is 2.4, 2.1, and 1.8 times the average, respectively, of all destination cities. The economic diversity of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, all Top 10 tourism cities, makes them much less dependent upon visitors for overall economic vitality. Other destination cities with surprising tourism dependence included Boston, Phoenix, Arizona, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Another critical economic impact statistic ranked in the study was the number of visitors required to support a job in each destination city. Cities with higher average trip spending, longer lengths of stay, higher relative travel costs, and a more diverse local economy will tend to get a greater job “yield” from its visitors. Honolulu needs only 20 visitors to support a job. Also topping the list are Miami, Orlando, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Las Vegas, needing only 65, 110, 115, and 125 visitors, respectively. “Residents of destination cities who complain about the summer onslaught of tourists might reconsider if they knew how few of them it takes to create a new job,” said Pike. Other cities need more tourist volume to support and grow their job base. Austin, for example, needs about 280 visitors, while Buffalo, New York, and Santa Ana/Anaheim require 290 and 300, respectively.
U.S. City Tourism Impact combines domestic and international travel volumes and spending data from D.K. Shifflet & Associates () and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of travel & Tourism Industries (OTTI) () with metropolitan area economic data and models from Global Insight. For more information on U.S. City Tourism Impact or Global Insight’s travel & tourism services, please visit .
About Global Insight
Global Insight, Inc. () is a privately held company that brought together the two most respected economic information companies in the world, DRI and WEFA. Global Insight provides the most comprehensive economic and financial information available on countries, regions and industries, using a unique combination of expertise, models, data and software within a common analytical framework to support planning and decision-making. Through the world’s first same-day analysis and risk assessment service, Global Insight provides immediate insightful analysis of market conditions and key events around the world, covering economic, political, and operational factors. The company has over 3,800 clients in industry, finance, and government with revenues in excess of $105 million, over 675 employees and 25 offices in 14 countries covering North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
About D.K. Shifflet & Associates
D.K. Shifflet & Associates Ltd. is the leading U.S. consumer travel research firm. DKSA is located in McLean, VA and for over 25 years has provided the industry’s most complete consumer based travel data on U.S. citizens and their travel worldwide. DKSA’s DIRECTIONS(R) travel Intelligence System(SM) collects detailed travel data from over 60,000 households for each and every month of the year. The DKSA travel PERFORMANCE/Monitor(SM) captures visitor and guest satisfaction and value ratings, and benchmarks performance for all major hotel chains, airlines, rental cars, cruise lines and destination cities. These metrics have become the industry standards.
DKSA is known for “Excellence in travel Intelligence(R)”
Global Insight, Inc.

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ORLANDO, Fla., July 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. , announced today that it will provide a new service called Getaway Planner on its Web site, , to help passengers plan trips and maximize vacation experiences. Through a partnership with Home&Abroad, which provides the innovative itinerary planning service, the Getaway Planner will offer expert information about most AirTran Airways destinations, allowing customers to find the best attractions, restaurants and activities based on their personal interests and needs. To try the service, look for the Getaway Planner suitcase icon on the home page.
“At AirTran Airways, travel is our business, and we want to make planning a trip as easy as booking tickets on airtran.com,” said Tad Hutcheson, vice president of sales and marketing for AirTran Airways. “Our new Getaway Planner Web site combines an array of useful tools in one place, allowing passengers to plan any vacation, from romantic getaways to family trips, with just a few clicks of their mouse.”
Using the AirTran Airways Getaway Planner, travelers can review and select activities for their vacation by choosing one of four different offerings: trip themes, custom planner, dream trips and browse. After filling in certain criteria, including location, dates and expectations for the vacation, the site will provide suggestions for activities and help travelers develop a custom itinerary.
The site also offers additional research tools, including a hotel and attraction finder and a free activities finder for travelers on a budget. To get a better idea of which attractions they would prefer, site visitors can access ratings and reviews posted by other AirTran Airways passengers and share their own travel experiences, ratings and advice with their peers.
Home&Abroad is a travel technology company based in Boulder, Colorado. Their flagship consumer site, , was rated one of the top 25 travel-related websites by travel & Leisure magazine in 2007 and has been featured by CNN, CTV (Canada’s largest private television network), and many other media outlets.
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc., a Fortune 1000 company, ranked number one in the 2008 Airline Quality Rating study. The airline offers more than 700 affordable, daily flights to 57 U.S. destinations, employs 8,900 friendly Crew Members and operates America’s youngest all-Boeing fleet. AirTran Airways also provides XM Satellite Radio and Business Class seating on every flight. For more information and free online booking, visit .
Media Contacts: AirTran Airways
Tad Hutcheson
Judy Graham-Weaver
Cynthia Tinsley-Douglas
Quinnie Jenkins
678.254.7442

AirTran Airways

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OAK BROOK, Ill., July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Taking a few precautionary steps can help Americans visiting China for the 2008 Olympic Games go for the gold by avoiding health woes associated with international travel, according to Joint Commission International (JCI). JCI is the international arm of The Joint Commission, and accredits more than 170 hospitals worldwide.
“The adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is a good one to remember any time you’re traveling abroad,” says Karen H. Timmons, CEO, JCI. “By thinking ahead about potential health care needs and treatment options overseas, Americans can stay healthy and enjoy the Games.”
Before leaving for the August 8-24 Olympics, it is important that patients speak with their doctor about the trip and about any specific health risks related to their medical history. This is especially important if a patient has a known condition. Travelers should also review their vaccination history to be sure they are up-to-date on routine shots such as measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), tetanus, polio, and meningitis. For patients over age 50, a flu shot may also be in order. Although there are no immunizations required to visit China, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends vaccinations against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid and rabies.
Other tips for patients from JCI that can make the difference between a health victory or defeat at the 2008 Games:
– Order double your prescription medications to keep one in carry-on luggage and the other in checked luggage. Keep medications in their regular containers, if possible, and bring the prescription or a doctor’s note.
– Pack a supply of over-the-counter remedies, including drugs that treat motion sickness, headaches and diarrhea. Don’t forget sunscreen and insect repellent.
– Beware of traveler’s diarrhea. A good rule for travelers is: Eat it only if you can cook it, boil it or peel it. If not, then avoid it. It’s also important to drink bottled water only and make sure that milk products are pasteurized. If you get traveler’s diarrhea, avoid dairy products and alcohol.
– Bring important medical documents with you. This includes your health insurance card, a brief history of any chronic conditions such as diabetes, or past treatment for specific conditions or illnesses.
– Make sure you’re aware of your existing travel insurance travel policies, and bring copies of the policy with you. Travelers may also want to consider purchasing a supplemental policy for medical evacuations.
– If you require medical care, find a JCI accredited facility. Beijing United Family Hospital is accredited by JCI and is near the Olympic venue. The address is #2 Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100016 PR China. To contact the hospital, call 86(10) 5927 7000 or 86(10) 5927-7120 for emergencies, or visit .
– Contact the hotel concierge, travel tour operator or U.S. Embassy if you need immediate help.
For more health information related to the 2008 Olympics, JCI recommends the following online resources.
— JCI’s Passport to Healthy Travel,

– CDC’s Health Information for Travelers to China,
– travel Medicine and Infectious Disease: Traveling to China for the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games,
Joint Commission International (JCI) was established in 1997 as a division of Joint Commission Resources, Inc. (JCR), a private, not-for-profit affiliate of The Joint Commission. Through international accreditation, consultation, publications and education programs, JCI extends The Joint Commission’s mission worldwide by helping to improve the quality of patient care by assisting international health care organizations, public health agencies, health ministries and others evaluate, improve and demonstrate the quality of patient care and enhance patient safety in more than 60 countries.
Joint Commission International

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 22 /PRNewswire/ — As the summer heat sizzles and the economy fizzles, savvy travel enthusiasts want to be among the first to know about the best travel bargains on the Internet. Yet with the average American working 46 hours a week, most don’t have the time or resources to keep up with the ever-changing travel landscape. Luckily, discount travel authority, Hotwire.com(R) has come to the rescue with the launch of the new travel Ticker(R) (). Home of the best insider deals to many of the world’s favorite destinations, Travel-Ticker.com(TM) provides users with an attractive platform to browse for the latest travel trends and insider deals.
Unlike other travel sites, travel Ticker is not just an aggregator or a link farm. Instead, travel Ticker employs a dedicated team in-house who works around the clock to constantly uncover travel bargains, and then select the most extraordinary ones for the travel Ticker list. The travel Ticker team leverages Hotwire’s strong relationships within the travel industry in order to provide users with insider deals they wouldn’t otherwise know about. travel Ticker picks are updated hourly, ranked by popularity and geo-targeted, so a visitor to travel Ticker will first see the most popular travel deals that are most relevant to where she lives. In addition, the travel Ticker team provides visitors with their expert commentary on why each travel deal is so great, and recommendations on what to do once you get there. Here are just some of recent handpicked deals that the travel Ticker team has found:
— 3 nights in a 4 Star Starwood Hotel in Hawaii for $499 — Includes Air
from San Francisco.
— Paradisus Riviera Cancun (4 star all-inclusive resort) for $89 per
person per night!
— Planet Hollywood in Vegas for $89 a night!

“We launched travel Ticker to help consumers find extraordinary travel deals that they wouldn’t otherwise know about. Our team of experts will only publish deals that impress their discerning travel eyes, so it is truly the best of the best,” said Barbara Messing, Vice President of Hotwire.com and General Manager of Travel-Ticker.com. “We are very excited for consumers to experience our sleek design and innovative technology. Our click-based ranking system combined with an editorial approach creates a truly differentiated shopping experience.”
Established in 2006 as a free online newsletter, travel Ticker built a loyal audience of educated, travel-savvy readers who share a passion for travel deals and bargains. As its popularity increased to over 11 million subscribers, so did the need to provide hourly updates of the best and unique travel deals around. Any travel enthusiast will benefit from checking , the next time they are planning a vacation.
About Travel-Ticker.com
Travel Ticker(R) is an online travel website that is home to the best insider deals at many of the world’s favorite destinations. Travel-Ticker.com(TM) provides users with a platform to browse for researched travel bargains, the latest travel trends, and editorial insight. Established in 2006 as a travel newsletter, Travel-Ticker.com now boasts over 11 million subscribers. travel Ticker is an independent business unit of The Hotwire Group. For more information, visit us at .
About Hotwire.com
Hotwire.com(R) is a leading discount travel site with low rates on airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages. Launched in 2000, Hotwire(R) negotiates deep discounts from its travel suppliers to help travelers book unsold airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars. J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Independent travel Web Site Satisfaction Study(SM) recognized Hotwire for ranking “Highest Customer Satisfaction For Independent travel Web Sites, Two Years in a Row.” Hotwire is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. . CST: 2053390-40. NST: 20003-0209. For more information, visit .
Media Contact:
Matthew Moskowitz
Atomic PR
212-699-3647

Hotwire.com

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