MADISON, Wis. (October 23, 2009) -- The Wisconsin Department of Tourism today announced that it has established a partnership with AAA Publishing to highlight Travel Green Wisconsin lodging properties that promote environmental and energy conservation. This new partnership provides an additional benefit for tourism businesses participating in the Travel Green Wisconsin program by generating added exposure among AAA’s 51 million members.
“It is especially fitting that Travel Green Wisconsin, the first program of its kind in the nation, was selected by AAA Publishing to be the gold standard for green certification of Wisconsin’s lodging properties,” Tourism Secretary Kelli A. Trumble said. “Since its inception, the mission of Travel Green Wisconsin has been to promote smart business practices, give the state’s tourism businesses and organizations a significant point of differentiation from their competitors, support the state’s overall tourism brand and produce measurable environmental improvements.”
For a growing number of travelers, ‘green’ is the tie-break in choosing one property over another. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, 78% of American travelers consider themselves “environmentally conscious.” In addition, 9% of consumers say they are willing to pay more to use travel service suppliers that offer eco-friendly options.
The Department submitted a list of more than 120 Travel Green Wisconsin certified lodging properties that could potentially be identified with the AAA Eco icon in the 2010 TourBook publication and website. Lodging properties must also be AAA-approved to be included in their materials.
Travel Green Wisconsin is a voluntary program that reviews, certifies and recognizes tourism businesses and organizations that have made a commitment to reducing their environmental impact. Specifically, the program encourages participants to evaluate their operations, set goals and take specific actions towards environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Since it was launched statewide in 2007, Travel Green Wisconsin has certified more than 260 tourism businesses including lodging, restaurants, retail stores, tour operators, state parks, convention centers, golf courses, and a range of indoor and outdoor attractions.
For more information about Travel Green Wisconsin, visit www.travelgreenwisconsin.com.
###