Conde Nast Traveler today announced the winners of the magazine's 2008 World Savers Awards, honoring travel companies from around the world for their leadership in social
responsibility in five key areas: poverty alleviation, cultural and/or environmental preservation, education, wildlife conservation and health.

"The Conde Nast Traveler World Savers Awards recognize companies that are stepping up to the challenge of improving our world," said Editor-in-Chief Klara Glowczewska. "This year's finalists are setting standards in social responsibility in ways that we hope will become models
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I don’ think this falls in line with my normal eco-friendly travel news but it sounded so great I had to post it.

Banyan Tree Phuket introduces the ultimate “Diet of Pleasure” spa getaway, designed to take the weight off guests’ minds. The new package emphasizes pure pleasure and indulgence with a series of signature spa, fitness and dining experiences. The new tempting package is designed to invigorate even the most jaded travelers with treatments like the Thai Classic, blending subtle stretching with rhythmic massaging and compressions to balance energetic bodies and stimulate energy flow, and the Balinese treatment, where specialized Banyan Tree-trained therapists use thumb and palm pressure to apply a unique blend of essential oils with warming qualities.

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Perhaps it still seems a little premature to talk about the end of summer, but Intrepid Travel is already looking ahead to offer vacation packages for what will be the spring and summer in Argentina.According to a press release, Intrepid Travel has created a 17 day long trip through Argentina to Brazil.On the trip, that includes the cities of Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, travelers will travel by bus, train, ferry, and even on foot, enjoying the many facets of these great countries.Intrepid Travel has been a small tour operator for 19 years and has tours in 90 different locations around the world.Now they are offering a tour through Argentina and Brazil, responding to the growth in tourism that these two countries are currently experiencing.

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The bike touring company Ciclismo Classico, which operates biking tours throughout Europe, announced in a press release that they are adding three new tours:Vietnam, New Zealand and Chile/Argentina.When the company started 20 years ago in the United States, their focus was on Italy, but now they are expanding. They are offering two different Chile/Argentina bike tours, one eight day and one ten day tour of around 200 miles.The 200 miles include the Seven Lakes and five different national parks and, if you take the extra two days, also includes a trip to Santiago to drink some fabulous wines.This trip will begin October 25th, 2008.

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Hilton Hotels Corporation recently announced short and long term goals and objectives towards building sustainability into the core fabric of its businesses worldwide. Christopher J. Nassetta, President & CEO, outlined directional targets for improvement in the company’s sustainability performance throughout the next five years within systemwide hotels globally. By 2014, goals for the Hilton Family of Hotels are to:

• Reduce energy consumption from direct operations by 20%
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ASTA announced its ASTA Green Member Program this week which is designed to educate travel agents on how to work with green travel suppliers to offer their customers sustainable vacations, how to market their services as a green travel professional and how to green their agency's operations by reducing, reusing and recycling - and working with green vendors of supplies and services.

Travelport, the industry conglomerate that owns Galileo and Worldspan and a piece of Orbitz, is the first official Global Sponsor of the ASTA Green Program, while Avis Budget is the car rental sponsor, the Society announced.

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