1,600 Tour Volunteers Donate 4,800 Hours Of Labor

Worth $75,000 To 29 Yellowstone Projects

NORWALK, CT (8/27/04) Tauck World Discovery has been awarded the Travel Industry Association of America’s 2004 “Public & Community Service Award” for its innovative and acclaimed volunteer program at Yellowstone National Park. The honor is part of the TIA’s annual Odyssey Awards, the premier recognition program for the $545 billion U.S. travel and tourism industry.

Tauck is one of the world’s leading travel companies, featuring 115 different tours, cruises and safaris on all seven continents. The company’s #1 trip in North America is a 10-day tour that visits both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Tauck’s Yellowstone National Park Volunteer Program offers travelers on the tour the opportunity to spend a half-day doing preservation work inside the park.

Last year more than half of the Tauck guests visiting Yellowstone chose to participate in the program, contributing 4,800 hours of volunteer work valued by park officials at over $75,000. The 1,600 volunteers worked on 29 different projects at various locations around the park.

“We’re all familiar with the maxim of ‘leave only footprints’ when visiting special destinations,” said Felicia Fisher, head of the TIA’s Odyssey Awards Judging Committee, “but Tauck and its guests take that noble idea a step farther, actually leaving Yellowstone Park a better place than when they arrived. Our national parks are irreplaceable, and Tauck’s Yellowstone project represents corporate citizenship at its finest.”

The staff at Yellowstone were impressed with the efforts of Tauck’s guests. “We’re overwhelmed by the positive impact of the Tauck volunteers,” said Herb Dawson, Yellowstone’s historic architect. “There were five-year old kids pitching in and even a 92-year-old woman! Without the volunteers, this work probably wouldn’t get done at all and the appearance of the park would suffer.”

Robin Tauck, president of Tauck World Discovery, was also quick to credit the volunteers. “I can’t say enough about our guests and their willingness to pitch in,” said Tauck. “This is a purely 100% voluntary program – there’s no pressure whatsoever to participate – yet more than half of our Yellowstone guests rolled up their sleeves and said ‘show me how I can help.’” What’s more, added Tauck, those who participated loved the experience. “We did an anonymous on-line survey of over 600 of our volunteers, and 86% said that volunteering enhanced their tour experience, and an amazing 94% of them said they would choose to volunteer again if given the opportunity.”

The Yellowstone program is the latest example of Tauck’s efforts to “give something back” to America’s National Parks, which have been featured in the company’s North American tour itineraries since 1926. In 2000, the Tauck family made a $250,000 grant to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado that was matched by an equal grant from the Save America’s Treasures program. Since 2000, the company has also organized volunteerism efforts among its staff at Mesa Verde and ten other National Parks and national historic sites. And building on the success of the Yellowstone program, Tauck is also offering its guests volunteer opportunities at Glacier National Park, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Grand Canyon National Park and Ellis Island.

ABOUT THE ODYSSEY AWARDS.
The TIA Odyssey awards recognize “the outstanding achievements of TIA member organizations that have successfully journeyed to a higher level of excellence and accomplishment.” The awards are given annually to “those select few that have demonstrated originality, creativity and effectiveness” in categories including Cultural Heritage, Environmental, Public & Community Service, and Education, Training & Employment.

ABOUT THE TIA.
The Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), was formed in 1941, and is a non-profit association representing the common interests and concerns of the U.S. travel industry. Based in Washington, DC, the TIA is the recognized leader in promoting and facilitating travel to and within the United States, and is the authoritative and recognized source of research, analysis and forecasting for the industry, as well as its primary spokesperson to domestic and international media.

Those interested in more information can visit their travel agent or contact Tauck World Discovery toll-free at 1-800-214-5158 to request a brochure. Information may also be obtained on the Tauck website at www.tauck.com.