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<P><B><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Times New Roman">Illustrious Colleagues,</FONT></B>
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<P><B><FONT SIZE=4 FACE="Times New Roman">Here is an interesting story from TripAdvisor, regarding green hotel stays.</FONT></B>
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<P><B><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Times New Roman">TripAdvisor Survey: 34 Percent of Travelers Would Pay Green Hotel Premium</FONT></B>
<BR><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">04/23/2007 </FONT>
<BR><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">NEEDHAM, MASS.</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">—</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">TripAdvisor announced the results of its ecotourism survey of more than 1,000 travelers worldwide. Eleven percent of respondents have taken and one-quarter are considering going on an ecotourism trip. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said that environmentally-friendly tourism is a consideration when traveling.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">Thirty-eight percent of travelers surveyed have stayed at an environmentally-friendly hotel, and 9 percent specifically seek out environmentally-friendly hotels. When asked what qualities are most important to making a hotel eco-friendly, conserving energy ranked number one, followed by conserving water and using recycled paper.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">Seventy-eight percent of travelers said they decline to have their sheets and towels changed, when provided the option by hoteliers. Sixty-six percent believe environmentally-friendly measures in travel are making a difference. Thirty-four percent of travelers surveyed would pay more to stay at an environmentally-friendly hotel. Twenty-five percent would be willing to pay a 5 to 10 percent premium, and 12 percent would pay a 10 to 20 percent premium.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">Twenty-four percent of respondents believe that air travel should be avoided, when possible, to help preserve the environment. Thirty-eight percent of travelers surveyed would pay more to take an eco-friendly flight and 26 percent would pay a 5 to 10 percent premium. Only 3 percent of travelers surveyed have purchased carbon credits.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">“A significant number of TripAdvisor survey respondents are environmentally-conscious, which sends a message to the travel industry to ratchet up eco-friendly offerings,” says Michele Perry, director of communications for TripAdvisor. “Travelers are willing to pay more to be green.” <BR>
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<P><I><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=5 FACE="Georgia">Visit us on the Web at: </FONT></I><A HREF="file://www.p2pays.org"><I><U></U><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=5 FACE="Georgia">www.p2pays.org</FONT></U></I></A><I></I>
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<P><FONT COLOR="#008000" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">Tom Rhodes</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#008000" FACE="Georgia">Environmental Specialist</FONT>
<BR><I><FONT COLOR="#800000" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">NC WasteTrader.com</FONT></I>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#008000" FACE="Georgia">NC Division of Pollution Prevention & Environmental Assistance</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#008000" FACE="Georgia">1639 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#008000" FACE="Georgia">(919) 715-6516</FONT>
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