The Travel & Tourism Foundation was established on Dec. 12, 2008, with an initial gift from Bernard Metzger, who conceptualize and started a repository database of the World's travel and tourism resources under the Travelindex Network.
The founding charter states that resources should be used "exclusively for charitable, scientific and educational purposes, more specifically to assist the travel, tourism and all related sectors to develop an open source community and interacting ecosystems of complementary capabilities, standards, products and services".
We were founded to support activities that:
- will enhance and empower technical and policy understanding of the Internet to distribute the available information effectively and globally for the benefit of all.
- assist countries and regions that lack the framework or resourcing to achieve growth in the travel and tourism sector by working with governments, local leaders and professionals to identify and overcome barriers to growth while being, at the same time, sensitive to people's needs and aspirations.
- enhance public awareness and concern for the conservation of the environment and its associated ecosystems and to better inform the media, governments and organizations about the impact of travel and tourism.
- build and promote knowledge that will enhance international cooperation, reduce poverty, improve healthcare and advance human welfare.
- provide and promote research programs that will contribute to the resolution of planet-problems that are currently not dealt with by the governments, organizations or media.
Our Governance
Travel and Tourism Foundation believes in best practice governance and maintains the highest standards of business ethics in all aspects of our activities.
The foundation and the activities of its officers and staff members are governed by its charter and Articles of Incorporation and includes procedures for avoiding actual or apparent conflicts of interest by foundation officers or staff members.
The Foundation contracts an independent, publicly registered accounting firm to perform annual audits to verify the integrity of our financial statements and to ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements.