Tralliance Corporation, New York, has been confirmed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), to serve as the registry for the new .travel (dot travel) sponsored top level Internet domain name that will be exclusive to the travel industry.

The designation of Tralliance Corporation to administer the registry for .travel concludes a four year process. Tralliance Corporation will oversee policies and procedures for authentication, registration and administrative support services, worldwide, for the new top level travel domain.

We anticipate enormous interest and participation by both the global travel and tourism industry and consumers in .travel. This is evidenced by consumer spending on travel, currently at over 28% of all online purchases which continues to spiral upward, said Tralliance Corporation President and Chief Executive Ronald N. Andruff. The .travel domain will strengthen consumer confidence in their travel purchases and provide a new, distinct, distribution channel for travel suppliers and sellers who cater to the traveling consumer.

The .travel domain registration program will be overseen by Tralliance, in conjunction with the sponsor, The Travel Partnership Corporation (TTPC), a non-profit corporation that will assist in policy development. TTPC has more than 100 international travel trade associations already committed to participate, on behalf of their members, in the new domain.

Expected to launch in late 2005, the full introduction of .travel will be preceded by a start up period for limited registration of pre-authenticated .travel registrants.

The .travel domain will allow the travel industry - which includes, among others, cruise lines, transportation services, tour packagers, travel agents, hotels, resorts and destinations - to substantially improve their Internet visibility, communications and transactional capability with travel consumers by lifting their companies out of the anonymity of a .com Web.

For consumers, the new .travel directory will efficiently match buyers to a broader range of sellers by delivering more precise results to their online travel queries, resulting in increased purchasing from travel suppliers.