SEATTLE, WA, May 9, 2008. Signaling increased international interest in peer-to-peer networking and community collaboration within the adventure travel trade, eight new adventure and ecotourism travel associations have joined the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s (ATTA) Association Partnership Program in 2008.

Increasing the ATTA’s total network to 18 associations on five continents, the seven newly added associations include:
• Argentina – Asociación Argentina de Ecoturismo y Turismo Aventura (AAETAV)
• Africa – Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa (APTA)
• Dominican Republic – Organización Dominicana de Turismo Sostenible (ODTS)
• Guyana – Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG)
• India – Indian Rafting Federation
• Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad and Tobago Incoming Tour Operators Association (TTITOA)
• Thailand – Thai Ecotourism & Adventure Travel Association (TEATA)
• Yukon – Wilderness Tourism Association of the Yukon (WTAY)

Combined, the ATTA’s Association Partnership (AP) program represents thousands of tour operators, accommodations and other travel companies. The ATTA launched the AP program in 2007 to better network and improve cooperation within the specialized adventure niche of the travel and leisure industry. The AP also improves intelligence gathering and sharing on critical matters such as sustainable tourism, best practices, trends and research, marketing, risk management and matters essential to raising the quality and professionalism of the industry.

“The idea of the AP network has taken hold with expertise, insights and perspectives being shared in ways that are helping to better equip trade professionals tackle critical industry issues,” said ATTA President Shannon Stowell. “Associations from different corners of the globe continue to step forward to support a better connected global adventure travel community.”

In fact, several pending requests to join the ATTA’s AP program are being evaluated for possible inclusion in the program later in the year.

Charter members of the Association Partnership program include:
• Bhutan – Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators
• Brazil – Associação Brasileira das Empresas de Turismo de Aventura (ABETA), Brazilian Adventure Travel Trade Association
• Canada –
o Paddling Ontario Alliance
o Aventure Ecotourisme Quebec
• Chile – Corporación de Promoción Turistica (CPT), Tourism Promotion Corporation of Chile
• Ecuador – Ecuadorian Ecotourism Association (ASEC)
• Mexico – Asociación Mexicana de Turismo de Aventura y Ecoturismo (AMTAVE), Mexican Association of Adventure Tourism and Ecotourism
• Nepal – Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA)
• New Zealand – Tourism Industry Association New Zealand
• Peru – La Asociación Peruana de Turismo de Aventura y Ecoturismo (APTAE), Peruvian Association of Ecotourism and Adventure Tourism

“The ATTA's partnership with AAETAV 'sealed the deal' for us to join the ATTA's global network,” said Oscar Pandolfi, Co-Owner of Camino Abierto, a member of AAETAV. “As our local association, their endorsement of the ATTA confirmed our thoughts about the value of membership and convinced us to join.”

For information on association partnership opportunities, contact ATTA Vice President of Business Development Chris Chesak at cchesak@adventuretravel.biz.

Seattle-based, the ATTA (www.adventuretravel.biz), host of the Adventure Travel World Summits (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com), represents nearly 500 members, including tour operators, travel agents and accommodations, destination marketing organizations and tourism boards.