WHL.Travel launches its 100th destination web portal

Green Visions Becomes the whl.travel Local Partner in Sarajevo

SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (BiH). On July 1, 2008, whl.travel, the global network of travel Web sites catering to independent and responsible travellers, reached a new milestone. It officially announced the unveiling of its 100th destination portal, http://www.sarajevo-travel.ba/, and formally welcomed its newest local partner, Green Visions, to the whl.travel family.

whl.travel began in 2002 as a pilot model incubated by the International Finance Corporation (IFC, part of the World Bank Group) for bringing small- and medium-sized accommodation and tour providers into the e-marketplace. After a series of very successful trials in the Mekong region, in Southeast Asia and in the Pacific, whl.travel was spun off as a private company to facilitate the rollout of booking portals in other regions of the world. It now spans 100 destinations in 52 countries on five continents, including in BiH’s Balkan neighbours. In the next few months, further expansion will reach more than 65 new destinations involving 18 new countries.

Unique to whl.travel is its franchise model. whl.travel’s local partners, called marketplace operators (MPOs), serve as vital on-site lifelines to travellers looking for an often-missing personal touch in online services. The MPOs also espouse values fundamental to the whl.travel vision – care for their destinations’ cultural and environmental sustainability. This is made evident by attention to and promotion of the kinds of fun and ethical travel experiences that, until recently, have been largely incidental to travel planning. Now, however, they are increasingly at the core of decisions made by conscientious travellers.

Green Visions is a model MPO. Since its establishment, Green Visions has played a lead role in creating an action plan for ecotourism development in BiH that is coupled with sound environmental practices. Green Visions believes that alternative means of development are key to the sustainability of BiH’s traditional highland life and the ecosystems that sustain it. It holds ecological awareness as the priority in sustainable development, be it in ecotourism, organic farming, medicinal herbs, handicrafts, forestry, wood-production, livestock or other economic endeavors. It has therefore remained loyal to ecological principles while pursuing a sustainable means of growth.

“I believe that Green Visions and whl.travel share a common value that responsible business should involve and respect all stakeholders in the creation of its products,” says Thierry Joubert, Managing Partner of Green Visions. “We have been pioneers in developing responsible and ecotourism activities here in BiH. We are one of the only companies in BiH that provide active and cultural activities for the independent traveller. Offering them on whl.travel will allow us to access a totally new market previously not available to us. I am confident that the whl.travel e-marketplace will significantly increase our sales and presence on the Web.”