The World Heritage Alliance (WHA) is the cornerstone of an initiative of Expedia, Inc. and the United Nations Foundation to promote sustainable tourism and awareness of World Heritage sites and communities around the world. As a partner in the WHA, we believe conscientious efforts by the travel industry and its customers can contribute directly to nature conservation, historic preservation, and poverty reduction through responsible tourism.

The goal of the WHA is to engage new partners, especially in the travel industry, to join the initiative as a part of the World Heritage Alliance and catalyze a collective commitment to supporting World Heritage conservation, sustainable tourism, and local economic development for communities in and around World Heritage sites.

There are currently 830 designated World Heritage sites (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list) that span 138 countries and offer an extraordinary range of travel experiences.. These sites have been internationally recognized for their outstanding value and are protected by the 1972 World Heritage Convention, signed by 180 countries and administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

World Heritage sites include many of the most iconic travel spots on the planet, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; the Egyptian Pyramids; the Taj Mahal in India; England’s Stonehenge; the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador; and 20 sites in the United States.

But the list also encompasses scores of lesser-known places of singular importance, including Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo; the Buddhist Borobudur Temple Compounds in Central Java, Indonesia; the archaeologically rich Orkhon Valley in Mongolia; and the sub-Antarctic islands of New Zealand, home to more than 125 separate species of birds.


For more information visit:

World Heritage Alliance (http://www.worldheritagealliance.org/)
Friends of World Heritage (http://www.friendsofworldheritage.com/)


To see trips offered to World Heritage sites visit:

http://www.expedia.com/daily/vacations/world-heritage/