NEWTON, Mass., March 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced plans to extend its TripAdvisor GreenLeaders™ program into Canada and Europe for the first time, following rapid growth in the U.S. Developed in consultation with the United Nations Environment Programme, the U.S. Green Building Council, ENERGY STAR®, and the International Center for Responsible Tourism Canada, the TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program aims to help travelers around the world plan greener trips by highlighting hotels and B&Bs engaging in environmentally friendly practices.

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For the first time, hotels and B&Bs in 19 markets, including Canada, U.K., Ireland, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, are able to apply for TripAdvisor GreenLeaders status, to add to those in the U.S. that were already able to apply.

The program that until now was offered only in the U.S. awards qualifying hotels and B&Bs with TripAdvisor GreenLeaders status based on the green practices the property has in place - with properties tiered between Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum awards. Each award will be shown prominently on the property's listing on TripAdvisor.                        

Eligible businesses can apply now at no cost by going to http://green.tripadvisor.com for properties in the U.S., http://green.tripadvisor.ca for properties in Canada and http://green.tripadvisor.co.uk for properties in the U.K. Each application will then be assessed against a holistic set of environmental criteria - including practices ranging from linen and towel re-use, recycling and composting to solar panels, electric car charging stations and green roofing. The more green practices a hotel or B&B has in place, the higher the TripAdvisor GreenLeaders level it can achieve.

"With so many travelers placing an importance on the eco-friendly practices of the places they visit, hotel and B&B owners stand to gain a real competitive edge by promoting their environmentally friendly practices," said Jenny Rushmore, director of responsible travel at TripAdvisor. "Our TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program will enable businesses managing their environmental footprint to highlight their commitment to millions of travelers around the world, at no expense to their business."

"Travelers want to be 'green' and contribute to the conservation and preservation of the environment," said Denise Naguib, vice president, sustainability and supplier diversity for Marriott International. "Nearly half of our global hotel portfolio currently has GreenLeaders status through the TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program and more will have this status when the program expands to consumers in Canada and Europe later this year. This tool will help them easily plan and book their next eco-friendly trip."

TripAdvisor GreenLeaders first launched in the U.S. in April 2013, and has since awarded over 3,700 U.S. hotels and B&Bs the TripAdvisor GreenLeaders status. Hotels currently participating in the U.S. program range from small, independent establishments to multinational brands including Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Select Registry and Coast Hotels, and these brands will be represented when the program launches to consumers in Canada and Europe later this year.

Since the program first launched, TripAdvisor has been collecting travelers' eco-friendly comments, and the company is now making these available on the U.S. site to help travelers choose the perfect green hotel or B&B for their trip. The comments will be available on the "tips" section on the property pages of hotels and B&Bs that have TripAdvisor GreenLeaders status.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching more than 260 million unique monthly visitors** in 2013, and more than 150 million reviews and opinions covering more than 3.7 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 36 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 20 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com,  www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, and www.kuxun.cn. 

 *Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, December 2013

 **Source: Google Analytics, worldwide data, July 2013

SOURCE TripAdvisor