NEWTON, Mass., April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's most popular and largest travel community, was named "Innovator of the Year" by the U.S. Travel Association on April 2. Designed to honor the two companies whose innovations have had dramatic impact on the larger travel landscape, Innovator winners were determined for the first time by online votes. More than 3,000 people weighed in on the decision, selecting industry pacesetters based on video submissions.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080902/TRIPADVISORLOGO)

TripAdvisor was recognized for TripAdvisor Flights, a new way to find flights that addresses the dramatic changes in the airline industry. The ground-breaking search engine includes a dynamic Fees Estimator, the first and only online product to help travelers understand the true cost of a flight in a single display. TripAdvisor won the Established company category for companies five years or older. Other Established finalists were Hilton Hotels Corporation and Orbitz Worldwide.

"We're honored to have been recognized not only by the U.S. Travel Association, but by the voting public," said Steve Kaufer, founder and CEO of TripAdvisor. "We feel that TripAdvisor Flights takes flight search to a whole new level, helping consumers get all of the facts to surface value, and we're thrilled that real travelers out there agree."

About TripAdvisor Media Network

TripAdvisor® Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts more than 32 million monthly visitors* across 14 popular travel brands: TripAdvisor®, www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.frequentflier.com, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com and www.virtualtourist.com. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors*, 10 million registered members and 23 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover more than one million destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions and operate in the U.S. (www.tripadvisor.com), the U.K. (www.tripadvisor.co.uk), Ireland (www.tripadvisor.ie), France (www.tripadvisor.fr), Germany (www.tripadvisor.de), Italy (www.tripadvisor.it), Spain (www.tripadvisor.es), India (www.tripadvisor.in) and Japan (www.tripadvisor.jp). TripAdvisor® Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform. Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc.

TripAdvisor and the TripAdvisor logo are registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

©2009 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2008

SOURCE: TripAdvisor

Web site: http://www.tripadvisor.com/