NEEDHAM, Mass., June 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TripAdvisor^®, a chief industry proponent for consumers' rights, issued the following statement today from Seth Kalvert, TripAdvisor's senior vice president, general counsel and secretary, after the company's fact-finding and cultural exchange mission in Cuba last week and following the United States Senate Appropriation Committee's leadership in voting for an amendment that would provide Americans the freedom to travel to Cuba:

"TripAdvisor believes that travel has the power to bring people together, facilitates understanding and appreciation of new cultures, and makes us a more enlightened people.    

With more than 350 million consumer-generated reviews and opinions, TripAdvisor is a leading travel resource of information on global destinations — including Cuba — for more than 340 million unique monthly visitors from around the world. 

As the U.S. - Cuban relationship continues to improve, we're pleased that we had the opportunity to send several TripAdvisor executives to Cuba last week to learn more about the country, its cultural diversity, traditions and history. The goals of this trip included support for the U.S. Administration's demonstrated commitment to engagement with Cuba and the Cuban people.

We're equally excited and want to thank the United States Senate and members of the Senate Appropriation Committee who voted last week in favor of an amendment that would allow Americans to freely travel to Cuba. We look forward to the full Senate passage of this legislation and additional action in the House of Representatives. 

The cultural mission last week from TripAdvisor officials is a sign of our appreciation for Cuba's reciprocal interests in engagement with the United States and the American people.  As the cultural ties between the United States and Cuba continue to grow, our hope is that public policy will evolve within our industry to enable access to all global travelers wanting to go to Cuba long term.  

On behalf of TripAdvisor, we would like to thank our hosts in Cuba for this opportunity to learn more about their country and its people. We applaud the United States Senate for their leadership in taking steps to provide Americans the freedom to travel to Cuba.  We also look forward to working with both the United States and Cuban governments to nurture our growing friendship amongst nations."

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and book the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools that check hundreds of websites to find the best hotel prices. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 340 million unique monthly visitors**, and 350 million reviews and opinions covering 6.5 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 48 markets worldwide.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 24 other travel media brands:
www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, www.besttables.com and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.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.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.viator.com, and www.virtualtourist.com.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, February 2016

**Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q1 2016 

CONTACT:
Brian Hoyt
+1 781 800 5568
brhoyt@tripadvisor.com