ONLINE travel brands are stepping in to help fight Covid and to get travel back on its feet.
Today, Expedia Group announced a joint programme with UNICEF, calling on travellers to join in an effort to help safely re-open the world, one trip and one shot at a time.
Effective today, each purchase made via Expedia Group’s mobile apps will result in a donation to help UNICEF’s global Covid-19 response, including distributing safe, effective Covid-19 vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments in over 180 countries. With the help of travellers, the Expedia Group family of brands will donate a minimum of US$10m to UNICEF’s work.
Participation is simple. Customers can download any app from one of the Expedia Group brands – Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, ebookers and CheapTickets, plan and purchase a trip through the app and in turn they can help get a vaccine to someone, somewhere in the world who needs it. Click here to learn more.
Peter Kern, CEO of Expedia Group, said that “right now, the most significant obstacle to all people being able to roam the world freely remains the lack of access to Covid-19 vaccines”.
He added, “We support a global and equitable approach to vaccine distribution and embrace efforts to help protect everyone, everywhere. We are proud to contribute to UNICEF and what will be the single largest and most rapid global vaccine deployment ever. I hope other companies, and anyone else who can, will join us in accelerating vaccine rollout, fighting global inequity, and igniting a movement that will help bring the world together. We all must do our part for the world to be truly open again.”
“UNICEF won’t stop until the fight against Covid-19 has been won but we need the support of both companies and individuals alike in the biggest public health undertaking of our lifetime,” said Michael J Nyenhuis, president and CEO, UNICEF USA.
Meanwhile, Trip.com Group today donated 130 oxygen concentrators to Indonesia to support the country in its battle against the surge in Covid-19 cases.
Sandiaga Uno, Minister of Indonesia Tourism and Creative Economy, said: “We are grateful to Trip.com Group for their support during these challenging times, and these oxygen concentrators will be distributed by the Health Crisis Centre, Ministry of Health, to support patients with respiratory conditions.”
The latest contribution supplements Trip.com Group’s earlier donation of 100,000 surgical masks to Indonesia. As of August 1, 2021, Trip.com Group has donated three million medical masks and 680 oxygen concentrators to more than 25 countries and regions around the world.
