The World Heritage Alliance will implement three main strategies to achieve its goal. As part of the agreement, World Heritage Alliance workers will train Expedia staff and travel partners in Mexico to help promote World Heritage and responsible tourism to travelers. The training program will feature interactive learning, booklets and live seminars, and participating partners will also receive unique marketing and promotional materials that will enhance travel experiences.

World Heritage Alliance staff will also work closely with local tourism businesses around Sian Ka'an to provide tools and resources to help them better prepare for increased tourism. The knowledge-sharing program between Expedia, Inc. and Sian Ka'an that will aid with tourism planning also includes sustainable tour opportunities provided by Community Tours Sian Ka'an, a local Mayan-owned sustainable tourism cooperative.

Finally, this spring, Expedia.com will also launch a new World Heritage vacation package to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, located on the Yucatan Peninsula's eastern coast. As with Expedia.com's other World Heritage trips, profits from the Mexico destinations (featured on www.expedia.com/worldheritage) will be donated to the Friends of World Heritage Fun at the United Nations Foundation.

"Mexico has long recognized the importance of preserving and promoting its valuable historic, environmental and cultural treasures, and has invested resources to conserve its World Heritage sites, create tourism services and generate more jobs for local communities," said Mexico Tourism Secretary Rodolfo Elizondo. "This alliance is an important step in continuing our efforts to ensure that the world's future generations can also enjoy Mexico's World Heritage sites."

Mexico is ranked first in the Americas and eighth worldwide in UNESCO sites, a distinction given to places of historical, cultural and natural relevance to the world. The country's islands and protected areas in the Gulf of Baja California, declared a World Heritage Site in 2005, are the most recent addition to Mexico's impressive list.