Experience Kissimmee announces new initiative that will see thousands of new trees planted!

Experience Kissimmee, the official tourism authority for Osceola County, FL, and a trailblazer in the tourism industry, is making strides in sustainability efforts announcing two new programs starting May 1, 2023.

The first is the expansion of the "It Pays to Meet in Kissimmee" program, where meeting organizations can earn up to $10,000 cashback based on the number of actualized paid room nights. The expanded program will now include Trees4Travel, an initiative to plant trees to help with creating future forests, restoring eco-systems, and supporting biodiversity and local communities. Plus, an investment is made into a United Nations renewable energy carbon credit, which will help reduce a portion of the meeting organizations' CO2 emissions.

For instance, if a meeting organization actualizes 1,500 paid room nights in Kissimmee, Experience Kissimmee will plant 1,500 trees through the Trees4Travel hybrid program. The meeting organization will receive a certificate of Planet & People Positive Action, which includes a UN CER certificate, post-meeting.

"We are proud to be amongst the first DMOs in the nation to offer a carbon reduction program for meetings and conventions," said Michelle Moore, Senior Director of Meetings Sales & Services at Experience Kissimmee. "Experience Kissimmee acknowledges that sustainability is of growing importance to meeting planners and delegates, and this is a creative and innovate way to address that."

The second program will reduce carbon emissions from all air and ground travel conducted by Experience Kissimmee staff by incorporating an emissions calculator into the staff travel request form. The calculator will automatically determine the number of trees that the destination marketing organization (DMO) will plant through the Trees4Travel program to rebalance the carbon footprint generated by each business trip.

"As we celebrate Earth Day, we are excited to announce the expansion of our sustainability efforts at Experience Kissimmee," said Jason Holic, Senior Vice President of Operations & Community Engagement at Experience Kissimmee. "This includes partially reducing the carbon footprint of meetings and group business for incentive contracts and all future work-related staff travel, starting May 1st."

Experience Kissimmee has been partnering with Trees4Travel on another initiative to encourage sustainability, inviting its clients to join the program by planting trees instead of giving away promotional items during trade shows and conventions.

"At Experience Kissimmee, we recognize the need to contribute in a more ethical, considerate, and regenerative way for the planet and its people," said DT Minich, President/CEO of Experience Kissimmee. "We are proud of our expanding partnership with Trees4Travel and establishing these progressive initiatives for sustainability."

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