Dear Friends of ECPAT-USA,

For over a decade, the travel and tourism industry has been an essential partner in ECPAT-USA's mission to create a safe future for children. Today, World Tourism Day, we want to take a minute to highlight the impact the travel industry and ECPAT-USA have made, together, in the fight to end child sex trafficking.

• Since its launch in North America in 2004, 72 companies have joined The Code, a set of business principles that organizations can implement to prevent sexual exploitation and trafficking of children. We are excited to have welcomed three new members of The Code this year.

• At a recent conference, Maritz Global Events hosted an employee engagement event to donate and write inspiring messages in 500 notebooks for students in our Youth Against Trafficking Program.

• Over 650,000 hotel associates have accessed the online training program, Your Role in Preventing Human Trafficking, since it was made available at no cost to all members of the hospitality industry last year with support from the American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation.

We are also pleased to announce that our e-learning for those in the meetings and events industry,  Preventing and Responding to Human Trafficking and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, is now available for free through a new partnership with the Carlson Family Foundation. Carlson has been a vocal leader on this issue and supporter of ECPAT-USA’s work with the private sector for over 10 years, and we are excited to be able to expand this crucial resource alongside them. 

As we look to the work ahead, ECPAT-USA is incredibly grateful for all those in the travel industry who have and continue to make child protection a priority at their organizations. Happy World Tourism Day from all of us at ECPAT-USA!

In partnership,



Yvonne Chen
Director of Private Sector Engagement, ECPAT-USA