Maryland Office of Tourism Taps Travelocity to Power Tourism Website

As part of the agreement, Maryland will receive a commission fromTravelocity for any travel arrangements booked fromwww.visitmaryland.org. The non-exclusive agreement has been approvedby the Maryland Board of Public Works.

"This agreement with a well-respected travel agency likeTravelocity will truly put Maryland on the cutting edge, as onlinetravel booking continues to gain popularity," said Business andEconomic Development Secretary Aris Melissaratos. "This is a greatopportunity to showcase all that Maryland has to offer, with ourworld-class hotels and attractions and outstanding destinations."

Maryland tourism officials decided to align with a web-basedtravel agency after evaluating a month-long trial run last summerduring which www.visitmaryland.org was promoted on Travelocity. Thetrial run resulted in more than 3,000 room reservations booked, a 300percent increase over the same time the previous year.

"Travelocity is proud to be playing such a key role in promotingtourism throughout Maryland," said Richard Harris, senior vicepresident, strategy and distribution for Travelocity. "We are eager tohelp show all the state has to offer to travelers everywhere."

About Travelocity

Travelocity is committed to being the traveler's champion --before, during and after the trip and guarantees everything about acustomer's booking will be right. If it's not, Travelocity will workwith its partners to make it right, right away. This customer-drivenfocus, backed by live 24/7 phone support, great prices and powerfulshopping technology has made Travelocity the fifth largest travelagency in the U.S. -- booking $7.4 billion in travel worldwide in2005. Based in Southlake, Texas, Travelocity also owns and operatesTravelocity Business(SM) and GetThere for corporate travelers,lastminute.com, a leader in European online travel and ZUJI, a leaderin Asia-Pacific online travel. Travelocity is owned by Sabre HoldingsCorporation (NYSE:TSG), a world leader in travel commerce.

About the Maryland Office of Tourism

The Maryland Office of Tourism promotes Maryland as a great statein which to tour and travel, as well as to hold meetings andconventions. Tourism is one of Maryland's fastest growing industriesand largest economic generators. In 2004, the most current dataavailable, visitors to Maryland generated $10.1 billion in economicimpact, $813 million in state and local taxes and provided 115,000jobs. To learn more about Maryland tourism or to book your Marylandvacation, go to www.visitmaryland.org.