Alexandria, VA – The GBTA Foundation – the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association – announced today that Star Alliance has joined the "Gift of Knowledge" as a Gold Partner. Through the initiative, GBTA will be utilizing funds raised to create and deliver an innovative and comprehensive program to further develop the travel management profession in China.

With the growth of the business travel industry in China, the number of qualified business travel professionals has struggled to keep up with the rise in demand. There is a clear and urgent need for holistic education and training of business travel professionals in China.

"As China continues its push to become the single largest business travel market in the world, this effort will provide localized travel management education to travel professionals in China, from entry level to executive level education, as well as training workshops and GTP certification," said Daphne Bryant, GBTA Foundation Executive Director. "The GBTA Foundation is incredibly pleased Star Alliance has joined as a partner to help fund this important initiative."

"At Star Alliance we have long seen the business travel potential of China. Our presence in the greater Chinese market includes Air China, EVA Air and Shenzhen Airlines along with 16 further international member airlines. For Star Alliance, partnering with the GBTA Foundation was a logical choice. Combining the experience of GBTA and Star Alliance in providing appropriate education for travel professionals will ensure a high standard of corporate travel management in China. This will ultimately benefit the corporate travel providers, buyers and travelers, as well as the airlines," said Olav Glorvigen, Director Sales & Market Development, Star Alliance.

Through collaborative partnerships with leading educational institutions and visionary leadership from its members, GBTA has changed the landscape of business travel management across the globe and plans to bring this same industry-leading education to China.

GBTA is partnering with Fudan University, one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in the country, to assist in the construction, delivery and integration of educational curriculum, providing a clear path for future leaders in the business travel industry. A steering committee will ensure all content is delivered with a local perspective that caters to the unique audience of business travel professionals in China. Star Alliance joins United and other companies soon to be announced as industry leaders stepping up to support the "Gift of Knowledge" initiative.

About the GBTA Foundation

The GBTA Foundation is the education and research foundation of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world's premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. Collectively, GBTA's 7,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its growing network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts with world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media. The Foundation was established in 1997 to support GBTA's members and the industry as a whole. As the leading education and research foundation in the business travel industry, the GBTA Foundation seeks to fund initiatives to advance the business travel profession. The GBTA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, see gbta.org and gbta.org/foundation.

About Star Alliance

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. The integration of Avianca Brasil is currently in progress. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,321 airports in 193 countries For additional information visit www.staralliance.com and/or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube or LinkedIn.

Colleen Lerro Gallagher
+1 703 236 1133
GBTA