Empresas y finanzas

Visa Is Named 'World's Leading Credit Card' for Ninth Consecutive Year at World Travel Awards



    For the ninth consecutive year, the World Travel Awards, the
    prestigious awards ceremony that acknowledges significant achievements
    in all areas of the travel and tourism industry, has named Visa the
    "World's Leading Credit Card."

    The prize was awarded based on a worldwide online poll of travel
    agencies and frontline travel agents. Criteria used in evaluating
    companies and organizations include scope of distribution,
    convenience, and overall best services.

    "Visa is delighted to receive this award on behalf of its 20,000
    member banks," says Tom Shepard, executive vice president, Global
    Marketing Partnerships and Sponsorships, Visa International. "Visa
    continues to grow with the travel industry, working with merchants by
    providing merchants with access to millions of Visa cardholders and
    providing cardholders with unsurpassed acceptance worldwide. In
    addition, through travel and entertainment programs linked to Visa
    payment cards, cardholders receive added value that goes beyond the
    convenience and confidence that Visa provides. We are honored to
    receive this accolade from one of the industry's most important awards
    programs."

    The online voting took place throughout 2006 at
    www.worldtravelawards.com. This enabled over 167,000 travel agents and
    professionals in over 200 countries worldwide the opportunity to let
    the world know who they think are the best in the travel industry. The
    winner was chosen from the following payment cards -- American
    Express, Diner's Club, JCB, MasterCard and Visa.

    "Visa has won 'World's Leading Credit Card' for nine years
    running, maintaining its position consistently over this period," says
    president and founder of the World Travel Awards, Graham Cooke.

    "The awards take into account the views of tens of thousands of
    travel agents and professionals worldwide -- over two million votes
    are cast during our five-month independent survey period -- and the
    fact that no-one has been able to knock Visa from the top spot for
    nearly a decade is testament that it has a credit card offering that
    is unbeatable. This is due to Visa's continued focus on excellence and
    value-added services for travelers, such as its innovative online
    travel portal.

    "Since founding the World Travel Awards in 1993, we have seen a
    growing sophistication in the travel and tourism trade and increased
    competition. Our winners have always been at the forefront of this
    process with their initiatives and products and Visa is one of these
    companies. This year's winners are no different, even with soaring oil
    prices and terrorist threats, our winners have continued to survive
    and thrive -- they've seen challenges as opportunities and led the way
    for the industry.

    "Voted for independently by travel professionals worldwide, our
    award winners are having a major impact and influence on the world's
    travel and tourism industry. They are the true innovators and
    benchmarks for our trade, especially in the areas of customer service,
    technology, operational efficiency, product offering and style,"
    explains Cooke.

    Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards held its 13th annual
    World Travel Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, 20 September 2006, at
    Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort and Spa, Providenciales. The World
    Travel Awards honors leading travel-related organizations in worldwide
    and regional categories, which range from airlines, hotels, beaches
    and cruise lines to credit cards, car rental companies and hotel
    reservation services.

    Visa International is a strategic partner with many of the leading
    global corporations and merchants, creating retail and T&E promotions
    that deliver extraordinary values to Visa cardholders worldwide.
    Visa's extensive merchant relationships and marketing partnerships, as
    well as its unsurpassed acceptance around the world, are driving
    Visa's growth in the retail and T&E arenas.

    Visa also has created an innovative, interactive, online travel
    portal, "Visa Destinations," which provides Visa cardholders with
    exclusive offers and values from a select group of global travel,
    retail and entertainment merchants. Featuring a wide range of valuable
    offers and information, this user-friendly travel planning website can
    be accessed at www.visadestinations.com. The site contains retail,
    travel and entertainment offers from hundreds of merchants in key
    destination markets or by designated category around the world.

    For more information on the 2006 World Travel Awards or for a
    complete list of winners, visit www.WorldTravelAwards.com .

    About Visa: Visa connects cardholders, merchants and financial
    institutions through the world's largest electronic payments network.
    Visa products allow buyers and sellers to conduct commerce with ease
    and confidence in both the physical and virtual worlds. As an
    association owned by 20,000 member financial institutions, Visa is
    committed to the sustained growth of electronic payment systems to
    support the needs of all stakeholders and to drive economic growth.
    For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.