Press Release

Go Blue Ridge Card Recognized by North Carolina Chamber of Commerce as a "Top New Attraction" for 2007

January 29, 2008 (Asheville, NC)

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Association and Smart Destinations, Inc. are pleased to announce that their collaboration on the Go Blue Ridge TM Card has earned the product a spot on the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce's "Top New Attractions, Events and Awards" of 2007. Launched in May of 2007, the card includes pre-paid admission to top North Carolina attractions including Biltmore, Chimney Rock Park, Grandfather Mountain and more, plus exclusive discounts at area restaurants and merchants.

"The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area is delighted by this recognition," said Penn Dameron, Executive Director of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. "We have always believed that the Go Blue Ridge Card is an excellent vehicle to highlight the region and its many attractions to visitors of the area. Receiving recognition from such a prominent organization as the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce further confirms that belief."

The Go Blue Ridge Card can be purchased in 2, 3 and 5 calendar day increments. Once activated, the card is valid for access to the included attractions for the number of days purchased. Participating attractions include Biltmore, Chimney Rock Park, Emerald Village, Rockhouse Vineyards, Lake Lure Tours, Gray Line Trolley Tours of Asheville, the Health Adventure, Colburn Earth Science Museum, Smith-McDowell House Museum, Thomas Wolfe Memorial, LaZoom Bus Tour of Asheville, Tweetsie Railroad, Linville Caverns, Grandfather Mountain, Banner Elk Winery, Loafers Glory Rafting & Tubing, The Historic Orchard at Altapass storytelling hayride, Mystery Hill, Wildwater Rafting trip, Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) raft trips on the Nantahala and French Broad Rivers, Smoky Mountain Jet Boats, Dillsboro Rafting trip, Great Smokey Mountain Fish Camp with Tubing, Oconaluftee Indian Village, Mountainside Theatre: Unto these Hills…A Retelling, Ghost Town in the Sky™ Rose Creek Mine, The Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Wheels Through Time Museum, and Smoky Mountain Trains Museum.

Additional savings are available just by showing the Card. Discounts are available at restaurants, merchants and attractions including Spear's BBQ and Grill at Linville Falls Lodge, NOC Relia's Garden Restaurant, the Balsam Mountain Inn restaurant, Brushy Mountain Smokehouse and Creamery, Chimney Rock Park Sky Lounge and the Old Rock Café Restaurant, Grove Arcade ARTS & Heritage Gallery, the Historic Orchard at Altapass, Mast General Store, Banner Elk Winery, Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, Smoky Mountain Jet Boats, Horn in the West and Hickory Ridge Living Museum, and Blue Ridge Day Hiker.

The Go Blue Ridge Card comes with a full color guidebook that includes maps of western North Carolina and describes each of the offers in detail to help travelers plan their activities. Visitors can purchase the Go Blue Ridge Card online at www.GoBlueRidgeCard.com, through any of Smart Destinations' global distribution partners or in person at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, 36 Montford Street, Asheville at (828) 258-6101. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Directions at www.exploreasheville.com.

Other cities offering Smart Destinations' passes include Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Maui, Miami, Orlando, Oahu, New York City, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and California's Wine Country. Attraction partners appreciate not only the Card's track record, but the ease in Smart Destinations' advanced paperless technology, with ongoing, detailed reports about usage and automatic, on-time payment, and its wide global distribution networks in more than 25 countries.

Smart Destinations At A Glance:

• Launched Go Boston™ Card in 2003, Go San Francisco™ Card in 2004, followed by 10 additional cities in 2005, 2006 and most recently New York City, Blue Ridge, and Maui in 2007.
• More than 1,000 distribution partners and affiliates in over 25 countries, including Virgin Holidays, American Airlines Vacations, Southwest Vacations, The Mark Travel Corporation, National Leisure Group, and major online tour operators such as Expedia, Travelocity, Viator, Orbitz and more.
• Recipient of more than $7.5 M investment from North Hill Ventures, the venture investment arm of Capital One and Zon Capital Partners, a private venture capital firm.
• Cecilia Dahl, President and founder, is an industry veteran of the wholesale travel business, formerly with Collette Vacations. Kevin McLaughlin, CEO and founder, is a veteran entrepreneur with experience in marketing and product management for high tech products.

New York City Explorer Pass At A Glance:

• The product is a single, easy-to-carry smart card used as a ticket for the customer’s choice of admission to 3, 5, or 7 attractions. The pass eliminates the need for paperwork and coupons.
• Adult Explorer Passes start at $69.99 and child Explorer Passes at $42.99 (pricing effective April 1).
• Pass is valid for 30 days, so customers have plenty of time to savor their time in New York City without rushing.

About Smart Destinations

Headquartered in Boston, MA with locations throughout North America, Smart Destinations is the premier provider of unlimited admission attraction passes in 15 major North American travel destinations from Oahu to New York City. Smart Destinations' Go Cards and Explorer Passes offer pre-paid access to over 425 museums, attractions, and tours for one fixed price. The combination of savings and convenience has resulted in 94% customer satisfaction as measured by 3rd party research and helped the company rank 78 on the Inc 500 list of fastest growing companies. Distributed through major travel services in 25 countries, corporate HR departments and their vendors, as well as on the Web, Smart Destinations' products are a "trusted companion" for the best a destination has to offer at an unbeatable price point.

Media Contact

Rob Schmults
Smart Destinations
617-830-2495
rschmults@smartdestinations.com

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