Registry announces important changes to registration rules.

Tralliance, the Registry of the .travel top level domain, yesterday announced important changes to the .travel registration rules.

The company articulates that on August 5, 2010, the ICANN Board approved a proposal by .travel for the release of all one and two-character domain names, such as we.travel and go.travel. It is now preparing a release program conforming to the terms of its proposal. The company anticipates that the release program will be announced late in September. Registrars and Registrants will have ample opportunity to review the terms of the program before the first names are available for registration.

It avers that the company and its travel industry representative body have approved two new additional policy changes. These changes will go into effect on September 20, 2010 after a 30-day notice period.

The company states that the first of these changes adds an industry sector to the list of those travel industry participants who are eligible to register a .travel domain name. This sector is 'Creators and providers of travel and tourism products, services and content.' This sector definition makes it easier to determine eligibility since it does not require that an applicant fit within named types, but rather identifies them by their travel-related activities.

It further states that the second change allows the Registry to provide incentives for use of .travel domain names. The company has not put in place a program of incentives, but while such a program is developed it has suspended the requirement that .travel domain names must be used within 12 months of registration.