Carlson has been recognized by The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism (The Code) as a top member for 2014. 

“Carlson is proud to be the first North American travel and hospitality company to sign the Code of Conduct back in 2004,” said Trudy Rautio, president and CEO, Carlson. “Our company has long supported and been a leader in the travel and tourism industry on the End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT) Code of Conduct to protect children against sexual exploitation.” 

Carlson, along with 43 other companies around the world, were recognized as top members for successfully completing all six criteria of The Code within their own business operations, reporting their efforts, and choosing to make their child protection work public on The Code’s website. 

“We had the privilege to launch The Code back in 2004 alongside Marilyn Carlson Nelson,” said Carol Smolenski, executive director of ECPAT-USA, the Local Code Representative in the United States. “To this date, Carlson continues to raise the bar each year in the fight to protect children and we congratulate them on becoming a 2014 Top Member.” 

Photo at right: A decade ago, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, then CEO of Carlson, formally signed The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism (The Code) in front of high-profile witnesses including (L-R) Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden; Dawid de Villiers, then Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation; Carol Smolenski, current Executive Director of ECPAT-USA; Carol Bellamy, then Executive Director of UNICEF; and John Miller, then Director of the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.