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Sydney, 12 September 2007 - A recent survey by MasterCard Worldwide has revealed one in three Australians will reduce their overseas travel in the next six months, influenced by the impact of global warming.

The latest MasterIndex of Travel by MasterCard Worldwide shows Australians are becoming more influenced by the environment when making their travel decisions, with travellers now giving greater consideration to holidaying at home.

But although Australians are now more aware of their carbon footprint, the Index reveals a strong prediction for overseas travel, with 2.8 million Australians planning to embark on travel abroad, a 5.6% increase from six months ago.

"What the numbers show is that if we were to remove this influence of global warming we would have seen more dramatic growth in international travel," said Leigh Clapham, executive vice president, Australasia, MasterCard Worldwide.

"And that the decision by Australians to travel overseas is being influenced more by the increase in personal disposable income and the availability of low-cost travel options."

The MasterIndex of Travel, which provides a twice-yearly snapshot of Australia’s predicted travel patterns, also reveals that the favourite destination for 51% of personal travellers is Europe, with their primary concern being security and safety (52%).

The Index also shows that despite increasing competition in the airline industry, 58% of Australian business travellers prefer Qantas as their airline of choice.

Although Australia’s outbound travel is forecast to grow by 5.6% over the next six months, some markets across Asia/Pacific will continue to see a slowdown of growth in outbound travel, with Japan (1.8%), Thailand (4.3%) and Singapore (3%) all expected to experience further drops in year-on-year outbound travel growth.

The MasterIndex of Travel also includes a survey of business and personal travel trends among the urban middle class across 13 markets (Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam¹).

NOTE TO EDITORS: This news release is distributed with the table (below) that shows the MasterIndex of Travel forecast by market.
The full report, which details the individual market forecasts, can be found at the website www.masterintelligence.com

The following chart shows the MasterIndex of Travel forecast for outbound travel for the second half of 2007.

The MasterIndex of Travel is one of MasterCard’s MasterIndex suite of research products in Asia/Pacific. The other key MasterIndex research products include:

• The flagship MasterIndex™ of Consumer Confidence - the regions most comprehensive and longest running consumer sentiment survey. Now in its 14th year, the MasterIndex of Consumer Confidence has demonstrated its predictive precision and has proved to be an excellent barometer of the consumer pulse in this region. Today, the survey is much sought after by analysts, academics and decision-makers in financial institutions, government agencies and multinational organizations.
• The MasterIndex™ of Retail, which provides six-month outbound retail forecasts for the same 12 markets covered by the MasterIndex of Travel. This powerful predictive market intelligence is highly relevant to the retail, entertainment, food and beverage, travel and tourism sectors, as well as related sectors.
• The MasterIndex™ of Women’s Advancement, an annual report which compares the socio-economic level of women to men in 13 Asia/Pacific markets using four key indicators: participation in the labour force, tertiary education, managerial positions and above median income.

MasterIndex information relates to travel and consumer economic trends only and does not constitute a projection of the business or financial performance of MasterCard Incorporated or its affiliates.

Statements in this press release which are not historical facts, including any statements about MasterCard's plans, strategies, beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking and subject to the safe harbour provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Accordingly, except for the company's ongoing obligations under the U.S. federal securities laws, the company does not intend to update or otherwise revise the forward-looking information to reflect actual results of operations, changes in financial condition, changes in estimates, expectations or assumptions, changes in general economic or industry conditions or other circumstances arising and/or existing since the preparation of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of any unanticipated events. Actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements for a number of reasons, including those set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and Current Reports on Form 8-K that it has filed with the SEC during 2007, as well as reasons including difficulties, delays or the inability of the company to achieve its strategic initiatives. Factors other than those listed above could also cause the company's results to differ materially from expected results.

MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes over 16 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers and merchants. Through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard Worldwide serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to www.mastercard.com.

Melissa Devine, 02 9818 0950, mdevine@ppr.com.au
Michael Pooley, 02 9818 9310, mpooley@ppr.com.au