Discover Where to Travel Next at the 2022 International Travel Show in NYC Oct 29-30

Experts discuss trends in travel and give their suggestions on where to travel next, such as a boat-bike trip from Bruges to Amsterdam, at the  International Travel Show at the Javits Center,  New York City, Oct. 29-30. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
 

Travelers of all ages and interests are invited to meet hundreds of exhibiting destinations, attend informative travel seminars, enjoy culinary and cultural presentations, and benefit from special show-only travel deals. Discover where you want to vacation next! 

NEW YORK, NY – “The Future of Travel” is the theme for the International Travel Show (ITS2022) in New York City. This event is the successor to the New York Times Travel Show, last held in 2020, and is currently the only major travel show of its kind. The International Travel Show is presented by Travel + Leisure GO and sponsored by Brazilian Tourist Board, MSC Cruises and I Love NY and takes place at the Javits Center from Friday, Oct. 28 to Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. Friday is reserved exclusively for the travel industry and Saturday and Sunday are open to all travelers. 

ITS2022 is filled with lively and informative programming designed for consumers to explore the theme of “The Future of Travel” and discover great destinations to fulfill their travel needs. The show features an exhibition of hundreds of destinations and trips as well as cultural presentations, travel seminars, culinary presentations, travel deals and giveaways, and fun for families and friends of all ages and interests.  

Exhibitors from around the world will provide information about their travel products and destinations. Attendees can meet with exhibitors including Royal Caribbean Cruises, Bahamas Tourism, Wonderful Indonesia, KwaZulu-Natal Tourism, Visit Fort Lauderdale, Travel +Leisure GO, Celebrity Cruises, Palace Resorts, MSC Cruises, Brazilian Tourism, Ghana Tourism and many more. The exhibition also will feature “Spotlight On New York,” which includes a New York Pavilion featuring New York destinations and attractions, presented and sponsored by I Love New York in conjunction with NYC & Company and the New York State Tourism Industry Association.  

Among scheduled presentations are the Taste of the World Theatre presented by Doug Duda, host of the A&E International TV series The Well-Seasoned Traveler, with chefs from around the world cooking up culinary presentations, as well as two Cultural Stages on the show floor with exhibiting countries presenting authentic and exciting cultural performances from across the globe. 

The annual charity auction of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association Education Foundation is sure to be a highlight, adding edge-of-one’s-seat excitement for attendees, with opportunity to bid on dozens of Caribbean hotel vacations with proceeds going to fund scholarships and training for Caribbean hospitality industry professionals. There will also be giveaways and travel deals from dozens of exhibiting companies. 

Multiple travel seminars will engage and inform consumers on the essentials of travel planning. Speakers will include travel experts Pauline Frommer, Patricia Schultz, Darley Newman, Nancy Barkley, Denella Ri’chard, Bob Guccione, Zita Keeley and representatives from leading travel companies. Seminars include: 

• Keynote Panel Sessions feature crystal ball-like advice on “How Top Travel Experts See Travel in 2023”. 
• The Cruise Track offers expert advice on everything from “How to Choose the Right Cruise” to “How to Experience the Hottest New Expedition Cruises.” 
• The Meet the Experts Track features recognized travel experts who really know travel covering “Exploring the World of Wellness Travel,” “Where to Honeymoon and Wed Around the World” and more. 
• The Traveling Better Track offers valuable insights on “How to Find the Best Vacation Ownership Home,” “What You Need to Know About Flying Today,” and more. 
• The Destinations Track will point to where to travel and how, including “Where to Go in the Caribbean,” “Where to Go Now in Europe” and “How to Discover the Middle East and Africa.” 
• The Resorts Track offers a peek at new hotels and resorts in such sessions as “What to Look for in a Luxury Hotel” and “How to Pick the Perfect All-Inclusive.” 

The Government Resources Center, sponsored by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), will also be a must-visit for consumers, with a timesaving opportunity for all attendees to enroll in the TSA PreCheck Program just by attending the International Travel Show.  

Attendee Registration for consumers is now open at the International Travel Show website at https://www.nyinternationaltravelshow.com/public 

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International Travel Show in NYC Oct 28-30 Showcases Offerings, Innovations for Travelers

At the upcoming International Travel Show, Oct. 28-30 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC, I Love NY, one of the sponsors, will showcase such destinations as Watkins Glen in the Finger Lakes, where you can enjoy exquisite hiking and camping © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

With tourists and travelers of all stripes returning to the skies, seas, roads, excitement is building for the International Travel Show, where travel industry players showcase their offerings and innovations. The International Travel Show will celebrate “The Future of Travel” from Friday, Oct. 28 to Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, with presentations, exhibits and cultural performances from global destinations, cruise lines, hotels, travel products and services to entice and inform consumers, travel trade, and media.

The three-day event’s format features travel trade and media exclusive sessions on Friday before opening to consumers the following two days.

A headline session for travel trade day will be a panel discussion on Sustainable and Responsible Tourism from high-level topic experts who have been leading major initiatives to mitigate negative impact of travel on the planet, including  Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism for Jamaica; Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Group; Shannon Guihan – Chief Sustainability Officer & Head of TreadRight-The Travel Corporation; Asta Lassesen, CEO Hurtigruten Expedition and Terry Dale, President and CEO of U.S. Tour Operators Association.

Among major travel industry players set to enliven the International Travel Show with interactive, entertaining, and informative exhibits:

Hotels & Resorts

An international benchmark for sustainable tourism, family-run Iberostar Hotels & Resorts offers unforgettable experiences at more than 100 properties in the best locations around the world. With all-inclusive resorts in Spain and Mexico, Sandos Hotels & Resorts strives to be unique and taps widespread community practices for efficient use of energy and natural resources to reduce its ecological footprint. Mexico-based Palace Resorts offers all-inclusive luxury at nine properties and low-carbon tourism that goes far beyond sustainability. Le Blanc Spa Resortsin Cancun and Los Cabos are adults-only gems, as evidenced by recent awards from Trip Advisor and a Readers’ Choice from Condé Nast Traveler.

Cruise Lines

The world’s third-largest cruise line, MSC Cruises is the leader in many corners of the globe, including Europe, South America, the Gulf, and Southern Africa, and boasts a strong presence in the Caribbean, North America, and the Far East as well. Celebrity Cruises aspires to impress, providing the best vacations possible and opening the world to make lives better while inspiring others to do the same. Known for driving innovation at sea, Royal Caribbean Internationalhas been redefining cruise vacationing for more than 50 years and still proudly pushes envelopes. The leading small ship travel company, Viking offers river, ocean, and expedition voyages on every continent and has 250+ awards, including a 2022 Travel + Leisure “World’s Best” and 2021 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice.

Tours and Expeditions

Australia-based Aurora Expeditions has been a leader and innovator in a competitive travel genre for 30 years, and it has a World Travel Award as “World’s Leading Polar Expedition” to show for it. The Travel Corporation provides travel experiences of a lifetime from a family of 40 award-winning travel and hospitality brands across 70 countries all over the globe. Psssst – Secret Italia Tours is a family boutique tour company offering a range of tours throughout Italy and Europe, from small group and private tours, to gulet cruises and custom itineraries. The Travel Bureau of Nepal organizes treks, expeditions, canyoning, culture tours, Shaman tours, and trips to Tibet, Bhutan, and Ladakh in India.

Destinations

I Love New York (ILNY), a sponsor of the travel show, is showcasing destinations including Finger Lakes Regional Tourism Council offering hiking, biking, wine tasting and more; and the Catskills such as Sullivan County Visitors Association,  named one of the best small towns to visit in 2022 for hiking, boutique hotels, and breweries by Travel + Leisure.  

Florida will be all over the International Travel Show with Visit Tampa Bay, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Visit Central Florida, which promotes Polk County, working to drive tourism to the Sunshine State.  Sweet Home Alabama is the Alabama Tourism Department’s effort to promote the state nationally and internationally.

Across the Hudson River, the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism makes sure the Garden State blooms with visitors, vacationers, and tour groups.

The Caribbean will be widely represented at the International Travel Show. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism communicates for all of the islands – close to 30 inhabited – of the unique and exciting destination. St. Martin and St. Maarten will promote the many unique, diverse, and friendly experiences waiting on “the Friendly Island” in the northeast Caribbean Sea. The Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Tourism is making the islands the premier island destination by delivering distinctive and diverse experiences while enriching the lives of residents and visitors. The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board has much to promote about its breathtaking islands surrounded by the sparkling sea, including Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke. The Jamaica Tourist Board is positioning the island nation as the preeminent tourist destination in the region.

Asia is represented by Tourism Malaysia, a melting pot of cultures offering urban exploration in one of its major cities, relaxation on the beaches, hiking in Borneo, or scuba diving around one of 800+ islands. And the name Wonderful Indonesia says it all, with a commitment to promote destinations in an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and no end of experiences for local and international travelers to jump into between them.

Farther afield, Visit Estonia represents a small country that can make a big impression on travelers, with over 2,000 islands and Tallinn, its capital, as the best-preserved medieval city in Northern Europe.

The International Travel Show (ITS2022), presenting sponsor Travel + Leisure, is a prominent travel industry trade and consumer travel event in New York City featuring educational seminars and activations, a major exhibition with cultural and regional pavilions showcasing hundreds of travel companies and destinations from around the world. ITS2022 brings together the travel industry to address issues that are key to the future of travel and tourism, provide educational and informational seminars to travel professionals and the traveling public and serve as a platform for emerging solutions for the global tourism marketplace.  For more information, visit www.nyInternationalTravelShow.com   

Travel + Leisure Co. is a leading membership and leisure travel company, with nearly 20 travel brands across its resort, travel club, and lifestyle portfolio. The company provides vacation experiences and travel inspiration to millions of owners, members, and subscribers every year through its products and services: Wyndham Destinations, one of the largest vacation ownership companies with more than 245 vacation club resort locations across the globe, and one of the world’s foremost membership travel businesses that includes the largest vacation exchange company and subscription travel brands, travel content and travel services. Learn more at travelandleisureco.com.

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Where to Go in 2019: USTOA Reveals Top Destinations, Travel Trends

Venice, Italy. USTOA named Italy as the top destination for 2019, but also raised concern about the impact of overtourism in the most popular places, like Venice. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Tour operator members of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) named Italy the most popular or “hot” destination for travelers in 2019, in a recent survey conducted by PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).

The top 10 “hot” destinations for the coming year also included Iceland, which ranked second, followed by Japan, Vietnam, Australia, France, Spain, Colombia, Cambodia and Portugal.

USTOA tour operator members also identified their top 10 off-the-beaten path or emerging destinations that they see gaining popularity in 2019: Iceland ranked first, Cambodia ranked second, followed by Croatia, Colombia, Vietnam, Portugal, Bhutan, Bolivia, Myanmar, and Ethiopia.

“It’s interesting see five destinations – Iceland, Cambodia, Colombia, Vietnam and Portugal – appear on both the hot destinations and emerging destinations lists,” added Terry Dale, President and CEO of USTOA. “This tells us that off-the-beaten path travel experiences continue to grow in popularity among travelers.”

Demand for immersive, culturally rich travel programs continue to remain high. Roughly 82% of members offer art and culture travel experiences. The art and culture category was also the highest ranked experiential program for travelers in 2017, based on volume of sales. Two thirds of membership offer honeymoon and romance programs, 63% of members offer adventure programs, and more than half (56%) offer multi-generational family programs.

Economic Impact and Growth Ahead

According to the study, the tour operator members of USTOA project to close out 2018 with sales reaching $18.7 billion dollars, representing 9.8 million individual travelers.

Furthermore, member operators are extremely confident about business in the year ahead: 100% of responding tour operator members anticipate growth in sales in 2019.

“Since the first PwC study was commissioned in 2012, it’s the first time we’ve seen such a bullish response with our entire membership projecting growth ahead,” said Dale. “It’s even more encouraging that more than half of members (56%) forecast growth of sales ranging from seven to 10% or more in 2019, indicating a potential boom year.”

While the Active Members of USTOA view the upcoming year with optimism, they also addressed the global risks that could impact the industry over the next three years. Terrorism topped the list with 17% of members responding they are “extremely concerned.”  However, this level of concern is a considerable drop compared to the 2016 PwC study when more than half of member (59%) were “extremely concerned.”

Political instability and overtourism, a new category this year, were the next two global risks that members were “extremely concerned” about, as named by 13% of survey respondents.

In addition, tour operator members projected that roughly 63% of total packages sold in 2018 were through travel agencies, “Reinforcing the critical role of travel advisors in the continued success of members’ businesses,” Dale cited.

When asked whose traveling, tour operator members responded that about half (48%) of their customer base are 51 to 70 years of age. The next largest category was age 36 to 50 years representing 20% of customers. Gender is split evenly with 51% female and 49% male.  Within the escorted/guided and custom tour category, female passengers were represented slightly higher at 59%.

The research was released at USTOA’s 40^th Annual Conference & Marketplace, held at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge in Phoenix AZ, November 26-30, 2018.

U.S. Tour Operators Association members, representing nearly $19 billion in revenue, provide tours, packages and custom arrangements that allow 9.8 million travelers annually access, insider knowledge, peace-of-mind, value and freedom to enjoy destinations and experiences across the entire globe. Each member company has met the travel industry’s highest standards, including participation in the USTOA’s Travelers Assistance Program, which protects consumer payments up to $1 million if the company goes out of business.  As a voice for the tour operator industry for more than 40 years, USTOA also provides education and assistance for consumers and travel agents.

For more information on USTOA, visit www.ustoa.com, call 212-599-6599, or email information@ustoa.com.

 

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Iceland, Colombia, Vietnam Top List of Emerging Destinations for 2018, US Tour Operators Say

Iceland was named top emerging or “off-the-beaten-path” destination for 2018 by US tour operators © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

NEW YORK – In a survey of US tour operators, Iceland was named top emerging or “off-the-beaten-path” destination for 2018, moving to the top spot from second in last year’s member survey.  Colombia followed in second, with Vietnam named as third.

When asked for the five most popular or “hot” international destinations for travelers in 2018, members of the US Tour Operators Association (USTOA) named Australia, Spain, Iceland and Italy (tied for third), France, and Japan.  On the domestic front, USTOA members forecast California, Florida and Hawaii (tied for second), New York, Alaska and Nevada (tied for fourth) and Washington DC as the most popular U.S. destinations for clients in 2018.

Members were also asked to name the destinations/sites most “at risk” from disappearing (from over-tourism, climate change or other factors) that travelers should see now. The top three chosen were Antarctica, Cuba and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Arts and culture, adventure, family, and culinary were cited as the most popular travel categories for passengers by survey participants.

In the annual survey of travel forecasts and trends, the tour operators report a strikingly positive outlook for the industry in the year ahead.  Nearly all (95%) USTOA tour operator members anticipate growth in sales for the year ending in 2018. Two thirds (64%) of members are “optimistic” and forecasting a “boom year” with growth anywhere from seven to 10% or higher.

After strong sales increases in 2017, “Member confidence levels for continued growth in 2018 are high,” said Terry Dale, president and CEO for USTOA.  “The reported growth and positive projections the year ahead are particularly encouraging. It speaks soundly to the remarkable resilience of both our industry as well as today’s traveler, who continues to explore, despite the challenges of an ever-changing world.”

While USTOA tour operator members view the forthcoming year with strong optimism, they also addressed the global risks that could impact potential growth in 2018. Terrorism is cited as the biggest threat to consumer confidence, followed by political instability, and global financial instability named third.

In addition, when asked which global events could have the greatest impact for the travel industry in 2018, more than one third (38%) named the sharing economy; a little more than a quarter (28%) cited the Chinese market.

Representing nearly $15 billion in revenue, the member companies of U.S. Tour Operators Association provide tours, packages and custom arrangements that allow 8.6 million travelers annually unparalleled access, insider knowledge, peace-of-mind, value and freedom to enjoy destinations and experiences across the entire globe.   Each member company has met the travel industry’s highest standards, including participation in the USTOA’s Travelers Assistance Program, which protects consumer payments up to $1 million if the company goes out of business. As a voice for the tour operator industry for more than 40 years, USTOA also provides education and assistance for consumers and travel agents. For more information on USTOA, visit www.ustoa.com.

 

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‘Story of Disneyland’ Tourist Collectibles To Be Auctioned

 

Tourist photos are included in “The Story of Disneyland” collection to be auctioned.

“The Story of Disneyland,” the largest and most complete collection of Disney collectibles, is coming to auction February 28 and March 1 at Van Eaton Galleries, 13613 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA.

With close to 1,000 pieces, “The Story of Disneyland” – with vintage tourist-related photos, souvenirs, games, toys and collectibles from Disneyland – provides an unprecedented narrative into the story of Walt Disney’s beloved Disneyland theme park. With memorabilia dating from the very beginning of Walt’s planning to his expansions in Florida and beyond, this one-of-a-kind rare collection has been amassed over 30 years and includes an extraordinary glimpse into the life of Walt Disney, his close group of original Imagineers, the initial plans for Disneyland and the amazing legacy he left behind.  Collectors and fans will have the chance to experience the magic of Disneyland through the variety of items being offered while being entertained at the sheer nostalgia some of the original tourist photos from the 1960s and beyond bring to life.

Among the highly anticipated items to be auctioned are the original audio-animatronic skeleton from The Pirates of the Caribbean, an original Bob Bushman concept drawing for Tomorrowland, an original Cigar Store Indian from Frontierland and many larger scale items, the collection also offers a glimpse into tourists and visitors from an era past, a trip down memory lane through various photographs and smaller collectibles that were available in the early years of the Disneyland park.

“This collection is beyond extraordinary,” said Mike Van Eaton, Founder & President of Van Eaton Galleries. “But the breadth of this vintage collection offers every collector an opportunity to bid and own a piece of Disneyland history. It tells the story of Disneyland from the beginning like we have never seen before and I am sure we won’t ever see again.”

Highlights that will appeal to every tourist and fan of Disneyland include and a rare Upjohn Drugstore Complimentary Vitamins in a Box (Disneyland 1957) which was given away at the Upjohn Pharmacy Drugstore . The original vitamins intact and unused in original box (Estimate: $75-150),  A Fantasyland Souvenir Cigarette Box with four ashtrays (Disneyland 1955) which is a very unusual ceramic 3D cigarette box (Disneyland 1955) featuring an image of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle (Estimate:$250-$350), a Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant Food Tray (Disneyland 1957) which is a rare piece from the famous restaurant and features an image of the restaurant on the front (Estimate:$800-$900), an Aunt Jemima’s Pancake House paper placement (Disneyland 1955) which is unused from the Pancake House in what is now the River Belle Terrace (Estimate $100-$200), a Submarine Voyage Bath Toy (Disneyland 1959) which is a rare toy from the opening season of the Submarine Voyage attraction (Estimate: $300-$400) and an Original Disneyland Popcorn Box (Disneyland 1956)  with simple graphics that represented the charm of iconic Disneyland design (Estimate: $200-$300).

Other Main Street tourist related items in the collection include a Randotti Haunted Mansion Souvenir Skull (Disneyland 1970s) made of solid plaster that glows in the dark (Estimate:$100-$200), a Disneyland “Tinkerbell” uncut air-freshener (Disneyland 1956) which is an unusual uncut sheet of images used for hanging in a car to freshen it featuring “Tinkerbell” holding a paper scroll with the Disneyland logo (Estimate: $150-$250), a Jimmy Stewart signed Autopia Driver’s License (Disneyland 1955) signed by the famed actor Jimmy Stewart (Estimate:$200-$400) an Art Corner Souvenir Photograph Mailer from The Jungle Cruise (Disneyland 1958) which was from the park’s section that featured plywood cut-out scenes from around the park where guests could choose a themed cartoon cut out to peek out from and have their photo taken (Estimate:$100-$200) and so many more amazing collectibles. All can be seen via the online catalogue at vegalleries.com.

Hundreds of photographs that bring along the sense of retrospective and a time gone past are available for auction in The Story of Disneyland collection. From quirky and funny to mysteriously interesting the collection of authentic tourist photos offers a story of Disneyland in and of itself. These photographs will be auctioned in group lots and feature various attractions, tourists posing in front of Disneyland landmarks and the candid shots which could only happen in the most magical place on earth – Disneyland.  There are even original photographs showing Walt Disney himself in the park or at various points of building and planning Disneyland.

 

THE STORY OF DISNEYLAND COLLECTION

Van Eaton Galleries

13613 Ventura Blvd

Sherman Oaks, California 91423

(818) 788-2357
PUBLIC EXHIBITION DATES:

February 7 through February 27, 2015

10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Saturday. Closed Sundays

 

LIVE AND ONLINE AUCTION:
February 28, 2015 11 a.m. PST

Session 2 March 1, 2015 11 a.m. PST

 

HOW TO BID:

Register at http://www.vegalleries.com/storyofdisneyland.html
Online at http://www.icollector.com or through http://www.vegalleries.com/storyofdisneyland.html
The Story of Disneyland Collection Exclusive Catalogs may be purchased at http://www.vegalleries.com
Van Eaton Galleries is one of the world’s premier original animation and art and collectibles galleries. Established in 1994, the gallery offers distinct collections from the world of animation and special exhibits and events for collectors, fans and guests from around the globe.  Van Eaton Galleries has offered such collections as The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss, The Art of Gris Grimly, The Art of Ragnar and animation artwork from Disney, Warner Bros., Dreamworks, Hanna-Barbera, and Don Bluth. For more information go to http://www.vegalleries.com.

 

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