Now in its 15th year, the New York Times Travel Show just announced their Trade Day, which is slated for January 26, 2018 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.
The Trade Day is held every year the day before the official conference opens its doors to the public to give travel professionals an exclusive trade-only viewing of 500 exhibiting companies.
The keynote panel for the Travel Show’s Trade Day on the state of the travel industry will be moderated by James Shillinglaw, veteran travel editor and editor-in-chief of Insider Travel Report. Panelists include Ninan Chacko, CEO of Travel Leaders Group, Alejandro Zozaya, CEO, Apple Leisure Group, and Andrew Stuart, president and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line.
A shot I took of the South African book from last year’s show.
There will be over 100 speakers including executives like Unique Vacations/Sandals & Beaches Resorts COO Jeff Clarke, United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) President Terry Dale, President & founder of the Family Travel Association Rainer Jenss, MSC Cruises’ Senior VP Joe Jiffo, South African Airways Executive VP Todd Neuman, Cruise Lines International Association VP Marla Phaneuf, Norwegian Cruise Line Regional VP Glen Rothe, Hilton Director Melissa Walker, and a host of others.
We are once again a proud media partner of this prestigious travel event and plan to be there for the Trade Day as well as the weekend show, which will be held on both Saturday, January 27 and Sunday, January 28, also at the Javits Center.
In the midst of a cold winter weekend, you can partake in a slice of heaven at some of the warmer destinations’ booths, to learn about great getaway options to the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico and South America from the states. South Africa and Taiwan had a massive presence last year and this year, South Africa takes the lead as a gold sponsor. Silver sponsors include Allianz, The Florida Keys and West Keys, MSC Cruises, Turkish Tourism, and Visit Florida. Last year, I spent quite a bit of time going down memory lane in the Florida aisle, which I hadn’t visited in years.
Even though I’ve lived there twice, it had been awhile, so it was great to brush up on some of the latest offerings before my trip to Miami earlier this year for the World Happiness Summit.
For the more adventurous travelers, there are plenty of vendors to keep you engaged, from safaris in Africa and river cruises throughout Southeast Asia to exploring the fjords in Norway, vodka tasting in the Baltics and beyond.
Always fun are the Asian booths where you can get dressed up in cultural attire, taste fabulous flavors from the South Pacific, dive into the natural desert beauty of places like Jordan and Israel or Central America for diving.
Performances are abound with dancing, music and cooking and there are travel book signings, one-on-one conversations with travel experts and special discounts and offers.
Industry Sponsors include: Adventure Travel Trade Association, Africa Travel Association, American Society of Travel Agents, Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association Education Foundation, Caribbean Tourism Organization, Cruise Lines International Association, Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Specialists Association, Family Travel Association, International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association, Millennials in Travel, Pacific Asia Travel Association, Professional Travel Bloggers Association, Society of American Travel Writers, United States Tour Operators Association and Well-Being Travel.
The New York Times Travel Show is the largest and longest-running trade and consumer travel show in North America and exhibitors include destinations, cruise lines, tour operators and more from Africa, Asia, Australia and the South Pacific, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Mexico and the United States. For updates, you can follow the New York Times Travel Show’s Facebook page and on Twitter.
See our highlights from the 2017 New York Times Travel Show, as well as from 2016.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
