The New York Times has announced that its annual Travel Show reached a new record of 35,568 participants—the highest attendance in the Show’s history. Attendance included 11,756 travel trade and 23,812 consumer attendees during the three-day event that took place from January 25-27, 2019 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. 2019’s show marked the 16th anniversary of The New York Times Travel Show. Incredible India was this year’s Presenting Sponsor. The number of participating exhibitors also hit a new record with over 730 companies representing 176 countries, an all-time high.
2019 Show Highlights
Trade Day: The first day of the Travel Show on Friday, Jan. 25 was reserved exclusively for travel industry professionals and members of the media, offering 22 Focus Conferences panels that covered the latest products, services, destination information and trends from travel industry experts; an open general session address given by MMGY’s Steven Cohen; and four informative Business Series sessions, a new programming feature to the 2019 Show.
Keynote Address: Given on Friday, Jan. 25 by veteran travel journalist and editor James Shillinglaw, in conversation with: Christine Duffy, President, Carnival Cruise Line; Kristin Karst, Executive Vice President and Co-Owner, AmaWaterways; Jennifer Tombaugh, President, Tauck; Jackie Friedman, President, Nexion Travel Group; and Lindsey Ueberroth, Chief Executive Officer, Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
Star Speakers: Saturday, Jan. 26 and Sunday, Jan. 27 were open to all attendees and featured various cultural presentations and performances, food demonstrations, and one-on-one conversations with travel experts, influencers and celebrities including travel expert Pauline Frommer, food memoirist and “Top Chef” host, Padma Lakshmi; The Times’s inaugural 52 Places traveler Jada Yuan, and television host, Samantha Brown. The 2019 show also highlighted new seminar topics such as: “Staying Well While You Travel,” “How to Travel to Cuba in 2019,” “Heritage Travel: Walking in Your Ancestors’ Footsteps,” and “Sustainable and Socially Conscious Travel: Tips, Advice and Travel Experiences.”
Trade Day Speakers: The list of Trade Day speakers included: Erika Richter, Director of Communications and Lillian Africano, Past President, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW); Anne Marie Moebes, Publisher, Travel Market Report; Terry Dale, President, United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA); Rainer Jenss, President & founder, Family Travel Association; Ignacio Maza, Executive Vice President, Signature Travel Network; Kate McCulley, Travel Blogger, Adventurous Kate; Todd Neuman, Executive Vice President, South African Airways; Sylma Brown, Director, Caribbean Tourism Organization-USA, Inc.; Arnie Weissman, Editor in Chief, Travel Weekly, and Charles Sylvia, Vice President, Trade Relations, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)
Return of LGBTQ Pavilion: The LGBTQ Pavilion featured the latest trends around L.G.B.T.Q.-centric tourism and showcased a wide range of L.G.B.T.Q. travel experts from exhibitors including ManAboutWorld, AIG Travel, Atlantis, Berlin, Discover Puerto Rico, Enjoy Illinois, Fort Lauderdale, IGLTA, Oscar Wilde Tours, Passport magazine, Provincetown, Provincetown for Women, Quiiky LGBT Italy and Wild Rainbow African Safaris. The pavilion was curated by gay travel expert and ManAboutWorld editor in chief, Ed Salvato.
Taste of the World Pavilion: For the 16th year, the country’s largest culinary travel showcase again delivered its unique combination of tips and tastings, this year featuring New York Times food writers Melissa Clark and Joan Nathan, Phil Rosenthal from Netflix “Somebody Feed Phil,” and delicious experiences from food trails, cruises, resorts, restaurants and Broadway shows. The Taste of the World’s curator, host, and executive chef is A&E’s “The Well-Seasoned Traveler” Doug Duda, and for the second year running, the pavilion’s presenting sponsor was Israel Ministry of Tourism.
Family First: The Family Pavilion sponsored by the Family Travel Association, showcased leading players in the Family travel space, including lodges, resorts, destinations and cruise lines. Family themed activities were offered by Family Travel Radio, Celebrity Cruise Line, LEGOLAND New York Resort, MSC Cruises, PADI. In addition, Camp Cody, New Hampshire’s premier summer camp once again hosted a kid-loving interactive area that offered archery, slime making, giant Jenga, Cornhole, friendship bracelets and everyone’s favorite campfire treat – S’mores!
Travel Show Exhibitor Awards
2019 Travel Show Exhibitor Award winners included:
Best in Show
Incredible India
Best New Exhibitor
Pugliapromozione
Most Interactive
MSC Cruises
The People’s Choice
Japan National Tourism Organization
Most Imaginative
Korea Tourism Organization
New York Times Travel Show, www.nyttravelshow.com