Travel Agent recently visited one of Long Island, New York's largest travel shows hosted by Newsday and AAA. Vendors lined up at Nassau Coliseum on February 23 to showcase their cruises, hotels and travel deals.
Aspiring travelers were engulfed by a wave of more than 100 travel industry vendors, show-only deals and getaways, travel seminars and guest speakers. The floor was packed with cruises, hotels, local New York travel businesses and representatives of each respective company pitching their products.
Vacations were booked at the AAA Marketplace: a cluster of computers at the center of the event space. AAA Spokesperson Michael Rotondo says over 160 travelers booked their vacations that day, and that some trends were noticeable.
“A lot of people are looking to get on a cruise. Caribbean came back. A couple of years ago, it was the Caribbean islands that got hit with the hurricanes. Most, if not all of them, are back right now. And that is showing in both the cruising market and the land market,” said Michael Rotondo.
In addition to the vendors, several presentations were put on the Cultural Stage, including Celebrity Cruises: Cruising for Foodies, Cruising for the Whole Family with Royal Caribbean, and Club Adventures: Introducing Small Group Adventure Travel. Notably, Chef David Burke, the American restauranteur, recollected his travel experiences ranging from authentic local bites in Italy to a Cipriani in Saudi Arabia.
Here is a taste of what was presented at The Newsday AAA Travel Expo:
- Celebrity Cruises: Cruising for Foodies: the cruise company has partnered up with award-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking to provide cruisers with an interactive food experience. In addition to cooking classes and cooking demonstrations, travelers can even accompany chefs to local markets where the food is sourced.
- Cruising for the Whole Family with Royal Caribbean: Royal Caribbean showcased its upcoming destination: Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas. The island will have a number of activities, including a Thrill Waterpark, Oasis Lagoon and 1,600-foot-zip line.
- Club Adventures: Introducing Small Group Adventure Travel: AAA’s showcased its new adventure travel group called Club Adventures. This program offers 16-person and under group excursions to adventures around the world.
AAA plans to collaborate with Newsday in the future and put on this event at this time of the year again.
For more information, visit https://newsdaytravelexpo.com/
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