More than 29,000 people attended the 2016 The New York Times Travel Show at Jacob K. Javits Center in NYC last weekend and I was one of them. With 545 exhibits, it was a captivating day.
According to a recent AARP Travel survey, America’s 76 million Baby Boomers spend over $120 billion annually in leisure travel. So, I was interested to see what I could glean about travel from this year’s show.
Learning From Travel Experts
I attended on Friday Media Day, which kicked off with several seminars. My favorite speaker was Sree Sreenivasan, chief digital officer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) and one of Fast Company magazine’s 2015 Most Creative People of the year. MET was named the world’s #1 museum by TripAdvisor. The MET Costume Institute exhibit is a trip I enjoy each spring. You can purchase advance tickets for “Manus x Machina – Fashion in An Age of Technology,” on display from May 5 – August 14, 2016.
Sree told us that online sites like TripAdvisor and other mobile tools have become very helpful when booking travel. “My wife used her iPhone to book everything for our trip to Italy,” said Sree. (I did the same – TripAdvisor, VRBO, Homeaway, and Airbnb topped my daily ‘to do’ list last week as I perused apartments and villas, reading reviews on my iPad. I’m happy to say that my 2016 family vacation to Italy is almost completely booked. I also used Expedia to check flights and Allianz to buy travel insurance.)
Speakers: (clockwise from top l.) Sree Sreenivasan, Lorraine Sileo, Erin Bender, David Callaway.
Lorraine Sileo, svp of research at Phocuswright, a global travel market research company, said that “TripAdvisor is the most influential source of travel advice or information.” She said that “many people share so much of their vacations via social media that they don’t need to share any highlights when they get home.” (I hear you Lorraine. I do share pics from my travels at JudiBoomergirl on Facebook and Twitter. However, I wait to write my blog posts until I get home. Readers can find past travel posts on my Travel and Leisure page. )
David Callaway, editor-in-chief of USA Today, said that you can still read hard copies of the newspaper, but there are many more travel articles online. He mentioned that this year is the 100th anniversary of the National Parks Association, so watch for coverage of the celebration or maybe plan a visit to one of the parks.
Blogger Erin Bender, noted that “the vacation destination for one in four American families in 2015 was decided after reading a travel blog. Erin travels all over the world with her husband and children. You can find her fascinating blog at TravelwithBender.com.
Virtual Reality is a new addition to tourism.
The newest addition to tourism is virtual reality. Richard Cummings, president of the creative agency Two Goats, told us that people are starting to look at locations in virtual reality before they book a vacation. “VR enhances the person’s experience to a point where they are likely to buy that experience,” said Richard. (It sounded amazing. Imagine being able to put on a headset and transport yourself to Africa for a safari!)
Walking My Way Around The World
From Taiwan to Costa Rica, Mexico to Turkey, Italy to Istanbul, and all around the USA, from cruise ships to African safaris, I felt like I had walked around the world by the time I left the exhibit hall.
I especially liked the Wellness exhibits since I adore spas and yoga. There was Art of Living Retreat Center in the Blue Ridge Mountains, The Body Holiday in St.Lucia, West Indies, and Even Hotels for those wanting to keep active, rest easy, and eat well while in NYC. Canyon Ranch said it will be debuting a wellness resort in 2016 in Kaplankaya,Turkey. (Ooh, ooh, ooh, will they invite me to preview the resort? Ok, a girl can dream!)
The Wellness exhibits featured spas and retreat locations.
The sales rep from the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain tried to sell me on their stunning resort in Sonoran Arizona Desert. I was won over after he described their Valentine’s Day spa offerings. Definitely check it out if you are thinking of going away this February.
I was also pleased to meet The Roman Guy and talk with Stephen Oddo, founder of WalksofItaly.com – may seek out their tours as I plan activities for my family trip to Italy.
An Evolving World of Cruise Travel
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) revealed that cruise travel is evolving at a record pace. I attended their press event where I met reps from big cruise ships, river cruises, and sailboat travel. Having loved my first-ever Viking River Cruise last summer to Portugal, it didn’t take much coaxing to get me excited about vacations aboard ship.
My boyfriend L and I are still together after our first-ever international trip.
There seems to be a cruise for every travel style and budget. CLIA trends indicate:
♥ a rise in river cruises
♥ Asia is the fastest growing region in the cruise industry; followed closely by Australia
♥ luxury travel continues to rise (I told my boyfriend L that we need to take a trip on the Cunard during our post 50 years.)
♥ ships are the destination and many offer incredible amenities and experiences like Broadway productions, designer shops, and zip lining
♥ intergenerational cruising has become a popular selection for family reunions (Maybe one day I will have grandkids and take a grandparent travel experience with my family.)
♥ cruise “voluntourism” is a new way to travel, with excursions to help areas of need around the world. (This sounds so neat!)
(Note: Image from Cruise Lines International Association.)
Princess, Royal Caribbean, Avalon Waterways, AmaWaterways, Azamara, Cunard, Paul Gauguin, Norwegian, Crystal were some of the cruise lines exhibiting.
What has been your best vacation during your life after 50? Where are you headed in 2016? What’s on your travel bucket list? Some of the best vacations are influenced by family and friends. So do share! For more inspiration, check out the New York Times “52 Places to Go in 2016,” AARP Travel, or Discovercorp’s “Best Travel Blogs to Follow in 2016.”
Bon voyage!
Judi
What a fabulous event! I think I would have enjoyed it almost as much as a trip abroad! I’m jealous about your upcoming trip to Italy. It’s been 10 years since I’ve been there, boo hoo. But I also enjoyed trips to Italy & Paris where I rented a house or an apartment. Very different from hotel stay.
Alison, you would have enjoyed this event. If you ever have time to visit NYC let me know. Would love to meet in person.
I missed the show this year so I was happy to read your excellent review!
My favorite trip: Bologna—I’ve return many times because I fell in love the with food, history, and people.
Irene, I’m headed to Italy this summer. Bologna is not on the list but will have to add it another time.
What a fascinating tour and look at the show and trends. Thanks so much for this wonderful visit and inside look to the show.
Noel, it was a great show. Glad you found the recap worthwhile.
Hi Judi, Thanks for the show overview. It’s an event I wish I was closer to me! I’ll have get there yet. An excellent excuse to visit a city I thoroughly enjoy. How did you like the VR glasses? I’m not convinced virtual is my kind of reality! 🙂
Ursula, I didn’t get a chance to try the VR glasses, they just showed us a picture.
Thanks for the overview of the show. Really interesting information you pointed out. Doesn\’t surprise me about river cruises. I\’d love to do one myself!
Janice, river cruises are really wonderful, it’s especially peaceful on the river.
We have yet to visit the NYT Travel Show as we are generally on the opposite side of the world when it is held. It was great to read your recap! We are hoping to do a river cruise in the not too distant future, and will set foot on the U.S. mainland after being away for four years! Other than a return visit to Fiji beginning next month, our plans are fairly fluid. All the more room for bright ideas!
Betsy, wow, where do you live? Hope you get to take a river cruise as it is a really lovely way to travel.
I would have loved to go to the New York Times travel show! It would be hard to choose my favorite destination since I turned 50, but it might be Guadeloupe. I just fell in love with it!
Rachel, will have to check out Guadeloupe. Haven’t been there yet.
I was there on media day but wished I gone on the weekend. I never got in to the exhibit hall because I had to leave early and didn’t know it wouldn’t open until mid-afternoon!
Carole, sorry you had to leave early. I wasn’t able to stay for the weekend either and they had some good seminars. Maybe next year.