Today's the opening (trade conference only) for the
Adventures in Travel Expo 2005 - 2006 in New York City!
I awoke this morning to pea soup, thick fog and mist obscuring the view from our living room. I could scarcely see the buildings a block away. For a moment I felt a little gloomy, plunged into the fog after a balmy and sunny week, and then I remembered that I'd be "living" in the Javits center for the next two days anyway. So a little crumby weather's just fine; that way I won't feel like I'm missing anything.
The
Adventures in Travel Expo (ATE) is apparently
"the world’s largest series of travel events serving adventure, active travel, eco, nature, cultural and outdoor tourism enthusiasts... This premier event will help you find the best adventure and travel experiences on the planet! Ranging from an African safari to white water rafting to the majesty of Alaska 's Inside Passage to a pristine tropical beach..."
Either they're a little their folks in marketing are a little too sure of themselves or today and tomorrow is going to blow my socks off. I'm hoping for the latter! And I'm optimistic. Even a quick glance at the partner (
New York Times), sponsor (
National Geographic Adventure), and countless travel authorities, providers, etc. is enough to get my heart racing.
I'll be attending some excellent seminars over the next couple of days including
Responsible Tourism Comes of Age: How It Is Transforming the Travel Industry which will be cohosted by
Alexander Souri of
Relief Riders International; a presentation by Marybeth Bond (
'The Gutsy Traveler' about women travelers;
What’s Hot in Adventure Travel? with insights into adventure travel in Greece, Bhuttan, Fiji and Greenland; and
Responsible Travel – How to Experience the World and Give Something Back, hosted by
National Geographic Adventure columnist, Costas Christ.
So keep your eyes peeled. I'll try to keep you posted during the
Adventures in Travel Expo and I promise to pass along all of the great ideas I discover to all of you.
