The Travel and Vacation show took place at the Rogers Centre in Ottawa this weekend. More than 190 exhibitors, including tour companies, tourism boards, resorts, cruise lines and adventure vacation destinations were all in attendance. In the wake of tariffs and trade tension with the United States, organizers say the event is seeing a decrease in American booths. “We had 20 U.S. booths booked here for this year and they all pulled out with the exception of one. The only one that stayed was Virginia,” said Robert Player, general manager of Player Expositions. Brigitte Belanger-Warner, a representative for the Virginia Tourism Corporation, says despite the tensions, it’s important for her to be there. “It is paramount that we be here talking to Canadians, telling them that we are here. We know some of them have chosen to postpone their plans to visit the U.S. for now, and that is fine, but it’s still important for us to be here and tell them that we value them. We love them and we want them to come and visit us,” she said. Belanger-Warner says Virginia Tourism has attended the show for many years and says they still want Ottawa to know all about Virginia and what it has to offer. “I’ve actually had a few people who said ‘I think we found our destination for this summer right there at our booth.’ That’s always a wonderful feeling. It’s always great to hear and we look forward to welcoming all of those who will want to visit us,” said Belanger-Warner. Player says many African countries with tours, safaris and adventure travel have been popular at the show. “Asia, people are thinking of going to China more than they ever have before, Vietnam and also India,” he said. Whether travelling with an airline, cruise line or rail, there was information about it all. There was also seminars about travelling in Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, and Asia. “Love travel. Used to live on airplanes. We’re now looking at other modes of travel, so the cruises are coming in handy. The pandemic really hurt things so we’re trying to catch up,” said attendee Robert Vaive. The Travel and Vacation Show says their effort is to target consumers that are seeking holiday information or travel agents for those looking for anything from a weekend getaway to a trips overseas. The show ran until 4 p.m. Sunday.
