The First Annual Queens Travel Expo, which is being held on Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4, will give the community a chance to learn about planning a vacation while teaching those in the travel service industry more about the borough.
The expo is being presented by Crosby Tours and AG Media. Its sponsors are the New York Daily News, The Queens Courier, El Correo de Queens, Pulse 87 and Discover Queens.
Expo founder and AG Media President Angela Gozzi said that the idea for the event first came about last July, with planning going on ever since.
Gozzi said that many people in Queens travel into Manhattan, so they decided instead to bring people to Queens in order to tell them about how to travel within a budget, whether it is locally or somewhere further away.
“Whether you’re looking for a family holiday cruise, weekend getaway or a romantic honeymoon, the Queens Travel Expo is the place to find and book your next trip,” its web site states. “Explore fantastic destinations around the country and around the world, and discover unbelievable deals and special giveaways.”
A total of 47 vendors, including the event’s sponsors, will be set up at the expo. Gozzi said that there will be a variety of vendors, including representatives to give information on other countries, such as China, Mexico and Italy.
In addition, Discover Queens will be at the expo to inform people about traveling locally in the borough.
“Our goal is to make sure we have a lot of people come so the vendors are happy, and we can continue to have this event in years to come [and have it be] bigger and better,” Gozzi said. She also said, “We expect to have a nice turnout.”
There will be plenty more going on at the two-day expo besides attendees learning about travel. There will also be seminars, entertainment and giveaways.
For example, there will be the chance to win two round-trip economy tickets to Rome, Italy. It will include four night’s hotel accommodations, daily breakfast, a half-day excursion of eternal Rome, hotel services and VAT taxes.
Other giveaways include two round-trip tickets on Jet Blue, season pass vouchers to Splish Splash, four one-day admission tickets to Splish Splash and a two-day Washington and Baltimore weekend tour for two.
Gozzi said the vendors are excited about the upcoming Queens Travel Expo. The vendors will also have their own night of fun when they participate in a “Discover Queens Cruise” on April 1 and a Queens Familiarization Tour on April 2. Those events are being co-hosted by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and the Queens Economic Development Corporation.
The First Annual Queens Travel Expo will be held at the New York LaGuardia Marriott, which is located at 102-05 Ditmars Boulevard in East Elmhurst. On Friday, April 3, it will be open to trade only from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and to the public and trade from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will be open to trade and public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 4.
For more information about the expo, visit www.queenstravelexpo.com.
“Just come out for a fun day,” Gozzi said.
