Bigger Travel Expo to bring travel specials to South Africans this month

If you’re still battling the post-festive-season blues, there’s light on the travel horizon.

Indulge your inner travel bug at the Travel Expo 2018 on February 10 and 11, when Flight Centre Travel Group throws open the doors of Randburg’s Ticketpro Dome for you to choose from thousands of holiday choices: skiing in the French Alps; cruising the Mediterranean; all-inclusive beach breaks in Mauritius; guided holidays through Europe; and much more.

An estimated 135 travel exhibitors will bring their best deals to the table. That’s more exhibitors than in 2017, which means more opportunities to find the travel deal of a lifetime.

Now in its eighth year, the Travel Expo promises to be even bigger, with 25,000 visitors expected and up to R650,000 in prizes up for grabs, including flights, holidays, hotel stays, tours and cruises. 

This year’s show will also include a much larger kids’ area and a beer garden, and if you’d like a taste of the myriad travel destinations and opportunities available, special Travel Talks are on the line-up too.

It’s a veritable travel extravaganza over two days, says Andrew Stark, Flight Centre Travel Group Africa and Middle East MD.

“The bigger the Travel Expo gets, the more we encourage and enable South Africans to travel,” he says. “Our visitors can connect with the destinations they’ve been dreaming of and speak directly to our travel partners and experts to get the best advice and deals.

“In 2017, we saw visitor numbers grow by 10% and travel sales of R32-million. In 2018, we hope to expand our visitor numbers by a further 15% and, with the additional travel exhibitors showcasing what they have to offer, we anticipate even greater interest in planning and booking a holiday in 2018 than in previous years.”

The continued success of the Travel Expo flies in the face of perceptions that the local economic environment and international concerns over safety are deterrents to South Africans travelling.

“The cost of travel due to exchange rates, onerous visa requirements and the country’s economy, of course, could all be factors that influence South Africans’ decision to travel,” says Stark. “However, the success of this expo proves South Africans are resilient and, even when times are tough, they make sure they’re investing in themselves and their families through shared travel experiences.”

The Travel Expo is the annual travel event that brings affordable travel to the South African consumer. Nowhere else will visitors find more South African travel companies under one roof on one weekend, including airlines such as South African Airways, Emirates and Air Mauritius; tour operators such as Beachcomber, Club Med and Trafalgar; and cruise lines such as NCL, MSC and Royal Caribbean.

Consumers will also encounter an extensive array of local holiday options, December breaks, school holiday specials and savings of up to 50% on selected flights and tours.

“All our Flight Centre Travel Group brands, including Flight Centre, Cruiseabout, Corporate Traveller and Flight Centre Business Travel, will be exhibiting at the Travel Expo,” says Stark.

“And, as usual, we will have a large cohort of professional travel experts ready to assist travellers who’ve been inspired by what they’ve found at the show to secure their holidays in 2018 and beyond there and then.”

Pre-register on www.travelexpo.co.za for entry into prize draws and further information.

Not in the Johannesburg area? All Travel Expo specials will also be available in-store at all Flight Centre stores nationally.

This article was paid for by Flight Centre.