STA gets adventurous with latest expo
Hopeful travellers flocked to Sydney Town Hall for the STA Adventure Travel Expo on the weekend of November 8 and 9, where visitors were welcome by a live outdoor band, Turkish street food and exhibitions to inspire new adventures.
Saturday night, The Scary Canary played host to the Adventure Travel Expo Awards, which saw Peter Dobre Photo workshop take out Best Australian Tour Operator, Shhnooze win Best Australian Adventure Activity, Tucan Travel come in first as Best International Tour Operator, and Backpackers Fiji take home Best International Adventure Activity.
Over the weekend, exhibitors varied from Awake Tours, specialising in music festival and extreme event tours, SNA Tours who provide China and Indochina tours for the 35+age group, and VisitOz, a company connecting overseas visitors with paid farm work in Australia.
In addition to smaller tour groups, representatives from some of Australia’s largest travel companies were present including G Adventures, Contiki, Busabout and Intrepid.
Guests played ping pong, sipped on cold drinks and got polaroid pictures at the STA chillout area, took a photo ‘surfing’ a wave at Waves Surf School, and drank traditional Kava with Backpackers Fiji.
Exclusive deals and discounts were offered to travellers who booked their trip over the course of the expo, including My Mates Tours who offered 50% holidays in 2015.
Exhibitors also ran an assortment of competitions where prizes included a $1000 STA Travel gift voucher and free extreme New Zealand adventure, Italy on a Budget tour over four days, and Contiki $200 discount vouchers.
Intrepid Travel direct marketing executive Beven Connelly said the expo was a good place for people to come for further information and advice on travel ideas.
“I’ve spoken to a range of repeat travellers who are looking for a more in depth and authentic experience,” he said, while My Mates Tours’ director Catherine Joukhadar agreed, saying the expo helped in drawing more audiences to book tours and connect with the company.
“We’ve had quite a few people engage with us via social media, and six people in under two hours have confirmed they will be coming back to book,” she explained.
Overall, the weekend expo proved a strong selling point for all exhibitors involved, as well as a great chance for aspiring travellers to get in the know and have some fun dreaming up their next big adventure.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
adventure travel expo sta travel success sydney town hallLatest News
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