Boardman Travel Show patrons savor the human touch

By Jon Moffett

Visitors appreciated the opportunity to speak with travel agents personally.

BOARDMAN — Instead of waiting until spring to enjoy some warm weather and sunshine, Chris Craft and Nina Combs have their tickets to paradise in hand and at a reasonable price.

They, along with about 400 others, attended the first Travel Show at the Holiday Inn on South Avenue. The show, which organizers are planning as an annual event, was co-sponsored by The Vindicator and American Express Travel VTI. It featured many vendors and representatives from travel agencies and other businesses.

“We were actually here to check out all of the options available through the different agencies because we’re new to the area, and we didn’t have a travel agent,” Craft said.

“We found exactly what we were looking for and happily booked a vacation.”

The Boardman pair lived in Dayton but moved to the Mahoning Valley in 2005. They used the information available from vendors to book a cruise to Cancun, Mexico, later this year.

“We were tickled pink,” Craft said. “It’s a wonderful thing, and it should be done more often. It’s the first time we’ve seen anything like it, and it’s extremely helpful for people like us, even if we were from the area.”

More than a dozen representatives aided visitors with trip advice and discounts for trips. Combs said she and Craft each saved at least $100 — and maybe more — with the discounts available at the event.

Julie Costas, marketing director of American Express Travel VTI, said both consumers and vendors benefited from the event.

“This is a great opportunity for our company as well,” she said. “So I got some of our best vendors to come and they gave specials, which will last for a week.”

Costas said discounts are still available for those who couldn’t attend the event and can be acquired by calling the VTI office at (330) 965-7750.

For those who did attend, the reviews were positive.

Jim Tanferno of Austintown was trying to book a cruise to the Mediterranean for his family of about 15. He said meeting and talking with travel agency representatives, as opposed to booking a trip over the phone or online, is a big help in getting information.

“It’s a 100 percent difference,” he said. “You can ask different questions and spend more time with them. You can look at someone and see if they’re lying or not.”

Craft added, “It’s absolutely more beneficial because it avoids the one thing I hate more than anything, which is picking up a phone and hearing, ‘for this department, push this number.’ They can’t do that here. You’re face to face, and you’re asking questions, and they’re happy to answer.”

The event featured representatives from AM Resorts, Apple Vacations, Brendan Vacations, Carnival Cruise Line, Excellence Resorts, Funjet/Mark Travel, Globus Family, Go Go Vacations, Pet Lodge USA, Princess Cruises, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Royal Caribbean, Sunset Resorts and Super Clubs.

Admission to the event went toward the Rich Center for Autism at Youngstown State University.

Bernie Kosar Sr., a former director and whose wife Geri co-founded the Rich Center, said events such as the Travel Show help the center and those who operate it.

“This is just an extension of the many things we do,” he said. “A lot of people do a lot of work to raise a lot of money to support the budget of the Rich Center, which has the better part of 50 employees.”

jmoffett@vindy.com