BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- After long stretches of not traveling at all or scaling back plans, many people are returning to the travel market, according to vendors at the Lehigh Valley Vacation Expo.
Ashley Woodring, a representative from The Travel Corporation, said things have changed drastically over the past four years.
- The COVID-19 pandemic crippled the travel industry
- Travel demand is high as most travel restrictions have been lifted
- Hundreds sought out promotions and deals at the Lehigh Valley Travel Expo
“People can't wait to get out. In regards to if you're looking at comparison to 2019, I mean, we're busier now than we were then," she said.
"People that maybe were waiting to travel or saving up their special moments, they're doing it now, which is super exciting… People are ready to go and they're not going to wait anymore.”
Wendy Prater, a representative for Princess Cruises and Cunard, concurred.
“A lot of people are using the word ‘revenge travel,’ because people are looking to go longer," she said. "They're looking to go for more exotic destinations around the globe, maybe hitting some of those bucket list destinations like Alaska that they haven't gotten to just yet."
Held all day Sunday at the Wind Creek Event Center, the Lehigh Valley Travel Expo is sponsored and organized by AAA, said organizer Sally McCorrison.
Getting back to normal
AAA provided multiple services at booths around the expo, including passport rush applications, insurance quotes, identity protection and travel advisers.
McCorrison said the desire to get back to a sense of normalcy in the industry worked both ways.
“There was COVID, our travel advisers spent all that time taking destination courses, and learning more about travel," she said. "So they are very experienced here today, and they're booking people on their dream vacation.”
The travel advisers were popular among the crowd, with a wait to book with them by 11:30 a.m. That may have been in part due to the free luggage promotion for those who booked their trips at the expo.
Attendee Jenny Barrett said she came to get ideas about where to go and what to spend. She was asked if anything caught her eye.
“Cold weather Alaska, it's warm in here," she said. "I like cold weather. We don't really go to beaches. And there's a lot of beaches here, but there are some cruises to Alaska.
".... We only drove on our trips over COVID. So it's been interesting. We haven't had much, but we're ready. We're definitely ready. We made the decision at the end of last year. We're ready.”
Growing demand
Signs of increasing travel demand have been found monthly at Lehigh Valley International Airport.
“Industry experts predicted that you would reach your pre-pandemic travel levels in 2023, 2024," spokesman Colin Riccobon said in a phone interview Sunday night. "At ABE, we surpassed our pre-pandemic travel levels in 2022. So the level and the demand for air travel remains very, very high.”
He said improvements at the airport only will add to that.
“Coming up in 2023, we're going to unveil a new TSA checkpoint as well as terminal connector, which will bring some expanded screening, TSA screening, which makes the process of flying through ABE even more convenient and comfortable," he said.
While the past few years have been tough, not everyone saw a downturn in travel during COVID, said Robin Koval, a representative for Grand Canyon Railway.
"It's been five years [since we traveled]... We waited long enough."Patricia Gunsser
“It's funny, it [travel] hasn't changed much with us," she said. "It has for the consumer, so to speak, but we are a company that mostly takes place outdoors. So COVID actually threw us into the front of the line just because people want to spend more time outside they want to make memories. And of course, seeing the canyon is a memorable experience.”
Gail Nowak, a representative for Luzerne County at the expo, agreed.
“A lot of people like our area, because especially with the pandemic, they wanted to take day trips and not flying and cruising and all that,” she said.
Like many at the expo, Patricia Gunsser said she was overdue for a trip. And like a lot of others Sunday, she suggested she deserved it.
“We're thinking of taking a cruise. And we wanted to get a good deal," she said. "I got the newspaper that said, 'Come with an open mind, and you'll leave with a good deal.'
"It's been five years [since we traveled]. We went to Jamaica. We waited long enough. It's time to go now.”
