Annual travel show 'always surprises' despite downturn in economy, says LeGrow's agent

The economy may be in a downturn, but it wasn't hurting everyone at this weekend's annual LeGrow's travel show in St. John's.

Every few minutes, a bell rang and a travel agent read out the names and destination of the latest people to book their vacations on the showroom floor.

The province's fiscal situation clearly wasn't hurting the person who bought a high-end package to a Sandals resort in Antigua, listed at $17,000.

"This show always surprises me," said Blair Jerrett, senior marketing director for LeGrow's Travel. "It seems that people still need to get away. Once the chilly temperatures are here, and the snow and everything, people will save up."

Jerrett said they saw plenty of budget vacations being sold, such as a $699 package to Cuba, but they also saw plenty of higher-priced vacations being booked — like tours of Italy, Ireland and the Caribbean.

Hundreds of people came through the doors Sunday, many of whom had been there the previous day to mull over their options.

They picked up travel brochures and booklets, chatted with agents, and posed for photos in front of a huge backdrop once they booked.

More than 1,000 people showed up on Saturday, which is up dramatically from the previous year, which was nearly wiped out by a snowstorm.

Jerrett said the trends have remained close to the same year after year, but the hottest thing right now are river cruises in Europe.

"They can't build enough of those boats for the demand," he said.

A trend emerging from the show was the popularity of places reached by a direct flight from St. John's.

Some of those popular destinations included Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Cayo Coco, Cuba; and Orlando.

"Despite the dollar, Orlando can still be a good deal if you do it right," Jerrett said. "Vacation homes, where you're sharing the cost among a group of people, is still a really good bargain."

The total numbers from the two-day show have yet to be calculated, but will surpass last year's totals and be competitive with 2016, Jerrett said.