Sulemaan Ahmed, Online Maketing Manager of Sears Travel, a division of Sears Canada

Some 25,000 visitors toured the 220 stands and booths set up at the Toronto Star Travel & Leisure Show that came to a close Sunday with a heavy presence from the Caribbean region. This event is Canada´s largest travel and tourism tradeshow, is highly coveted among Canadian entrepreneurs and businesspersons willing to find out more about the world´s premier travel destinations. Caribbean News Digital talked exclusively with Mr. Ahmed, on the show importance and what it can contribute to Caribbean tourism.

By Cary Gonzalez

CND: Why is Sears Travel involved in the Toronto Travel Show?

SA: We have been involved with this kind of shows before nationally, but this is the second show in a row that we sponsored. Last fall was the first time we did the show and we were sold out, before we handed out brochures and things but we decided to offer better value to the customers was to bring our partners Transat Holiday roll the vacations and sell travels right at the show. So, if you brought your credit card you can book right here.

Considering the importance of promoting travels and the tourist products, Sears Travel is planning to take the exhibit nationally across Canada over the next few years

I believe the attendance for last fall was over 10,000 and for this show we are expecting over 25,000.

CND: How does the show help potential tourists and how does it benefit the travel industry?

SA: What people get in return is to get the opportunity and get access to different deals and things. They are able to get excellent deals in travels that they can’t get on Internet. So to get the deals you have to be here at the show. Consequently, travel agencies participating in the exposition can show and market their offers and products.

CND: What is the main focus of the event?

SA: Our main focus at this event is to do a couple of things: One is to show customers the great deals that Sears Travel offers and also Sears Canada is a big department store so we are doing other travel things such as showing people that they can buy, other things, too, like luggage. We are also showing different things, gift cards from sears and if you travel we have alarms systems, so there are a lot of different aspects to Sears. We are telling people what they can buy and what we offer in terms of travel.

CND: How does the Caribbean reflect on the show?

SA: In Canada we have a lot of snow. So people enjoy coming to the Caribbean and the people are wonderful down there…

We (Sears Travel) sell a lot of Caribbean products and at the show and during fall show specifically to various places in the Caribbean, so they are coming looking for the sun, and what a better place that the Caribbean… so we focus in a lot of Caribbean product and destinations as well, that we sell…