International Tourism and Travel Show Montreal 2013

International Tourism and Travel Show

October 25-27, 2013

This year's 25th edition of the International Tourism and Travel Show is a showcase for the newest and hottest trends in the travel industry. The three day annual event is once again held at the Montreal's Place Bonaventure exhibition hall.

This exhibition represents ia meeting place of the professionals in the travel domain. It also helps the visitors to launch their vacation and travel plans just before the onset of the harsh Canadian winter. There are plenty warm and even hot destination featured at this show, presenting a veritable winter getaway opportunity.

The Caribbean region has a strong presence as seen in the two pictures above - Cuba on the left and Haiti on the right.

The Middle-Eastern countries are also in the forefront with the attractive travel destinations. Egypt kiosk had even dazzled the show's attendees today with the sumptuous plates of the traditional food along with the sweetened hibiscus tea.

This year Air Transat is showcasing its comfortable airplane seats. The show also offers an opportunity to purchase needed travel accessories like suitcases, knapsacks and various travel bags bags, ranging from large to small.

On a large stage, at the far side of the hall, one can see traditional dances from many travel destinations represented by various kiosks in the show. In addition, there is an area with exotic animals and birds, which also seems to put people into the mood of starting to plan their winter and future trips.

Since the picture taking has become an indispensable part of the modern travel, as we all with to preserve the memories of our trips, a large section in the exhibition is allocated to the photo equipment and accessories.

Next to the photo equipment is located a travel photo exhibition. Many pictures are remarkable, meriting a close attention.

There are 100 countries represented in this show with 400 different kiosks. It is a truly international exhibition not to be missed if you are planning a trip, or simply would like to learn about different countries and cultures on our planet.

For more information, visit the International Tourism and Travel Show's website.

Port of Montreal: AIDA Bella Cruise Ship

AIDA Bella

The German cruise ship AIDA Bella, measuring 253 meters long, and with the capacity of 2,500 people, is the largest passenger ship that has ever docked in Montreal. It is presently moored at the Port of Montreal's Alexandra Pier. It will stay there for two days, after which it will depart to New York and the Caribbean.

The ship comprises of 14 levels, the lowest two are accessible only to the crew members. Level 3 has a partial passenger access, since this is where the cruse’s medical centre  or “hospital” as it was referred to by a crew member, is located.

Above are photos of the ship's two passageways. One on the left leads to the elevators and a staircase at the back, and the one on the right is in the shopping area winding in between speciality boutiques. Notice the stylized golden columns in both pictures that one can also find in other areas of the ship. Somehow, these columns project the proportions of a female's body. Is this the artistic rendition of AIDA, the name of the German shipping company that build and owns the boat, and also the name of the main heroin of Giuseppe Verdi's opera by the same name?

Those stylized AIDA columns are not the only art objects on the ship. There is also an art gallery for the art-loving passengers, seen in the photo just below.

The ship has several dining areas which are open to all the passengers at the same time, unlike in other cruisers where people are scheduled to eat at certain and at different times. In AIDA Bella's dining areas , the food is included in the price of the cruise ticket. In addition, there are several restaurents  where the passengers can choose to eat and pay for their food. 

There are also several bars on the ship. The largest one is the Star-shaped Bar pictured in the photo above to the right.

What would a cruise ship be without an exercise room and a lounging area. Of course AIDA Bella has them! You can see both in the photos above.

For the warm summer days, there are chaiselongs and swimming pools on the upper-most deck. As you can see from the photos above and below, the design of the upper deck is quite dramatic. It has both futuristic and classical, amphitheatre-like elements.

The ship also has a spa with a jacuzzi set into a tropical setting, and a discotheque which is full of passengers when the ship is at sea.

However, during the ship's stay in Montreal, and only as a special exception due to the panoramic setting of the Montreal's Port in the historical part of the city, the discotheque is turned into a bar with a mellow background music. The people sit on the discotheque's terrace and admire the Montreal's night scenery with its special lights and shapes.

If the pictures above looked devote of people, it is simply because during the day the passengers embark on various tourist excursions. Some take guided tours in Montreal, organized by the Tourism Montreal bureau, others go on a day trip Ottawa or to the Laurentian mountains north of Montreal. The Ottawa trip has proven especially popular this year.

AIDA Bella caters to the German tourists. Those who speak English would feel quite comfortable on the ship, even if they are not German. The AIDA cruise line has not yet ventured into serving multilingual clientele without any knowledge of either German or English.