Travel experts from more than 200 destinations and thousands of guests descended upon the 10th Annual Chicago Travel & Adventure Show Saturday in Rosemont, Ill.

The Travel & Adventure Show is an annual event that joins consumers and travel agents in some of the nation’s largest markets: Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., San Francisco Bay Area, Dallas and San Diego.

Held at the Stephens Convention Center, Chicago’s weekend show included presentations from well-known travel personalities Rick Steves, Pauline Frommer, Samantha Brown and Todd Carmichael, live cooking demonstrations, exclusive travel deals and floor activities such as a mechanical bull ride, endless raffles and pictures with an Alaskan sled.

A scuba diving exhibit in a 20-foot by 30-foot, 15,000 gallon mobile pool allowed spectators to get involved.

The Dive Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) was behind the interactive exhibit which offered free 15 minute sessions in complete diving gear to interested participants ages 10 and up. According to master diver David Hoitsma from Scuba Emporium, most people inquire about the temperature of the pool or how long they get to stay in. After the experience, he said about 30 to 40 per cent of people ask about the price of classes. This experience is one that no one wants to miss out on.

“I remember one show we had an 83 year old lady get in,” Hoitsma said.

Goals of increasing tourism and sales were not limited to such international destinations as Costa Rica, Tahiti, or the Philippines. Several booths could be found for Michigan, Indiana, Florida and Wisconsin, among other states.

“People are interested in learning more about the individual states,” Teresa Compton, Tourism Sales manager for Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors, said.

“I talked to several people today and they’re like ‘people want to go international but there’s so much in our own country that we’re not even discovering,'” she added. “Every state has something that’s unique about it, its history, culture. Maybe that’s part of what affects you in your own state, what your kids are learning in the history book. We’re finding that people are really beginning to visit the internet and are finding out more about every state and are interested in traveling to those states.”

“It was nice to hear a consumer say ‘Oklahoma, you are reasonable to go to. I can’t go to all these exotic places,'” Charlinda “Charlie” Wallar, Consumer Travel Coordinator for the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreational Department, said. “That’s one of the reasons we want to capture the middle class American to come down and visit us.”

To help the middle class American get to their destinations both national and international, Amtrak was present along with the Chicago Passport Agency which had available applications for first time and renewed passports. With the largest collection of booths and the first stop for nearly every attendee, travel agency partner AAA Travel was present in full force with several travel discounts, packages and raffles.

The bustling first day concluded with the presentation “Europe Through the Back Door with Rick Steves.” Steves is a world-known travel author and host with an expertise in Europe.

His talk featured well-researched and non commercial ways to enjoy Europe such as understanding the context and history of sites for further appreciation, interacting with a local or foregoing a hotel for a hostel, allowing for a more authentic experience.