The New York Times Travel Show has announced today that award-winning food writer and television host Padma Lakshmi will be headlining its annual travel industry event,  discussing travel, food, and her best-selling book, Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir.

Lakshmi established herself as a food expert early in her career, having hosted two successful cooking shows and writing the best-selling Easy Exotic, which won the “Best First Book” award at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards; and later, her second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot, and Sweet. For the Food Network, Lakshmi hosted “Padma’s Passport,” where she cooked diverse cuisine from around the world and later, “Planet Food,” a documentary series on the Food Network and broadcasted worldwide on the Discovery Channel. She has been the host of Bravo’s television competition series “Top Chef” since 2006 and was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as host and judge for the program in 2009.

Lakshmi will be in conversation with Emily Weinstein, deputy food editor at The New York Times, and the editor of NYT Cooking on Sunday, January 27 from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. The session is sponsored by Presenting Sponsor Incredible India.

Following the program, she will be signing copies of her books “Love, Loss and What We Ate: A Memoir” and “The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs” from 2:30-3:30 p.m.

The 2019 New York Times Travel Show–now in its 16th year–will take place Jan. 25-27, 2019, opening with a Trade Day exclusively for over 10,000 travel industry professionals and media; Saturday, Jan. 26, and Sunday, Jan. 27. will be open to over 22,000 consumer travelers, as well as to travel professionals and media. The three-day showcase will feature global cuisine tastings, cultural performances, travel book signings, one-on-one conversations with travelexperts and special discounts and offers for consumers of all ages from over 600 exhibitors. The Show will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

Additional Programming

This year, the Travel Show will also feature other program highlights including a Trade Day keynote panel on the state of the travel industry, moderated by James Shillinglaw; along with expanded Travel Product, LGBTQ and Family Fun pavilions. For the first time in New York Times Travel Show history, a passport acceptance event, hosted by the Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State, will also be held.

Cultural Stages lineup

Taste of the World

Meet the Experts Pavilion

Travel Seminars

On-site book signings

2019 New York Times Travel Show Sponsors

Incredible India is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2019 New York Times Travel Show.

South African Tourism and Visit California are Gold sponsors of the 2019 Travel Show; Allianz Global Assistance, Greek National Tourism Organization, MSC Cruises, Visit Florida, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Hungarian Tourism Agency are Silver sponsors; I Love New York, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Puglia Promozione and the Georgian National Tourism Administration are Bronze sponsors.

Israel Ministry of Tourism is the Taste of the World Sponsor.

Industry sponsors include: Adventure Travel Trade Association, Africa Travel Association, American Society of Travel Agents, Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association Education Foundation, Caribbean Tourism Organization, Cruise Line International Association, Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Specialists Association, European Travel Commission, Family TravelAssociation, International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association, Millennials in Travel, Pacific Asia Travel Association, Professional Travel Bloggers Association, Travel Goods Association, Society of American Travel Writers, U.S. Tour Operators Association, and Well-Being Travel.

Girls LOVE Travel, GoNomad, Healthy Aging Magazine, Insider Travel Report, ManAboutWorld, Passport Magazine, TA Connect, TravAlliancemedia, and Travel Market Report are media sponsors for The 2019 New York TimesTravel Show.