2008 Product Innovation Award Winners Help Make Travel Easier

SAN DIEGO, April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- With over 40,000 products on display at this year's Travel Goods Show there was a lot to pick from when deciding which items would win the Travel Goods Association's (TGA) 2008 Product Innovation Awards. This year's first-place winner is one that is sure to generate interest from consumers -- a luggage retriever system that works just like your car door opener.

The Luggage Locator Pro from the TRG Group makes it fun and easy to locate luggage on a baggage carousel, after a cruise, or even behind a hotel bellhop stand with the simple push of a button. A small receiver is attached to a luggage handle, and a handheld remote sends a unique signal that sets off a series of beeps and flashes, helping the user find their luggage quickly and easily within a 60-foot radius.

"The makers of travel products have really responded quickly to the needs of consumers," explains Michele Marini Pittenger, president of TGA. "With the increasing stress of travel today we're all looking for items that will make our trip a bit easier, and our three winners do that."

The second place winner of the Product Innovation Award helps solve a problem consumers deal with everyday -- the possibility of identity theft. With credit cards, passports and new state drivers licenses now storing information electronically on an embedded chip, thieves can skim data from up to 20 feet away without the owner's knowledge. Kena Kai's new DataSafe wallets and passport covers use multiple layers of radio-frequency shielding material in a high-quality Italian leather cover to keep personal data safe.

Luggage and carry-on bags continue to evolve and adapt to consumer needs. "This year we saw many bags that show manufacturers are really re-thinking form and function," says Peter Cobb, the head of TGA's Awards Committee and co-founder and senior vice president of eBags. "Our third-place winner, the ZUCA Pro, is a perfect example, incorporating an exterior frame, packing pouches that fit in the bag like drawers, an integrated seat, and the bag itself can be detached from the frame and cleaned or replaced." The seat will hold up to 300 pounds and has a narrow-set wheel system so that it easily navigates down aircraft aisles.

For more information on new trends and products for 2008, contact Susan Abbey, TGA's Director of Public Relations, at susan@travel-goods.org.

The Travel Goods Association (TGA) represents the manufacturers and retailers of luggage, backpacks, duffels, business and laptop cases, totes, handbags and other products for travel and everyday use.

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