After 12 years at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, Fernando Harb, senior vice president of tourism sales, is leaving the organization. A long-time veteran of the tour and travel industry, Harb previously served as director of sales and marketing at the Hollywood Beach Marriott and, prior to that, as director of international and production sales at the Roney Beach Palace Resort.
Doug Killian has left his post as senior director of international tourism for Mall of America. He had been with the shopping attraction for nearly 17 years. Previously, he had been with Northwest Airlines for almost 20 years, lastly as director of international communications.
Jeff Guaracino has been named the new president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia. Guaracino, who comes to the position from Welcome America where he was president and CEO, succeeds Meryl Levitz, who is retiring next month after 22 years on the job. Guaracino had previously served in several leadership roles at Visit Philadelphia from 2001 to 2012. Visit Philadelphia promotes leisure travel to the Greater Philadelphia area, while the Philadelphia CVB focuses on city, and is the primary marketing agency for the city’s convention business.
Markus Daldrup has stepped down as managing director of Germany’s fourth-largest tour operator, Alltours, leaving it to owner Willi Verhuven to once again run the business. Daldrup, who took over as managing director, has been with the company for more than 15 years in two separate periods. According to Alltours, he will stay until the end of 2019 as head of the travel agency business. Daldrup is the latest in a series of managers to leave the company, reportedly due to disagreements with Verhuven who founded Alltours more than 40 years ago.
Jim Forward as has been named the new commercial director for Riviera Travel, a UK-based operator that offers escorted tours worldwide. Forward starts in the new position on December 1. He has been chief executive at walking holidays co-operative HF Holidays for five years. Previously, he held roles including managing director of Warner Leisure Hotels and head of sales and marketing for Butlin’s.
Carrie Christoffersen has been appointed executive director of the Newseum. She takes over the responsibilities of Scott Williams, who served as president and chief operating officer to take on the post of president and CEO of Discovery Park America in Union City, Tennessee. Christoffersen comes to the new post—which, she has explained, is a reconfiguration of the job—from her post as vice president of exhibits.
