NTTO Data Show U.S. Gateways Losing Share
Seven of Top Ten U.S. City Destinations Lost Share from Overseas Markets Last Year vs. 2018: With the COVID-19-driven global pandemic having utterly destroyed the chance for meaningful comparison and analysis of what happens this year versus 2019, one has to look long and hard at the numbers recently posted by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) and wonder what they truly mean for the U.S. inbound tour and travel industry.
What is apparent at first blush is that New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., Boston and Chicago lost market share last year against 2018.
Does this suggest a trend? One cannot say without having reliable survey information that would cover a three-year window. But, because of the cratering of the inbound tour and travel industry this year, we will have to wait till 2022 to do some serious comparison and analysis.
In the interim, one possibility worth contemplating is that efforts of the past several years by second-tier destinations to persuade overseas visitors to the United States to try new and different places have realized some degree of success. Or, it might mean that Brand USA’s “Beyond the Gateways” promotion of the past several years has begun to yield some results.
In reviewing the data below, perhaps one would do well to pay heed to one pollster who said a generation ago, “If you look at the data long enough, they begin to talk to you.” So, you are welcome to look at the numbers below, and wait to find out if you hear voices.
Domestic Operators: DMOs Need to Be Flexible
The top takeaway from the recent panel discussion domestic tour operators, held as a part of Connect Travel’s ongoing “Staying Connected—Virtual Roundtable Series” was the need for their partners to be flexible as they work to make it through until that point at which the tour and travel industry has recovered from the impact of the coronavirus global pandemic.
Shari Bailey, vice president, Connect Travel and general manager, Connect Travel events, moderated the session. And the operators who took part in the discussion included: Charlene Troggio, owner, Breakaway Tours; Suzanne Slavitter, owner, Sports Empire Inc./Authentic California Vacations; Joey Spellerberg, president, Moostash Joe Tours; and Gary L. Haverkamp, product manager, Vacations By Rail – A Great Rail Journeys Company.
Key Takeaways from the Session:
1. Flexibility: Operators are working hard to get tours moving again; offering fully refundable programs and stressing safe and clean protocols to entice clients and make them feel safe. They need help with the details. Terms and Conditions have varied and grown more stringent as the industry has celebrated record years. Look at your cancellation, deposit and comp policies. Be flexible on all terms and conditions, as we work together on recovery.
2. New Product: Rescheduling 2020 customers into 2021 has caused operators to come up short on key products for next year. While contracting new or additional products are exciting for suppliers, tour operators are a bit nervous. Take this opportunity to review what was on the books for 2020 and check availability for 2021. Create and share enticing offers; just be mindful of rate, T’s & C’s and operator apprehension.
3. Testing the Water: The creation of “Introductory Tours” is a way for tour operators to test the water with their clients. These are generally close to home, 1-day programs with enticing pricing. Review activities and tours in your area and create offerings that may work well for these types of programs.
4. Guidance: Updated information on guidelines, protocols and openings are essential for tour operators. Regular updates on restaurants, area openings, safety requirements, urgent care locations, COVID testing centers, and visitor center specifics (hours, facilities, etc) are appreciated.
5: Connect: Operators need and want to know about your destinations, services and activities. Please be mindful that most are still working from home or only in the office a few days a week. Responses may be slow but know they look forward to hearing from you.
Selected quotes gleaned from the panel discussion include the following:
—Suzanne Slavitter: “It’s been a real challenger for us. We’re hoping that the Kentucky Derby (rescheduled from May 1 to September 4) will lift back off on the new date, which is held Labor Day weekend. So, we’re hopeful for September.
—Charlene Troggio: “We’re really trying for the reschedule. We’ve probably had to refund 300-400 checks, or charge backs, so far. But there are a lot of people who are willing to keep their money in the pot and are hoping to reschedule.”
—Joey Spellerberg: “We’ve come out with a ‘Peace of Mind’ policy. Part of the ‘Peace of Mind’ policy is that we’re not only trying to get our customer’s trust when it comes to booking; when they book at this point, we’re offering a full refund to the date of departure, no questions asked. During this time frame, it’s going to require a lot of flexibility from you (DMOs and suppliers) to help us.
—Gary Haverkamp: “We’ve had a very high percentage of bookings (81 percent) that have moved to 2021. On strategic products, we are going out and getting more space for 2021, because we already have sold-out dates—there would be no more room for new bookings. To help garner some confidence in the traveler, we’ve reduced our deposit requirements and made them refundable up to a certain period of time so we could at least get more business on the books.”
Industry Meetings to Reboot in September for 2020 & Beyond
First Major Tour and Travel Industry Tradeshow to Convene in September in Orlando—Do Connect Travel’s innovations mean more than the elimination buffet lines the length of the meeting room foyer? The answer to that and other questions follow—as the tour and travel industry in the USA gets ready to re-activate six months after it began to shut down.
FAQs
• The Who, What, When, Where and Why: There will be two tracks at the event—one for those attending the RTO Summit South, which mostly targets the large community of receptive tour operators located in Orlando and Central Florida, and another track for Connect Tour, a domestic travel show specifically designed to address the particular interests of U.S. buyers and suppliers. Both tracks will be staged September 8-10, 2020 at the Rosen Shingle Creek® Hotel in Orlando, Florida.
• What makes Connect these shows different from other events? They combine the right timing, a unique format that creates an efficient and effective environment to expedite the sales process and close business and a robust educational track to inspire and inform industry leaders in a rapidly evolving market.
—Connect Tour is the premier hosted-buyer event that brings together the most active tour operators, suppliers and experts in domestic tour and travel for preset appointments, keynote general sessions, planner/supplier roundtables and quality networking.
—RTO Summit South, now more than a decade old, fulfills the same needs of the mostly Orlando-based receptive tour operator community and the DMOs and suppliers
• Is there anything else that makes Connect Tour/RTO Summit South unique? Yes. September 8-10 will mark the formal launch of Connect’s Safe + Clean Connect plan which includes safety measures to help prevent the transmission of coronavirus as well as promote healthy best practices that planners can adopt at their events.
Here are the measures that will be implemented, which can be adapted to any event:
1. Temperature checks will be conducted before entering the event. Anyone with an elevated temperature or fever will not be allowed into the show.
2. Cotton masks will be required for attendees and staff at a minimum. Up to three KN95 masks will be provided for any attendee or staff who wants one. KN95 masks are almost identical in performance to the N95 mask used by hospital employees.
3. No on-site registration lines. Attendees will be shipped a welcome kit that includes a badge, a KN95 mask, gloves, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, agenda, magazine and other conference materials.
4. Glove and hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout the event. There will be enough nitrile disposable gloves for each attendee to wear 3x a day, and touchless hand sanitizer stations will be plentiful throughout the trade show floor and in common areas.
5. Disinfectant foggers will be placed in the indoor convention space. Professional disinfectant electrostatic sprayers will continuously disinfect the air and neutralize germs.
6. New appointment design that allows for social distancing measures. This includes plexiglass shields and sanitizer on appointment tables, which will be wiped down between appointments.
7. Greater and more creative use of indoor/outdoor spaces for receptions, education sessions and other breakouts.
8. Larger aisle ways with dedicated travel lanes in trade show and appointment areas. This will help manage traffic and prevent attendees from bumping into each other or crowding in certain areas on the trade show floor.
9. Six-foot space between chairs in education sessions. The trade showfloor and other spaces will also have 6’ space markers for attendees to follow to help them maintain an acceptable amount of space between each other.
10. No-contact F&B via pre-packaged food, pre-packaged silverware and no self-serve buffets. Extra funds will be spent on service staff serving coffee and refreshments for each attendee while wearing gloves, masks and protective gear. Grab-and-go pre-made alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and other items will be ready and sanitized at receptions.
11. No large general sessions. Instead, money will be spent on showcasing and implementing the most cutting-edge safety precautions into the programming that attendees can use as inspiration for their own events.
For more information:
Suppliers register here.
Operators register here.
A Conversation with Mike Gallagher
In this issue, INBOUND talks with Mike Gallagher, co-founder and co-chairman of CityPASS, the discounted package of tickets for attractions, tours and entertainment experiences, about the state of this sector of the tour and travel industry. He is the natural “go-to” choice for such a discussion. Why? First, he knows the sector as well as anyone, having been a part of it for nearly a half-century, serving in different capacities at the places such as the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom before creating CityPASS, along with his friend and professional colleague, Mike Morey, late in 1996. It has grown to provide ticketing for more than 100 attractions and activities in 14 North American destinations.
Second, Mike is an innately likable guy who reminds one of George Bailey, the fictional character in the old, classic movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” who saves his family bank with the help of townspeople. In the midst of the economic trauma brought about by the COVID-19 driven global pandemic, Gallagher and Morey have managed to keep all of their more than 50 employees by reducing salaries but maintaining the jobs. Gallagher also stepped in to volunteer his services pro bono to Brand USA for some four months in the latter part of 2012 as the agency recruited a new president and CEO in the wake of a surprise resignation.
Following are excerpts of our conversation with Mike Gallagher.
INBOUND: How does it look till there is a full re-activation of the tour and travel industry in the USA?
Gallagher: Right now, we are focusing on our partner destinations that are reopening. We can certainly sell tickets for places like Houston, Dallas and Tampa, but it doesn’t make sense for travelers to purchase a CityPASS ticket until a majority of the attractions in a city are operating. You can find out which sights are open by visiting our website. When you click on the destination you want to visit, you’ll see the list of included attractions. Those that are currently open are flagged.
INBOUND: How does it look for the CityPASS’ sector of the industry?
Gallagher: Bundled attraction tickets should be quite attractive for travelers because of the budget angle. With so many Americans out of work and others dealing with financial uncertainty, affordability will be a major factor in travel decisions. People, especially families traveling with children, have a lot to worry about right now. Anything that makes life a little easier is good.
You know, it’s summer now and schools are about to go on summer break. And after weeks of being stuck mostly at home, I’m sure families with kids want to get out and do something fun. We can help with that. I was very happy to see that Disneyland is planning to reopen on July 17. For many people, once Disneyland is open, summer has officially started.
INBOUND: Are you picking up any insights of particular interest from international tour operators?
Gallagher: We’re in contact with our international third-party sellers, ensuring that they have all they need from us for when international visitation begins to rebound. But it seems as though local travel will come back first. Understandably, people seem to feel more comfortable exploring closer to home. I don’t think we’ll see a large uptick in interest from international tour operators until countries are more fully open to visitors and people feel less anxious about getting on flights and traveling farther from home. And flights need to be available.
INBOUND: Most of us see “normal”—as in “return to normal”—as something different this time. We use the term “new normal.” What does that mean to you?
Gallagher: When current CityPASS President and CEO Megan Allen took over (in late 2012), one of her main goals was mobile. She and our team have worked very hard to make sure we have mobile tickets for all of our destinations. And many of our buyers chose mobile tickets because of the convenience. In the post-pandemic world, I think we’ll see an increase in travelers choosing mobile tickets for safety reasons, since those tickets reduce contact with other people. So, I’m very happy that we had that option in place. For our partner attractions in general, the new normal means timed ticketing for many attractions and more guest safety procedures.
Also, we’ve always had a generous return policy. We’re making that policy more front and center on our website to reassure buyers that they’ll be okay if their travel plans change. They have 365 days to return any unused tickets for a refund.
INBOUND: There have been articles and webinars ad nauseam on the subjects related to the coronavirus-driven global pandemic and the resulting new protocols for cleanliness and security. Are there any that stand out as uniquely different or seriously challenging?
Gallagher: Recently, the New York Times ran a great article—actually a collection of several short articles—called “The Future of Travel: How the industry will change after the pandemic.” It touches on changes the airline industry is making, when consumers will feel comfortable cruising again, where travelers will go first, what’s newly important to travelers, and lots more. It’s a very comprehensive look at the industry. Of course, depending on what happens with the virus, all of this careful reporting could be turned upside down. That’s the most frustrating thing about this new reality: It’s very hard to make specific plans or to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
INBOUND: How does all of the pandemic-affected activity influence the actual distribution of product by your segment of the industry? That is: Are ticket packets gone? Is everything going to be touchless? No paper ticket passes?
Gallagher: That’s a good question. Many people love mobile tickets because they’re fast, convenient and easy. You can purchase a ticket through our website and have it appear on your mobile device almost instantly. The fact that mobile tickets also reduce touch points is an added benefit in this current situation. And we are definitely encouraging its customers to do so everything they can to stay safe and healthy.
Having said all that, we do have customers who prefer printed ticket booklets, so, for the foreseeable future, we don’t have a plan to discontinue them. It’s funny that many of the people you’d think would be most comfortable with mobile tickets—younger travelers—like the printed tickets, because they use them as props in their Instagram photos, their YouTube videos and their Facebook posts.
INBOUND: Anything you want to add?
Gallagher: Beyond the pandemic, we have other challenges in our country, including the current protests calling for racial equality. To quote Mark Twain: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” I think those words have never been truer. Travel is a way to connect with friends and family, but it’s an equally important way to connect with new people, places, cultures and beliefs. Travel is educational for children. We often look at travel as something that’s an extravagance, but it’s also one of the best ways to build tolerance and understanding. And you don’t even need to go far; even a day trip to a new neighborhood or a nearby town can be beneficial.
For Germany, Will “Flat” be the New “Up”?
Unless there is a major turnaround in the damage to visitation from the overseas markets of China and Brazil which is expected to be major, it is likely that Germany will begin 2021 as the Number 4 overseas source market for inbound tourism to the United States.
However, what the recent behavior of the market seems to tell us is that one won’t see dramatic shifts upward, nor will it experience a significant decline, either. A quick review of the information made available in the latest market profile for Germany released by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) suggests that there is likely not to be much variation of travel to the U.S.
In fact, the number of visitors from German to the United States in 2019 was almost exactly the same as it was six years ago in 2014. The count was 2,064 last year, while it was 2,074 in 2014. The “sameness” has prevailed in what Germans like to do when the visit the United States. For the five-year period of 2015 through 2019, the top three activities of German visitors to America are the same: shopping, sightseeing and visiting national parks.
There are some shifts in activities and or in the purpose of their trip, but you have to look for nuances and what they mean if you are selling the German market.
So, in sum, do not expect much of a change of any sort in this market. And in the context of the mess that 2020 is, “not much of a change” will serve us well if we can get back to “more of the same” in 2021. Following are some selected tables from the NTTO market profile which, in some cases, we have slightly reformatted.
Notes on NTTO material: Only country and world region destinations having a sample size consistently of 100 or more are displayed. Visitation incidence was rounded to two decimal places in NTTO source files beginning in 2014 to reduce artificial ‘jumpiness’ in the data caused by rounding to only one decimal places, especially for destinations having incidence of less than two percentage points. Due to quarterly data weighting by country and port of entry, some unreported destinations may have a higher proportion of total than those reported.
For additional information, visit https://travel.trade.gov/
News Bytes Worth Digesting
• A look at Capacity of the Big Three U.S. Airlines and Their Most Important Airports: With international airline lift capacity in 2020 running at less than a tenth of what it managed in 2019, last year has become a benchmark year for analyses of the industry. From anna-aero (“anna” is the acronym for Airline Network News and Analysis), we have this detailed review of the major USA legacy airlines—American, United and Delta. As the report’s summary introduction explains, “Across these three airlines and 18 airports … American and United each had two airports within the top-five against one for Delta. Of course, Atlanta overshadows the others, with almost exactly three times as many seats for Delta as the median volume. Stripping out each carrier’s largest airport, United’s remaining top-five airports had an average 38 million seats against 35 million for American and ‘just’ 25 million for Delta.” For the complete report and article, click here.
• A Most Challenging Time for U.S. Tourism’s “Jewel”—its National Parks: “During a Great Depression radio address from Glacier National Park, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared, ‘there is nothing so American as our national parks’,” author Jim Morrison tells us in an article in the latest Smithsonian magazine, adding, “Amid another national reckoning, it’s natural for today’s Americans to turn to the parks for a respite from the restrictions of pandemic life.”
But, Morrison points out, “the promise of wide-open spaces comes with a set of complications, especially with crowds gathering at popular viewpoints, cultural sites and trails. As parks across the country began reopening in phases during May, they did so with a cautious eye on the risk to visitors and to the people who keep the parks, tour companies and nearby towns running.”
Click here to read the complete article, which explores issues faced by some of the more popular U.S. national parks which, as a whole, comprise what is arguably the most popular travel brand of America.
• TUI and Booking.com to Partner: Earlier this month, the tour and travel industry’s largest tour operator, Hanover, Germany-based TUI, and Booking.com—it is more or less in a tie with Expedia.com for title of world’s largest OTA— announced a strategic global experiences, activities and excursions partnership, providing millions of Booking.com customers worldwide with direct access to the rapidly growing activities segment of TUI and its digital subsidiary Musement. The contracts have been signed and the cooperation starts this summer 2020. The key points stressed by the two companies in making their announcement were these:
—Booking.com customers will eventually have direct access to a product portfolio of more than 70,000 tours and attractions globally through TUI subsidiary Musement, launching incrementally on Booking.com over the coming months.
—The partnership includes a robust offering that’s also relevant for domestic and local tourism
—As global travel restrictions begin to relax on a local level, customers will be able to start booking Musement’s tours and attractions inventory via Booking.com starting this summer.
For the complete news release on the announcement, click here.
Half of UK Travelers Still Willing to Fly Overseas in 2020
According to a recent study by Holiday Extras—the UK-based company that handles everything from airport parking and hotels to travel insurance—a good number of British holidaymakers would be willing to fly this year if airports and airlines observe precautions such as masks, temperature checks and social distancing. And as many as 43 percent of those responding to a survey said that the government’s two-week quarantine when they return would not stop them taking a foreign holiday.
The survey results came out at about the same time as the UK government’s latest COVID-19 safety guidance for airlines, airline passengers and airports, and re-confirming the need for all airline passengers and workers to wear face masks.
According to the updated guidance, passengers will have to check in all baggage. It does not, however, make any note when restrictions on travel to and from the UK will be lifted.
The Holiday Extras poll questioned 1,000 UK travelers on what precautions they would need to see before they next board an aircraft also revealed that more than half (53 percent) still expect to fly overseas before the end of the year. This is welcome news for those selling Visit USA product, as historically, the U.S. is the number one long-haul destination for UK travelers.
Following are results of the Holiday Extras research showed what safety measures travelers expect to see in place next time they fly.
Commenting on the findings, Ant Clarke Cowell, associate brand director for Holiday Extras, said: “While bookings are inevitably down on last year, thousands of people have already booked their holidays for later this year or next year in the past week alone.”
China: Light Coming thru Cracks in Door
In the brief period between this INBOUND Report and the last issue, the rather gloomy outlook presented then (“USA & China: The Sound of Nothing Happening”) has brightened a little. The reason is a somewhat upbeat outlook one receives from a comprehensive survey of Chinese consumers by McKinsey & Company. A global consulting firm headquartered in New York, but with seven offices in the greater China region, it gave pause to those skeptical about the near-term future, but hope to those seeking light at the end of the horizon.
While the specific focus of the McKinsey COVID-19 Travel Sentiment Survey—it is a collection of two surveys, really, taken in mid-April and last month—was on the domestic side of the equation, it tells the reader in summary form the following.
Four trends highlighted in April are consistent with the responses to the McKinsey survey in May, “which gives us confidence that these trends will persist through the summer and early fall”:
First, domestic destinations remain a top choice due to outbound travel restrictions, with 52 percent of respondents preferring this choice versus 55 percent in April.
Second, trips to scenic outdoor spots, “foodie” tours, and trips to family attractions constitute the most popular types of trips, as people continue to avoid crowded tourist spots.
Thirdly, McKinsey anticipates fewer leisure travel groups as people plan to travel mainly with immediate family members.
Finally, guided group tours remain less attractive to travelers than self-guided and self-driven trips, compared with pre-COVID-19 traveler patterns.
Of all the tables in the McKinsey report, the one that captures the essence of its findings is this:
Planned Resumption of Travel¹
(% of Respondents²)
¹ Question: When do you expect to take your next leisure trip? (n=1,569 respondents for data collected in May 2020 and n = 1,682 respondents for data collected in April 2020)
² Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Source: COVID-19 Travel Sentiment Survey
To access a complete copy of the McKinsey & Company report—“China’s travel recovery gains steam: How families are planning their summer vacation—click here.
HODGE PODGE: Appointments & Changes
Mark Jaronski, a 25-year travel and tourism industry leader and veteran Disney marketing executive, has been tapped as the new CEO of Explore Georgia, the state tourism office within the Georgia Department of Economic Development. During his career, Jaronski spent 16 years at The Walt Disney Company in a variety of marketing roles that included manager of Disney Cruise Line Public Relations, brand manager of Walt Disney World theme parks, and director of external communications for Disney Parks Worldwide. Following his Disney tenure, Jaronski oversaw global communications for Visit Orlando, the official tourism association for Central Florida. Most recently, Jaronski has served as CEO of Select Registry Distinguished Inns of North America since 2016.
China Travel News reports that that Fliggy, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba‘s travel brand, has undertaken a series of major restructuring in senior management, including the appointment of Fliggy’s new president— Zhuoran Zhuang, vice president of Alibaba Group, who is adding the responsibility as the new president of Fliggy. Zhuang previously served as chief technology officer of Alibaba’s cultural and recreational unit and chief operating officer of the Youku video business. He joined Alibaba in 2009. As a result of the change, Angel Zhao is no longer acting as president of Fliggy, but she will still serve as president of Alibaba Global Business Group and senior vice president of Alibaba Group.
HTTA.US a recovery registry for travel and tourism professionals who are unemployed and furloughed, lost job because of COVID-19 and other causes, has announced that Rebecca Barnes has officially joined the ranks of its volunteers as its trade associations and DMOs outreach coordinator. Barnes was most recently PR and projects manager for the International Inbound Travel Association.
The tour operator software company, Tourwriter, has announced a new leadership structure, with Glenn Campbell (left) and Pierre Malou taking on a co-CEO partnership. Malou, with a background in sales, marketing and business acceleration, will be focusing on the growth and operational excellence of the company. Campbell will apply his knowledge of tourism, technology and financial knowledge to the product. Said Tourwriter director Serge Van Dam, “This dual leadership enables us to continue innovating and providing travel designers with the quality products and services that they have come to expect from Tourwriter, while positioning us to continue to grow when travel resumes.”
Joanna Reeve has been appointed head of industry and tailor-made sales EMEA at group tour operator Intrepid, replacing Andrew Turner who left the company in March to join DMC Discova. Reeve will lead on industry and tailor-made sales, and will spearhead new domestic and international sales strategies in the region following “a period of hibernation.” Reeve has been with the London-based company for nearly eight years.
Blanca Rosa Espinosa was recently named senior vice president of sales at A&H Limo Corporation in New York City. Previously, she was regional business development director for SuperShuttle. She has also held senior sales and marketing positions at Gray Line Worldwide and City Sights New York/Airlink NYC.
Finnbar Cromwell is now the senior industry head for travel at Google in the UK. Cromwell, who joined Google’s UK operation January 2016, had been industry head, travel. He joined the company as manager, EMEA sales strategy and operations. Cromwell replaces Ruairidh Roberts, who has joined Waze–the GPS navigation software app owned by the search engine–as UK country manager.
Tabbi Burwell has been named as the new executive director for the Craft Brewers Association of Oklahoma. She joins the organization from the Oklahoma City CVB, where she served for more than six years, most recently as senior manager for destination communications.
Cherie Richards, has been appointed chief business development officer for Not Just Travel. She joins the company from the Global Travel Group, a dnata brand, where she was director of commercial. Richards had been with dnata since 2008.
Sean Dixon has been hired as the next president of Visit Topeka and the Greater Topeka Partnership. Dixon joins the organization from the Springfield, Missouri Convention & Visitors Bureau where he was director of marketing. He had served the Springfield bureau for more than 10 years.
Keith Backsen has resigned from his post as executive director of Visit Omaha, after serving in the position for five years. Previously, Backsen was vice president of sales and services for Visit Spokane, where he served for more than a decade. In announcing the move, Backsen indicated that he wanted to be near his ailing, 95-year-old mother in Portland, Oregon.
Larry Alexander, long-time president and CEO of the Detroit Metro CVB for more than 20 years, as announced that he is retiring from the post, effective December 31st. Before he joined the organization in 1999, Alexander had spent 20+ years in the hospitality industry.
Larry Sieg, a long-time veteran of the tour and travel industry in Atlantic City who served for many years as vice president of marketing for the city’s convention and visitors authority before it was dissolved and its functions became a part of Meet AC, has been tapped to be the new president and CEO of Meet AC, succeeding Jim Wood, who moved to Indiana earlier this year where he is now president and CEO of Visit Evansville. Until his appointment as the new head of Meet AC, Sieg has served has director of communications and marketing for the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) in Atlantic City.
Posted Industry Jobs
From SearchWide Global:
—The Park City Chamber of Commerce/Convention & Visitors Bureau is looking for a new president. Click here for more information.
—Travel Marquette is looking for a group marketing/sales manager. For more information, visit here.
—Meet AC (Atlantic City) is seeking a new President & CEO. Click here for more details.
—The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau has an opening for a senior national account director for the Chicago Metro Area. For more information, click here.
—Visit Santa Clara is searching for a president and CEO. Click here for more information.
—Destination Ann Arbor is looking to hire a vice president of sales. For more information, visit here.
—The Port Aransas & Mustang Island Tourism Bureau & Chamber of Commerce is searching for a president & CEO. For more information, click here.
—The Galesburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau in Illinois is looking for an executive director. For more details, click here.
—The Spartanburg (S.C.) Convention & Visitors Bureau is seeking a chief tourism development officer. Visit here for more information.
—The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (Explore St. Louis) has an opening for a vice president of sales. Click here for more information.
—An international hotels & resorts company has an opening for a regional director of sales and marketing; the position is based in Vancouver, B.C. Visit here for details.
—The Saugatuck Douglas Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is searching for a new executive director. Click here for more information.
