U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Announces Board of Directors for New Corporation for Travel Promotion

14 September 2010
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Non-profit will lead effort to promote travel to the U.S.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today appointed 11 travel and tourism industry leaders to serve on the Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) Board of Directors. The CTP is a new non-profit corporation that will promote travel to the United States and communicate and improve the entry process so that visitors want to return.

The Corporation will help enhance the competitiveness of an already robust industry, which supports more than 8 million American jobs and is a critical source of export strength. Many other nations operate ministries of tourism that actively market their countries as tourist destinations around the world. The Corporation will help get America into the game and encourage people across the globe to travel to the U.S.

“We are extremely pleased to join with this diverse group of talented travel and tourism industry leaders as we work together to strengthen this important sector of the U.S. economy,” Locke said. “President Obama recognizes the critical role that attracting international visitors to the United States plays in creating jobs and growing our economy.”

The CTP and its efforts to promote America as a travel destination will be funded by private donations and matching funds from a new fee collected from foreign travelers to the U.S.

The CTP Board of Directors represents various regions of the United States and each member has expertise and experience in specific sectors of the travel and tourism industry.  They include:


  • Caroline Beteta, President and CEO, California Travel & Tourism Commission, Sacramento, Calif.
  • Stephen Cloobeck, Chairman and CEO, Diamond Resorts International, Las Vegas, Nev.
  • George Fertitta, CEO, NYC & Company, New York, N.Y.
  • Daniel Halpern, President and CEO, Jackmont Hospitality, Inc., Atlanta, Ga.
  • Tom Klein, President, Sabre Holdings, Southlake, Texas
  • David Lim, Chief Marketing Officer, Amtrak, Washington, D.C.
  • Mark Schwab, Senior Vice President-Alliances, International and Regulatory Affairs, United Airlines, Chicago, Ill.
  • Diane Shober, Tourism Director, State of Wyoming, Cheyenne, Wyo.
  • Al Weiss, President, Worldwide Operations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Orlando, Fla.
  • Roy Yamaguchi, Owner and Founder, Roy’s Restaurant, Newport Beach, Calif.
  • Lynda S. Zengerle, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, Washington, D.C.
The travel and tourism industry represents $1.3 trillion of the U.S. economy, supporting 8.2 million U.S. jobs and accounting for 8 percent of all U.S. exports. One out of every 16 Americans works, either directly or indirectly, in a travel and tourism related industry.

The Travel Promotion Act of 2009 created the CTP to develop and execute a plan to (a) provide useful information to those interested in traveling to the United States; (b) identify and address perceptions regarding U.S. entry policies; (c) maximize the economic and diplomatic benefits of travel to the United States through the use of various promotional tools; and (d) ensure that international travel benefits all states and the District of Columbia.

For more details on the Travel Promotion Act, please visit: http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/about/Travel_Promotion_Act.html

For more information on the inbound market to the USA, go to: http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/outreachpages/inbound.general_information.inbound_overview.html

U.S. Department of Commerce
International Trade Administration
Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI)
1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 1003
Washington, D.C. 20230
Phone: (202) 482-0140; Fax: (202) 482-2887
Website: <www.tinet.ita.doc.gov>
Email: [email protected]

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