COMMUNITY NEWS
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Visit Philadelphia announces new hires and promotion
Visit Philadelphia
Werner
Callahan
Burkhardt hired two new staffers and promoted another in February . Jim Werner was promoted to vice president of hotel relations and tourism development . Kara Callahan is the organization ’ s new vice president of advertising and strategic alliances . Laura Burkhardt , the second new hire , is the vice president of visitor appeal .
“ We ’ re happy to welcome Kara and Laura and to promote Jim , a long-time member of our team ,” says Meryl Levitz , president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia .
“ We ’ re coming off a banner year for hospitality in 2016 , and the new leadership positions will strengthen our talented team by helping us to fulfill our mission , reach our goals and maintain the success of leisure tourism in our region .”
Callahan oversees the DMO ’ s ad campaigns , and its integrated marketing ,
video production and industry partnership programs . She most recently worked for The Franklin Institute . In her six years there , she led marketing strategy and developed promotional partnerships . Callahan also has won two regional Emmy Awards for her work at that museum .
Burkhardt joined Visit Philadelphia from her previous position at Where Philadelphia magazine . She had been with the publication since 2005 . In her new role , she leads the organization ’ s relationship development with local shops , museums , restaurants and attractions . She also manages Visit Philadelphia ’ s photography initiatives for the web , advertising and social media .
Werner leads the development of new overnight leisure initiatives and manages the organization ’ s relationships with hotels . He was promoted from his role as senior director of industry relations . He joined the Visit Philadelphia team in 2005 , and he has taught tourism and hospitality management courses as an adjunct professor at Temple University since 2015 .
Memphis CVB opens Australia- New Zealand Office
The Memphis CVB hired Chris Ingram , formerly of Tourism Australia , to lead its new marketing efforts in Australia and New Zealand . Ingram is based in Auckland and joins the CVB ’ s existing international outreach specialists for China , Japan and Europe .
Oceania represents the third-largest international inbound market for Memphis , surpassed only by Canada and the U . K . “ Representation and partnerships have existed for Memphis tourism in Europe for 25 years , resulting in Memphis as one of the premier and most visited destinations in the southern U . S .,” says Kevin Kane , president and CEO of the Memphis CVB .
Mexico sets international tourism record
The Mexico Tourism Board announced that the country welcomed 35 million international travelers in 2016 . The figure represents a nine percent increase over 2015 .
“ Mexico ’ s sustained , fast growth is a testament to the incredible quality and diversity in our tourism offerings and the hard work for the entire industry , both internationally and domestically ,” says Lourdes Berho , CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board . “ Plans are already underway to ensure 2017 builds upon these achievements and that Mexico continues to welcome all visitors and give them reasons to come back again and again .”
The tourism industry employs more than 9 million Mexicans . The tourism board has set a goal to welcome 50 million international visitors by 2021 .
Native American tourism sees increase in overseas visitation
The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association reports that international visitation to Native American destinations tripled between 2007 and 2015 .
AIANTA launched a training program called Go International , aimed at Native American tourism professionals who want to expand their international reach . The two-day course addresses product marketing and pricing and tracking visitation data .
The group has touted the importance of tracking visitor numbers in spite of the challenges presented by the rural nature of many Native American sites . It also launched nativeamerica . travel in 2015 ; the website helps prospective visitors explore available experiences and plan trips .
AIANTA reports that more than 1.9 million foreign visitors came to Native American sites in 2015 , up from 693,000 in 2007 . It expects visitation to increase to 2.3 million by 2020 .
52 April / May 2017