U.S. Travel Appoints Chairs of State Tourism Directors, Destinations & Attractions Councils

Washington, D.C. – 2012-12-14 — /travelprnews.com/ — The U.S. Travel Association announced at its recent Board of Directors meeting the appointments of John Edman, Barbara Steinfeld and Marilyn Hannes as chairs of the association’s National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD), Destinations Council and National Council of Attractions, respectively.

John Edman is the director of Explore Minnesota Tourism, the state’s public-private tourism organization, where he leads the state’s promotion and marketing efforts. Prior to joining the tourism agency in 2000, he held leadership positions in prominent public and private travel organizations, including director of marketing for Carlson Destination Marketing Services, a division of Minnetonka-based Carlson. He has long been an active member of U.S. Travel’s state tourism council, most recently serving as vice chair for the past two years. The NCSTD leverages the collective strength of state tourism offices to influence public policy and to provide leadership and the forum for information sharing and education on issues impacting tourism. U.S. Travel also announced that Margot Amelia, executive director of Maryland Office of Tourism, will serve as the NCSTD’s vice chair.

Barbara Steinfeld is the vice president of tourism sales at Travel Portland, where she is responsible for promoting the area to both domestic and international visitors. She brings extensive experience to U.S. Travel’s Destinations Council, most recently serving as vice chair. The goal of the council is to unite destination marketing organization (DMO) professionals across the nation from all sizes and types of destinations. Representing over 400 DMOs, the council works to develop public and unified positions on national industry matters in addition to providing tools and resources that enhance the effectiveness of tourism destination marketing professionals and their organizations. Jay Burress, president and CEO of the Arlington (TX) Convention and Visitors Bureau, was appointed as vice chair.

Marilyn Hannes is the vice president of marketing for SeaWorld San Diego, where she is responsible for sales and marketing for the San Diego marine-life park. The National Council of Attractions (NCA) unites attraction industry professionals that are U.S. Travel members from across the nation and from every type of attraction. The council leverages the collective strength of the attraction industry to influence public policy, provide leadership and a forum for information sharing and increase awareness of the economic impact of attractions. Liz Dion, vice president of marketing – Southeast Region with Premium Outlets, will serve as vice chair of the council.

More information about U.S. Travel Association councils can be found here.

Contact:
Cathy Keefe

The U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry that generates $1.9 trillion in economic output and supports 14.4 million jobs. U.S. Travel’s mission is to increase travel to and within the United States.

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