California Travel Association

Visit California has released drafts of its Regional Strategic Tourism Plans, which are now open for comment through March 31. The plans reflect two years of work soliciting input and feedback across more than 1,500 touchpoints with community participants, including 768 individual interviews and regular meetings with 12 Regional Advisory Committees. “More than just a response to the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, this project embodies the resilience and determination that define California’s tourism industry," said Visit California President & CEO Caroline Beteta. Access the plans here: https://lnkd.in/g5JCp7Kn

Earlier this week, 120 members made their way to the City by the Bay for our Winter Board Meeting. Thank you to everyone who braved the rain to learn, network, and exchange ideas in San Francisco. We hope you found the two days to be informative, memorable, and fun! Thank you to Cassandra Costello and the entire team at San Francisco Travel Association as well as outstanding speakers Tyler Florence and Ned Segal, and our many destination partners including Hotel Nikko San Francisco, Club Fugazi Experiences, Chase Center Private Events, Big Bus Tours, Waymo, Original Joe's, and Miller & Lux for being such gracious hosts. San Francisco is a beacon of creativity, innovation, and resilience. And despite some initial rain, the city truly shined! View the full photo gallery here: https://bit.ly/42NnCiy

Nelson Gumm is President and CEO of AJR Media Group, a company that provides best in class media solutions to clients and agencies throughout the USA. AJR’s strength lies in its knowledge of the travel, financial, tech, B2B, B2C, and luxury/fashion segments and a deep expertise in connecting U.S.-based marketers and agencies with international media. Nelson co-founded AJR & Associates in 1991 and became CEO in 2005, growing the company to where it is today as AJR Media Group. Welcome to CalTravel, Nelson and the AJR Media Group team! Check out more tourism career moves in the link below. https://bit.ly/47ZjRXy

Last week, over 75 travel and tourism leaders gathered at Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite for our Fall Board Meeting and first-ever Board Retreat. Thank you to everyone who made the trek through the mountains to learn, network, and exchange ideas! And a big thank you to our destination host Visit Yosemite | Madera County, our breakfast sponsor Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, our power-up sponsor Causal, and our many destination partners for helping us enhance the experience. Yosemite is a true California treasure, and it showed! Check out the photo gallery here: https://bit.ly/3ZVBJ3z

Matt Muir is Vice President of Brand Partnerships at Emergent Media, a modern digital media company. With a social-first approach that is informed by data and brought to life by a global creator network, Emergent is re-imagining how content and ideas can be most effectively created and shared in today’s digital ecosystem. Matt is a media entrepreneur and sales leader with more than 20 years of experience, specializing in brand partnerships, branded content, advertising sales, sponsorships, and business development. Welcome to CalTravel, Matt and the Emergent Media team! Check out more tourism career moves in the link below. https://bit.ly/47ZjRXy

National Ski Areas Association has appointed Michael Reitzell as its new President and CEO. He joins NSAA with over 20 years of ski industry experience, including nine years as President of Ski California. In his new role, he will be responsible for the organization’s operations, including government relations and lobbying activities, public relations, research, financial management, member education, and administration. The Board believes his passion for the ski industry and his achievements at Ski California make him the perfect fit. Mike is excited about what the NSAA team and member resorts will be able to accomplish together. Congratulations on your new position, Michael! Check out more tourism career moves in the link below. https://bit.ly/47ZjRXy

Visit Oxnard President and Chief Executive Officer Julie Mino Buffo will be retiring and leaving her role at the destination marketing organization, where she has served for nearly seven years Buffo’s tenure marked a transformative era for the organization, during which she led the team to achieve remarkable milestones. Among some of the most notable achievements, Buffo secured a long-term, dedicated funding source with the Oxnard Tourism Marketing District, providing a more secure stream of funding for all marketing-related initiatives and a multi-year contract with the City of Oxnard. Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement, Julie! Check out more tourism career moves in the link below. https://bit.ly/47ZjRXy

Visit Lodi has announced Wes Rhea as its new President and CEO, effective October 1. He joins Visit Lodi following 19 years leading destination marketing efforts in Stockton. With his extensive experience and expertise in destination marketing and his passion for Lodi, the Board is confident that he will be instrumental in increasing tourism to the city, both domestically and internationally. Wes looks forward to working with Lodi’s hospitality community and local stakeholders to continue building on the great work that has already been done. Congratulations on your new position, Wes! Check out more tourism career moves in the link below. https://bit.ly/47ZjRXy

Chad Reelfs is Vice President at Crimtan, a technology company that provides a comprehensive lifecycle marketing solution. Crimtan was founded with a global mission to be a trusted partner to the world’s best known brands, to make the complex world of programmatic simple, and to expertly adapt to the constantly changing digital world. Chad leads Crimtan’s Central and West Coast teams and strategic client partnerships throughout the U.S. and Canada. Welcome to CalTravel, Chad and the Crimtan team! Check out more tourism career moves in the link below. https://bit.ly/47ZjRXy

Visit Anaheim has promoted Pepe Avila to Senior Vice President of Community Relations and Partnerships. He previously served as Vice President of Tourism and Partnerships. Throughout his many years at Visit Anaheim, Pepe’s big-picture thinking, commitment to achieving results, and strong community relationships have significantly contributed to the organization's success. Congratulations on this well-deserved promotion, Pepe! Check out more tourism career moves in the link below. https://bit.ly/47ZjRXy