Kilili's nominee, Perry Tenorio, appointed to U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board

Saipan, MP — Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Perry Tenorio has been appointed to the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. Tenorio was nominated for the position in September, 2009 by U.S Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan.

“I am very grateful to Secretary Locke for agreeing to my recommendation and giving the Northern Mariana Islands a voice on the Board,” said Kilili. “This is an honor for Mr. Tenorio and will give our tourism industry valuable visibility and clout in shaping national tourism policies.”

The 29-member Board represents a cross-section of the U.S. travel and tourism industry with appointees from transportation and financial services, from hotel and restaurant businesses, and from many different geographic areas of the country.

Among the Board members is Richard Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Delta Airlines, one of the Northern Mariana Islands most important tourism partners.

Also on board is Chuck Floyd, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Global Hyatt Corporation.

In making the announcement of the appointments in Washington on Tuesday Locke said, “The health and stability of the travel and tourism industry touches all regions and impacts employment and economic strength across the country.

“I look forward to working with the Travel and Tourism Board to develop policies that can help put Americans back to work in this critical sector.”

The chief responsibility of the Advisory Board is to provide counsel to the Secretary on government policies and programs that affect the U.S. travel and tourism industry. The Board also provides a forum for discussing and proposing solutions to industry-related concerns.

The Secretaries of State, Homeland Security and Transportation serve on the Board as ex officio, non-voting members.

“Tourism is the most important industry in the Northern Mariana Islands,” Kilili noted.

“We will now have our Visitors Authority’s Managing Director in close contact with some of the most important companies in the business. Mr. Tenorio will be helping Secretary Locke to decide where the U.S. Commerce Department deploys its resources to support tourism development.

“And we certainly hope that more of those resources will be directed to our part of the United States.

“This appointment has to have a very positive impact to strengthen tourism in the Northern Marianas.”

The new Board will serve from 2010 to 2011. The Department of Commerce will schedule the board’s inaugural meeting in the coming weeks.

The full list of members being appointed is:
 

• Rossi Ralenkotter, President and Chief Executive Officer, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
• Dawn Drew, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The M.O.S.T.E., Inc.
• Holly Agra, President, Chicago’s First Lady Cruises
• Richard Anderson, Chief Executive Officer, Delta Air Lines, Inc.
• José Andrés, President and Co-Founder, ThinkFoodGroup
• Sheila Armstrong, Executive Director, U.S. Cultural and Heritage Tourism Marketing Council
• Helane Becker, Managing Director, Jesup & Lamont
• Nick Calderazzo, Vice President Sales and Marketing, RMP Travel
• Maryann Ferenc, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mise en Place, Inc.
• Chuck Floyd, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Global Hyatt Corporation
• Sam Gilliland, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sabre Holdings
• Adam Goldstein, President and Chief Executive Officer, Royal Caribbean International
• Dr. David Hayes, Director, International Office, Mayo Clinic
• Jeremy Jacobs, Sr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Delaware North Companies, Inc.
• Hubert Joly, President and Chief Executive Officer, Carlson Companies
• John Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Chelsea Property Group, Inc.
• David Kong, President and Chief Executive Officer, Best-Western International
• Philip Levine, President and Chief Executive Officer, Baron Corporation
• Gina Marie Lindsey, Executive Director, Los Angeles World Airports
• J. Stephen Perry, President and Chief Executive Officer, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Adam Sacks, Managing Director, Tourism Economics
• Joseph W. Saunders, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Visa, Inc.
• Douglas Shifflet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, D.K. Shifflet & Associates
• Ronald Solimon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Inc. and Indian Pueblos Marketing, Inc.
• John Sprouls, Chief Executive Officer, Universal Orlando Resort and Executive Vice President, Universal Parks and Resorts
• Danna Stroud, Tourism and Recreation Director, Town of Mammoth Lakes, CA
• Greg Stubblefield, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Enterprise Holdings
• Perry John P. Tenorio, Managing Director, Marianas Visitors Authority
• George Zimmerman, Vice President, Travel Michigan at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Other pertinent information about the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board is available at https://tinet.ita.doc.gov/TTAB/TTAB_Home.html.