Visit Philadelphia Names Openly Gay CEO

The Board of Directors of Visit Philadelphia announced this week that following an extensive national search, Jeff Guaracino, current president and CEO of Welcome America, Inc., has been selected to lead Visit Philadelphia and its talented staff as president and CEO beginning on October 29, 2018.

Visit Philadelphia is an economic engine for Philadelphia's tourism industry, generating more than 1 million leisure hotel room nights in Center City in 2017 alone. That same year, the Greater Philadelphia region welcomed 43.3 million people, and 88 percent of them were here for a leisure purpose. These visitors produced more than $11.5 billion in economic impact for the region. Visitor spending in the region supports local businesses, creates jobs, generates taxes and ultimately enhances residents' quality of life.

Guaracino has been part of Visit Philadelphia's growth since its early days. He joined the organization in September 2001 and spent more than a decade in leadership roles. In 2012, he left to serve as chief strategy and communications officer for the Atlantic City Alliance (ACA), a New Jersey-based destination marketing organization and later became that organization's executive director.

In 2016, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney recruited Guaracino to serve as president and CEO of Welcome America, Inc., a non-profit organization in a public-private partnership with Philadelphia to produce citywide events.

"After an extensive search that identified top-tier national candidates, Jeff was the unanimous choice of our search committee," said Manuel N. Stamatakis, chair of Visit Philadelphia's Board of Directors. "With more than 20 years of national and international tourism industry experience, a proven track record and deep Philadelphia roots, Jeff is uniquely qualified for this position. He has built a remarkable career in destination marketing, and we are confident that Jeff's leadership will further elevate Philadelphia's stature for both U.S. and global audiences."

"Jeff is passionate about Philadelphia, and I'm confident in his expertise to become the president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia," said Mayor Kenney. "This new role is a natural expansion of his longstanding enthusiasm for Philadelphia and will enable him to leverage his expertise to drive tourism to our great city."

Guaracino has built an international reputation for his work in Philadelphia and Atlantic City. He is the author of two books: Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Guide for Marketing (Elsevier, 2007) and Handbook of LGBT Tourism and Hospitality: A Guide for Business Practice (Harrington Park Press/Columbia University Press, 2017).

During his time with the ACA, Guaracino was instrumental to the success of the DO AC marketing campaign, which drove leisure visitation and non-gaming revenue to the city as it experienced increased competition from the expansion of gaming in nearby states. He also led the destination's recovery strategy after Superstorm Sandy.

Under his leadership at Welcome America, Inc., Guaracino launched a new strategic plan and rebranding campaign for Wawa Welcome America, which led to a more robust schedule, new corporate partnerships and increased event attendance. Additionally, he expanded the organization's mission to produce citywide events all year, including the annual Philly Holiday Festival.

"As a native Philadelphian, I'm excited to return to Visit Philadelphia at a time when there is so much opportunity in the tourism industry to showcase our beautiful city and region and to generate additional dollars for our economy," said Guaracino. "The work at Visit Philadelphia doesn't just bring visitors to our region, it helps make Philadelphia a more vital and better place to live and do business."