Mario González-Lafuente, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), was officially named to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Board by U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson. González-Lafuente’s appointment follows President Barack Obama’s Jan. 19 announcement of a task force to develop a national travel and tourism strategy.

President Obama also issued an executive order intended to make it easier for international visitors to travel to the United States. González-Lafuente joins 31 other international travel and tourism officials on the new board, which will provide input on government policies and programs affecting the travel and tourism industry. “This board represents the eyes and ears of our nation’s travel and tourism industry and I am committed to working with each of the esteemed members to bring more visitors to the United States,” said Bryson. “I appreciate the board members’ dedication to our economic recovery and look forward to working with [him] to put ideas into action.”

González-Lafuente has already suggested several measures to improve travel and tourism to and from North America, including broadening the Visa Waiver Program to include countries that have historically provided large numbers of visitors to the United States, including Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Mexico. He also proposed improving efficiencies at U.S. consular offices to reduce the backlog of requests for tourist visas, supporting in-transit programs, and increasing awareness of the financial benefits to hotel owners and developers by implementing green tourism initiatives.