by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:30 AM ET, Wed July 24, 2024
WHY IT RATES: The U.S.
Travel Association is honoring the best and brightest the travel industry has
to offer.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.
Destination leaders Christopher L. Thompson, former
president and CEO of Brand USA, and William D. “Bill” Talbert, III, former
president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, will be
honored as the 2024 inductees into the U.S. Travel Hall of Leaders this fall,
the U.S. Travel Association announced today.
“Bill and Chris embody the highest ideals of a travel
leader. Over many years, each has contributed in meaningful ways to the success
and growth of this industry,” said Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the U.S.
Travel Association.
“Under Chris’s stewardship, Brand USA has flourished to
increase visitation to the U.S. and maximize travel’s economic impact,” Freeman
said. “His career in destination marketing reflects decades of incredibly
effective work that enabled travel to thrive at the local, state and national
level.”
“It’s hard to imagine a better brand ambassador or
destination advocate than ‘Miami Bill’”, Freeman added. “Bill worked tirelessly
to build Miami into a successful travel gateway known worldwide to leisure and
business travelers. But his service extends far beyond the beaches of Miami to
the countless organizations that have benefitted from his expertise.”
Distinguished individuals, such as Talbert and Thompson, are
named to U.S. Travel’s Hall of Leaders for “sustained, noteworthy contributions
that have positively impacted the travel industry, stimulated greater
achievement and raised industry-wide standards.” Recipients are honored for not
only serving their organization with excellence, but also for contributions
that have elevated travel nationally and globally.
Christopher L. Thompson
From 2012 to 2024, Thompson served Brand USA—a
public-private partnership created by the federal Travel Promotion Act of
2009—as the organization’s president and CEO. He led ground-breaking
initiatives, including award-winning storytelling and content strategies, the
production of three giant-screen films viewed around the world, and the launch
of the first national destination connected-TV channel.
Under his guidance, Brand USA became a model public-private
partnership for national destination marketing organizations. Thompson led the
organization to record numbers prior to 2020 and it has played an instrumental
role in the return of international inbound visitation to the United States in
the post-pandemic years.
Prior to Brand USA, Thompson served as president and CEO of
VISIT FLORIDA and the Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, in
addition to leading the Leon County (Florida) Tourist Development Council. He
began his career in travel in 1983 at the former Florida Department of
Commerce, Division of Tourism.
William D. “Bill” Talbert, III
Talbert was the long-time president and CEO of the Greater
Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, serving the organization from 1990 to
2021. He is credited as a dedicated public servant and a highly respected
travel and civic leader who served the industry in Miami-Dade and beyond for
five decades.
Under his guidance, Greater Miami and Miami Beach
consistently achieved record-setting numbers in terms of visitors, employment
and travel-generated taxes, which contributed in significant ways to funding
essential initiatives in transportation, public safety, and local arts and
culture, among other services.
Talbert was at the forefront of “everything Miami,” offering
leadership and expertise to the growth of the Miami region. He was a guiding
force in the renovation and expansion of the Miami Beach Convention Center and
a key figure in securing prestigious international events, from the Summit of
the Americas to five NFL Super Bowls.
He is a former chair of the VISIT FLORIDA board and a leader
of other prominent local and national organizations, including the U.S.
Department of Commerce’s Travel & Tourism Advisory Board, the Black
Hospitality Initiative of Greater Miami and Florida International University’s
Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, among others.
With these inductions, 108 travel industry professionals
have been inducted into the U.S. Travel Hall of Leaders since it was created in
1969. The 2023 inductees were Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of
Destination DC, and Peter F. Herschend, co-founder of Herschend Enterprises. A
list of all previous Hall of Leaders honorees is available here.
Talbert and Thompson will be honored at a November 20 dinner
attended by more than 100 travel industry leaders during U.S. Travel’s Fall
Engagement Week in Washington, D.C.
SOURCE: U.S. Travel
Association press release.
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