New President & CEO of Miami-Dade County’s leading destination marketing organization, David Whitaker, presents outlook for 2021-2022 travel and hospitality economy

MIAMI, FL (November 8, 2021) — On Thursday, October 28th, The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) hosted its 2021 Annual Meeting at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa. New GMCVB President & CEO David Whitaker provided an update on Greater Miami & Miami Beach’s tourism industry alongside Carnival Corporation President & CEO Arnold W. Donald, Chairman of the GMCVB Board Bruce Orosz, and Chairman of the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners Jose “Pepe” Diaz. Mr. Whitaker closed the meeting sharing his vision for the future and by thanking former GMCVB President & CEO William D. Talbert, III, for his thirty-year dedication to the hospitality industry.

“Greater Miami & Miami Beach has already proven itself to be a global leisure and business destination, but we want to generate even more travel demand to maximize our economic impact on our entire community,” said David Whitaker, GMCVB President & CEO. “Especially as international travel finally opens for fully vaccinated visitors from 33 countries on November 8, the importance of our tourism industry cannot be understated. I am so thankful for all the hoteliers, business owners, elected officials, and industry leaders who came together at our Annual Meeting to help drive business and jobs back to our hotels, restaurants, museums, and attractions.”

At the in-person event, David Whitaker presented his vision for the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year, heavily focused on strategies and programs designed to continue to fuel, and more importantly, sustain the recovery for the destination and GMCVB partners. He also revealed new data showing positive trends in Greater Miami & Miami Beach’s Hotel Performance. As of July 2021, GMCVB’s integrated marketing campaigns generated 536K hotel bookings and more than $361M in hotel revenue. During fall 2020, the GMCVB also received a $5M grant through Miami-Dade County’s CARES Act, which allowed the organization to execute a large-scale, national multimedia consumer campaign titled MiamiLand. In addition, the GMCVB’s Meetings & Convention Sales team booked 160 meetings, totaling 180.9K room nights and an economic impact of $143M. The GMCVB’s official 2022-2021 Year in Review Report and 2021-2022 Marketing Plan are both available for download at www.MiamiandMiamiBeach.com. Finally, David Whitaker announced the appointment of Carol Motley as the next Senior Vice President of Convention Sales & Services, where she will be responsible for driving occupancy and attendance for conventions, trade shows, and meetings in Greater Miami & Miami Beach.

“I am thrilled to join the GMCVB and promote Greater Miami & Miami Beach as a world class destination that is revered for its international leisure, event, and meeting appeal,” said Carol Motley. “It’s an exciting and important time to help sell the newly renovated and expanded Miami Beach Convention Center, creating additional opportunities to welcome world travelers. Supporting the sales and services team will be a privilege and I can’t wait to apply my years of experience and relationships to expand our business portfolio.”

The GMCVB also announced six new members to the Executive Board including Rodney Barreto, Barreto Hospitality; Rick Beasley, Career Source; Kevin Bryant, Fontainebleau; new Miami International Airport (MIA) Director Ralph Cutié; Mutluhan Kucuk, Loews Hotels; Adolfo Perez, Carnival Cruise Line; and Grisette Roque-Marcos with the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (VCA).

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About the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB):

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) is an accredited, independent not-for-profit sales and marketing organization whose mission is to attract visitors to Greater Miami & Miami Beach for leisure, business and conventions. For a vacation guide, visit our website at www.MiamiandBeaches.com or call 1-888-76-Miami (US/Canada only) or 305-447-7777. To reach the GMCVB offices dial 305-539-3000. Meeting planners may call 1-800-933-8448 (US/Canada only) or 305-539-3071 or visit www.MiamiMeetings.com . To get further engaged with Miami and the Beaches, join the conversation by following us on our social media channels at Facebook.com/visitmiami, Twitter.com/miamiandbeaches, Instagram.com/miamiandbeaches and Pinterest.com/miamiandbeaches.

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For media inquiries, please contact Taylor Cavazos at tcavazos@kivvit.com or 956-245-6788.