NYC Tourism + Conventions has announced senior leadership changes on the Tourism Development team: Robert Beckham, previously SVP of Membership, will transition to the role of SVP of Tourism Market Development for Europe. He will oversee all European markets and be based in the UK.
Reginald Charlot, previously Managing Director for Tourism Market Development, which included 15 years leading in the European markets, will now serve as SVP of Tourism Market Development for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US, Luxury and LGBTQ+ markets. Makiko Matsuda Healy, previously Managing Director for Tourism Market Development, will serve as SVP of Tourism Market Development. Her role remains unchanged and will continue to focus on leading trade development for the Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa markets. These operational changes, overseen by Chief Marketing Officer Nancy Mammana, expand the organisation’s investment in critical inbound markets for New York City.
“This new structure for the senior leadership team allows us to grow our international leisure market portfolio and also place greater focus on domestic and specialty market share,” said NYC Tourism + Conventions President and CEO Fred Dixon. “We are excited to leverage our in-house talent to take on these critical roles for our organisation; both Reginald and Robert have had long tenures with NYC Tourism + Conventions, and I thank them for all the great work they have done for the organisation. Their combined decades of expertise have brought incredible value to the strategic positioning and selling of New York City as a world-class destination.”
Mr. Beckham joined New York City Tourism + Conventions in 2002 and has worked on the Membership Development and Services team since 2014, leading efforts to diversify and grow the member base, while also providing education and marketing opportunities to businesses and organisations from all five boroughs. His diverse background in sales and marketing for restaurants, attractions and destinations is seen across leadership roles spanning nine European and South African markets for iconic brands, including The Walt Disney Company, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants and Hard Rock International.
Mr. Charlot has served on the Tourism Market Development team since 2008. In that time, he has led the effort to develop core markets across Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US. His successes include creating OOH media partnerships with Air New Zealand, Havas Voyages, Viajes El Corte Inglés; he also helped establish city-to-city partnerships between New York City and Auckland, Milan and Madrid. In addition, he has helped develop the organisation’s luxury strategy, which he will continue to grow in this new capacity. He is a past chair for the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) Foundation, a member of the Virtuoso Black Diversity Advisory Board and an NYC Tourism + Conventions DEI Advisory Board member. Before joining NYC Tourism + Conventions, Mr. Charlot worked at Thai Airways and Air France.
“In addition to an expanded investment in these geographic regions, our new leadership structure also allows us to focus on deeper organisational strategies for our most important audience segments, including LGBTQ+, luxury, accessible travel, Black travel, US Hispanic segments, among others,” said Nancy Mammana, Chief Marketing Officer for NYC Tourism + Conventions.
New York City remains the largest port of entry into the United States and is home to the world’s busiest airport system. In 2022, New York City attracted 9.4 million international visitors and is forecast to attract 11 million international visitors in 2023. International travellers account for half of all visitor spending in a typical year. New York City Tourism + Conventions has restored its pre-pandemic global reach to 17 international offices representing almost 30 countries across five continents.
New York City’s economic recovery continued in 2022 with over 56 million travellers, a 72.5% increase over 2021. This activity marks the return of 85% of the City’s record 2019 visitation levels. The City remains on track to welcome 63.3 million visitors in 2023.
