The Corporation for Travel Promotion join the organization as Chief Business Development Officer

TRAVEL INDUSTRY EXECUTIVE JOINS THE CORPORATION FOR TRAVEL PROMOTION AS CHIEF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Washington D.C. -- The Corporation for Travel Promotion announced today that Paul Cerula will join the organization as Chief Business Development Officer.

The Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was established by the Travel Promotion Act passed by Congress on February 25, 2010 and signed into law by President Obama on March 4, 2010.  A non-profit entity, CTP's mission is to promote leisure, business and educational travel to the United States, stimulating economic growth and jobs creation.

Cerula, a former Marriott International executive, served as Senior Vice President, International Sales and Marketing for Marriott's International Lodging Division.  In this role he built an extensive global sales and marketing organization that enabled unprecedented growth and expansion on all global continents.  He said, "I am honored to be part of this historic opportunity to create the nation's first-ever nationally managed international tourism marketing organization for the United States.  Building a coalition of business and industry, and leveraging private and public sector funding will be vital to the success of the CTP.   We will create innovative marketing programs and a global infrastructure that delivers clear value to our business partners and generates revenue to fuel our marketing efforts."

The CTP is a private-public partnership dedicated to increaseing international visitation to the United States through marketing and promotional efforts. It is led by private industry with oversight from the Department of Commerce and U.S. Congress.  The program's activities will be funded through a combination of private sector investment and matching funds collected by the Department of Homeland Security from international visitors who come to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program.  Cerula's responsibilities will be to develop customized marketing initiatives that generate the revenue necessary to enable federal funding, build a global representation network to promote the U.S. as the preeminent global tourism destination and create strategic partnerships to stimulate increased travel to the United States.

"We are thrilled to have Paul join our organization as Chief Business Development Officer", said Jim Evans, CEO and Executive Director for CTP.  "Paul brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of the global marketplace, having lived and worked abroad.  He has extensive travel industry sales and marketing experience in all corners of the globe and understands the cultural landscape that will be critical for our success."

The Corporation for Travel Promotion has officially opened its headquarters at 1725 Eye Street NW, 8th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006.