Business Before Hours: Destination Leadership – Tourism Recovery Strategies

 A 45-year travel and tourism industry veteran Jorge Pesquera joined Discover The Palm Beaches (formerly the Palm Beach County CVB) in November 2007 to lead the region’s destination marketing organization with a staff of 52 and a budget of $18 million.

Prior to accepting this position, Pesquera was president and CEO of the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association and was recognized as the Hotel Association Executive of the Year at the annual Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC).  He spent ten years as president of the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau, spearheading the construction of the $450 million Puerto Rico Convention Center and surrounding district and repositioning the destination in the meetings marketplace. 

Pesquera was a founding member of the Accreditation Board of Destinations International (DI), and currently serves on the Destination & Travel Foundation board. 

Pesquera earned the distinction as one of the “Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing” in 2011 awarded by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). This recognition was based on his leadership and innovative marketing strategies which helped steer the CVB through a reorganization and allowed Palm Beach County tourism to thrive in a weakened economy. Discover The Palm Beaches became one of the first 100 DMO’s to be accredited by the Destination Marketing Association International and was recognized by the Board of County Commissioners through a proclamation in July 2009. 

In 2016 he attained the Certified Destination Marketing Executive (CDME) designation after completing rigorous educational requirements by DI. He holds a degree in hotel administration from Cornell University and has held senior executive positions with Hilton International and Conrad Hotels in New York, London and Beverly Hills.