The board of directors of Brand USA have announced the appointment of Christopher Thompson to president and chief executive of the public private partnership.

Thompson is presently head of Visit Florida, and will now step up to head the organisation responsible for spearheading the United States’ first nationally coordinated tourism marketing effort.

He will succeed Caroline Beteta, who has been interim president of the organisation since June 21st, 2012, in addition to her role as president and chief executive of Visit California and her role on the Brand USA board of directors.

Thompson is currently working with the board of directors of Visit Florida to ensure a smooth transition from his current role to Brand USA and will be announcing an official start date soon.

Thompson has nearly three decades of experience in the tourism industry. 

In his most recent role as president and chief executive of Visit Florida, he led the organisation’s growth and success in a number of areas, including exponential year over year record growth, numerous operational and marketing awards, and extensive international tourism expertise.

Thompson was one of the industry leaders who helped lead the effort to gain support for the passage of the Travel Promotion Act, which was signed into law in March 2010. 

He subsequently became a key member of the task force charged with guiding the launch of the Corporation for Travel Promotion created by the Act (and which today does business as Brand USA).