The city of Chicago has announced a new head of tourism with the appointment of chief marketing officer of Brand USA, David Whitaker.
Whitaker takes over next month at Choose Chicago and replaces Don Welsh, who announced he was stepping down earlier this year.
Marc Anderson had been acting as interim CEO since Welsh’s departure.
Whitaker is former head of tourism for Toronto and spent 17 years with the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"You can’t help but pay attention when Chicago comes calling. It’s one of the top cities in the country, it’s one of the top cities in our convention world," Whitaker said.
Although Chicago had a record year for tourism, it still faces a potential funding shortfall which has already resulted in job losses and the closure of some overseas representative offices.
"The state’s got a lot of important decisions to make, and tourism can be one of those central rallying opportunities. Regardless about what’s going on in the debate about resources, this is a debate about promoting one of the most exciting cities in North America. It will be a healthy debate," Whitaker told local media.
A statement from Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel said: "David Whitaker is a tourism champion with the vision and leadership required to steer Chicago’s visitor industry to new heights."
