U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson on Thursday appointed Mario González-Lafuente, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), to the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, as part of a strategy to promote the United States.
The announcement of González-Lafuente’s participation as one of the 32 members of the TTAB was made during a visit by President Obama and Commerce Secretary Bryson to Orlando, Florida and is the latest in a series of “We Can’t Wait” actions that President Obama and his administration have undertaken to aid job creation through executive action.
“President Obama presented a robust strategy to promote the U.S. as a tourist destination,” said González-Lafuente in a written statement. “My contribution will primarily focus on helping the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board develop an innovative and integrated marketing program that effectively utilizes social media, sponsorships and branded entertainment.”
Some of Gonzalez-Lafuente’s initial goals include broadening the current Visa Waiver Program to include those countries that have historically provided large numbers of visitors to the United States and improving efficiencies at U.S. consular offices to reduce the backlog of requests for tourist visas. He also suggested supporting in-transit programs for airports that have been negatively affected by the changes that resulted from 9/11.
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