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| Randy Garfield |
The U.S. Travel Association has named Mike Gallagher of CityPASS and Randy Garfield of The Walt Disney Company as the newest members of its Hall of Leaders, which recognizes, "sustained, noteworthy contributions that have positively impacted the travel industry, stimulated greater achievement and raised industry-wide standards."
"U.S. Travel's Hall of Leaders, the highest of our industry's honors, gained two truly notable additions with the induction of Mike and Randy," said U.S. Travel President and CEO Roger Dow. "For many years, these two gentlemen have gone above and beyond to help make travel a wonderful industry. It was a pleasure to share this moment with them and their families and so many of their grateful colleagues."
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The pair were honored at a dinner prior to U.S. Travel's recent fall board meeting. Garfield, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales & Travel Operations for Disney Destinations and President of Walt Disney Travel Company, is in the fifth decade of his distinguished travel industry career, during which he has served as a passionate advocate for travel and tourism at the local, state and national levels. He has been a member of the U.S. Travel Association board of directors for more than 25 years and served as its national chair in 1997. As co-chair of its Leisure Travel Council, he has been instrumental in developing the recently launched Travel Effect campaign to promote the benefits of travel to policymakers, consumers and business leaders. He earlier helped develop the Meetings Mean Business campaign that promotes the value of business travel to the U.S. economy.
Garfield played an instrumental role in advocating for the creation and passage of the Travel Promotion Act and currently serves on the Brand USA board of directors. In recognition of his substantial career contributions, he received the 2012 Travel Weekly Lifetime Achievement Award.
"I am deeply humbled to be recognized by my respected colleagues for just doing what I felt was my job over my 40+ year career in the travel industry," Garfield said of his Hall of Leaders induction. "Joining an esteemed group of recipients, this award marks the happy convergence of my passion for travel, people and great brands. It's a blessing to be so deeply involved in an industry I love and to see again and again the tremendous impact and positive influence that travel and tourism have on our world."
"I'm fortunate that my career has given me an opportunity to work for the very best people and companies. I am especially proud of Disney's ongoing leadership and grateful for the way it has supported and encouraged not just me but an entire industry."
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| Mike Gallagher |
Gallagher, who co-founded CityPASS with his friend and business partner Mike Morey, now serves as co-chairman for the attractions marketing company that packages discounted admission to a destination's top attractions into one easy-to-use pass. While expanding the CityPASS program to 11 North American destinations, Gallagher has remained engaged at the state and national levels to promote the value of travel and tourism. Just this past year, he volunteered his time as a loaned executive without pay for several months to help Brand USA in its efforts to promote America as a destination to travelers around the world. He, too, has been a longtime member of U.S. Travel's board of directors and has served on various committees. Through his involvement on the IPW Planning Committee, on which he has served for 25 years, he has played an important role in making the event the premier marketplace for attracting international travelers to the United States.
Gallagher, who has attended 35 IPWs, is also a founding commissioner of Visit California (formerly the California Travel and Tourism Commission) and served as chairman of the California Travel Industry Association in 1985 and 1995.
"When I think about the caliber of the industry leaders who have been inducted before me, I'm humbled to be in their company," Gallagher, co-founder and co-CEO of CityPass. "A great deal of the credit for my business success goes to my company's outstanding staff and my business partner Mike Morey. There wouldn't be a CityPASS program without them."
Garfield and Gallagher are the 87th and 88th inductees into the Hall of Leaders since it was created in 1969.
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