Power Players in Tourism and Hospitality

Tom Harris is president at the Times Square Alliance, a Business Improvement District that works to improve and promote Times Square. He oversees the Alliance’s operations and a staff of 120 employees. Before 2008, Tom spent 23 years at the New York Police Department, rising from patrolman to inspector. He has a degree in Social Sciences from St. Joseph’s College and a Master of Public Administration degree from Marist College. He is also a board member for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids and NYC & Company.

What do you wish more people understood about the tourism and hospitality industry?
In the last 20 years, tourism has become significantly more important for the NYC economy and is now the fourth-largest employer in the city. In Times Square, one out of every three jobs is in the tourism and hospitality industries and 81% of Times Square employees live in the outer boroughs.

How is the industry recovering after the pandemic?
We are leaps and bounds from the last two years and are continuing in a positive trajectory. In April, pedestrian counts averaged 286,032 people/day, up 113.8% from 2021 and 785.4% from 2020. March hotel occupancy averaged at 69.5% and had an average daily rate of $197. Times Square hotel occupancy increased by 17% from February 2022, and 34% from February 2020.

What is the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken, or the most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
New Year’s Eve in Times Square has been the most memorable experience for me, especially last year when we were able to safely host the in-person celebration for the first time since 2020. Celebrating the end of the year and welcoming in the new year with my family and my work family is the best of both worlds. It is a magical moment of reflection, joy, and optimism.

What is one tourist destination that all visitors should add to their itinerary?
I invite all visitors to walk through our Times Square’s pedestrian plazas on Broadway from 41st Street to 53rd Street. It is the best way to experience the bright lights of Times Square and people watch with a front row seat on the iconic Red Steps. The Alliance also produces a slate of free public programming spanning from live music, dance tutorials, and more for everyone to enjoy.

Appointed director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in April 2018, Max Hollein is responsible for guiding the Museum’s artistic vision and all of its programming, research, and collection initiatives. An accomplished director for 20 years, Hollein oversees The Met’s curatorial, conservation, and scientific departments; exhibition and acquisition activities; education and public outreach; as well as the libraries, digital projects, publications, imaging, and design.

What do you wish more people understood about the tourism and hospitality industry?
Tourism and travel is not just a way for individuals to take a break, it’s an important way for connections to be made across regions and cultures — travelling invites opportunities to learn about and appreciate the diversity of our world and humanity, and to befriend individuals whom we might otherwise never meet. I find great hope in that.

How is the industry recovering after the pandemic?
Our visitor numbers from across the United States are stronger than before the pandemic. The overseas visitors will take a while as each country has its own rules and pace. There is a very large appetite for travel, but it will take time for each nation’s rules to allow such.

What is the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken, or the most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
Forever ingrained in my memory is a three week trip through Japan that I took with my parents and sister when I was ten years old. We saw every special Shinto shrine imaginable but much to the consternation (and possibly dismay) of my parents what impressed us most was Tokyo Disneyland!

What is one tourist destination that all visitors should add to their itinerary?
The Metropolitan Museum of Art!

Tracy Hyter-Suffern is the executive director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. She has served in this position since joining the organization in 2017. Ms. Hyter-Suffern has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management. She previously worked in leadership roles at Intersections International, THS Consultants NY LLC, and Black Agency Executives. She served as interim executive director of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, and led a successful fundraising campaign at the international relations department with the national headquarters of the YWCA. She also served as the executive director of both the Association of Black Foundation Executives and the Urban Bush Women dance company.

Patrick Kaler has more than 25 years of experience in the tourism industry and joined Visit Buffalo Niagara in 2014 as president and CEO. He has also held tourism positions in Los Angeles, Lake Tahoe, and Chicago and earned a M.S. and B.S. in Tourism from the University of Illinois and Western Illinois University, respectively. Kaler serves on the U.S. Travel Association’s Board of Directors and is chair of the New York State Destination Marketing Organizations. In 2018, Kaler was named New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association’s Tourism Executive of the Year.

What do you wish more people understood about the tourism and hospitality industry?
I wish for greater appreciation of tourism as community economic development. Tourism also creates a better community for its residents. Tourists’ dollars are reinvested into the local economy to support public services like fire, police, as well as education. Tourism is about people, which means that it is an incredible job creator for people from all walks of life for accommodations, restaurants, retail, and other services. Most executives in tourism started in entry level jobs like lifeguards, housekeeping, and kitchen workers. Tourism also protects the preservation of historic/cultural sites and creates opportunities for new community destination development of these assets.

How is the industry recovering after the pandemic?
Slowly but surely. The tourism industry was the hardest hit and will be the slowest to recover, however history tells us that tourism will come back stronger than ever. From 9/11 to the economic downturn of the early 2000s, to the pandemic, the tourism industry has proven that it is resilient because, in the end, people want to travel. People want and need an escape. Following the pandemic, people want to experience things again and create memories with family and friends.

What is the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken, or the most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
My most memorable trip was a Mediterranean cruise from Athens to France, with Turkey and Italy in between. I’m not a fan of cruises, however this trip was incredibly relaxing, immersive, and fulfilling. The mixing with locals and experiencing the cultures and tasting the diversity of the flavors of each country was something I will never forget. The best part was that I got to experience it with my siblings and nieces.

What is one tourist destination that all visitors should add to their itinerary?
Buffalo, New York! Shameless plug for my destination. Buffalo is one of those cities that you think you know, but you don’t. That’s why our branding campaign is the Unexpected Buffalo, because we continually hear from first-time visitors who say things like; “I didn’t expect Buffalo to be this cool . . . I didn’t expect Buffalo’s weather to be so great . . . I didn’t expect Buffalo to have this amazing waterfront . . . I didn’t expect Buffalo to be such a foodie city . . . I didn’t expect Buffalo to have these world-class museums and galleries.” All it takes is one visit, and we’ve got them hooked for a return visit.

Cynthia Kimble is the president of the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance. She has served in this position since being selected in November of 2007. Prior to joining FLTA, Ms. Kimble was the president of the Schuyler County Chamber of Commerce. She has significant experience in numerous marketing and financial management roles, serving as vice president of the Canandaigua Area Chamber of Commerce, and a financial manager and administrator for Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Ms. Kimble is a lifelong resident of the Finger Lakes region.

Jessica Lappin is the president of the Downtown Alliance, New York City’s largest Business Improvement District. She also sits on the executive committee of NYC & Company, New York City’s tourism agency. A lifelong New Yorker, Ms. Lappin has a distinguished record in civic life and public service. She served on the New York City Council from 2006 to 2014, and since taking the helm of the Alliance, has emerged as the voice of the downtown business community. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two sons.

What do you wish more people understood about the tourism and hospitality industry?
Tourism is key to the economic success of our city. We depend on visitors to support our hotels, cultural gems, shops, restaurants, bars, and subway system. What’s more, the dollars they spend support both our hospitality workers and the dreams of countless New York small business owners in every neighborhood of every borough of NYC. New York is old and new. We are historical, cutting edge, and constantly evolving. We will always be on “must see” lists.

How is the industry recovering after the pandemic?
We’re seeing positive indicators across the board. The research shows that bookings are up as more travelers are returning to the greatest city on the planet. NYC & Company is expecting 2022 to bring a 300 percent increase in international travelers, particularly from Europe. 2023 is expected to recover or exceed 2019 levels. You can feel the energy on the streets. This week, I bumped into large walking tours along Broadway and it’s not even summer yet.

What is the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken, or the most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
I’ve been to 63 countries and 44 states. It’s hard to pick a favorite! I fell in love with my husband in the Annapurnas of Nepal. Hiked a volcano before dawn in Bali. Watched the sunrise over the Taj Mahal. Summited a glacier in Alaska. Snowshoed in Yellowstone. The most fun has been introducing my kids to places that I love, like Bear Mountain upstate or Paris, and experiencing them anew through their eyes.

What is one tourist destination that all visitors should add to their itinerary?
It’s really hard to pick one. But I guess I would say, a visit to the World Trade Center site. You can visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, see the city from the top of One World Observatory, take in the breathtaking architecture of the Oculus, and come next year to a show at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, which will quickly prove to be a cultural epi-center for the city and the region. To do all of that in one place is pretty special.

Darryl Leggieri is currently the president of the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau, also known as Discover Saratoga. Prior to assuming this role, he held sales and marketing leadership positions in the area with the Saratoga Hilton for 13 years, and with the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center prior to that. He has been in the hospitality industry for over 25 years starting in Burlington, Vermont.

What do you wish more people understood about the tourism and hospitality industry?
Tourism boosts the revenue of the local economy, creates local jobs, develops the infrastructures of a destination, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between visitors and locals.

How is the industry recovering after the pandemic?
Leisure travel continues to be strong; demand is returning in a big way. Meetings and events are also showing signs of a rapid bounce-back in business levels globally, suggesting pent-up demand. Here in Saratoga Springs, NY, we are only a three hour drive from NYC and Boston. Driving here is very easy so we are capitalizing on drive market strategies to help in the recovery process.

What is the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken, or the most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
The most memorable trip is always with my wife and three children. Travel is a gift, it gives us time away to escape the day-to-day routine, and reconnect with the ones you love. Relationships only strengthen when you experience a new place together.

What is one tourist destination that all visitors should add to their itinerary?
Easy. Saratoga Springs, New York! Saratoga Springs is a safe, vibrant city filled with world-class attractions, exquisite restaurants, arts and culture, upscale retail and boutique shopping, and a vibrant nightlife scene. There are 21 mineral springs in Saratoga, located in various points throughout the city for you to enjoy. And of course, Saratoga is home to America’s oldest and most popular thoroughbred racetrack that attracts over one million visitors during the summer season.

Paul began his career as a multimedia producer for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. He soon moved on to editing, shooting, and producing several series for cable television and later worked in the studio, agency, and advertising industry. After living in several parts of the country, he moved back home to New York State in 2012 and was hired as the first executive director of the New York State Brewers Association in 2013. Since then, he has seen New York’s brewing industry quadruple in size and many new laws passed.

What do you wish more people understood about the tourism and hospitality industry?
I want everyone to know that supporting “local” is more than just a catch phrase. Supporting local means supporting families and local business owners that have put their money and their passion behind everything they do.

How is the industry recovering after the pandemic?
The craft beer industry is still struggling. Tap room sales are picking back up but many restaurants and bars that used to carry craft beer on tap pre-pandemic have closed forever, leaving breweries with a lot of lost revenue for on-premise sales that they used to have.

What is the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken, or the most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
The most impactful trip was my student exchange to Germany in the 80s. It was there that I really began to understand what beer was supposed to taste like, which was so different from the macro beer that dominated at that time. I truly feel it was fate that I had that experience which led me to my current job today.

What is one tourist destination that all visitors should add to their itinerary?
The best way to discover every brewery in New York State is to download our New York Craft Beer App which just won the best beer trail app in the country from the 2022 Craft Beer Marketing Awards.

Ross D. Levi leads the state’s promotional and industry efforts under the iconic I LOVE NY tourism brand to grow visitation and position New York as a premiere global destination. Since joining Empire State Development in 2012, he has helped launch tourism efforts including: the Governor’s Tourism Summits, I LOVE NY LGBTQ, Path Through History, Accessible New York, the Adirondack and Catskill Challenges, and the Tourism Return to Work and Meet in NY grant programs.

What is one tourist destination that all visitors should add to their itinerary?
New York State, of course! There’s something for everyone across our 11 diverse vacation regions. The most important thing is for people to get out there, travel, and take time to explore and recharge. There are all kinds of data showing the benefits of taking a vacation, from health and wellbeing to increased job satisfaction. Some of my greatest memories and best times of my life have been when I was traveling. To paraphrase the conductor from The Polar Express, it’s less important where you’re going; what matters is deciding to go.