{"id":376264,"date":"2026-06-26T20:29:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/376264\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T20:29:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:29:11","slug":"nyc-tourism-chief-julie-coker-heads-west-to-lead-visit-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/376264\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC Tourism Chief Julie Coker Heads West to Lead Visit California"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">California tourism is entering a once-in-a-generation moment with major global events on the horizon, and the state&#8217;s destination marketing organization is bringing back a proven leader who already delivered results in the Golden State.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Visit California&#8217;s Board of Directors unanimously selected Julie Coker as President and CEO, effective Oct. 1, 2026. She succeeds <a class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tsnn.com\/people-career-development\/women-at-the-helm-caroline-beteta-president-ceo-visit-california\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Caroline Beteta<\/a>, who retires after three decades building\u00a0<a class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link ContentText-BodyTextChunk_underline\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.visitcalifornia.com\/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=20411419836&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAD3E8ndX_sn19A5MHjQF5XAc5hVbD&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwxvjRBhC2ARIsAI7KJa0nSVe-FaZqa0uxELsvFBilMYYjKKdd0OU1u9r_I6IebPOv1-VWBo8aAjqIEALw_wcB\">Visit California<\/a>\u00a0into one of the industry&#8217;s most respected destination marketing organizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Coker is returning to California after leading San Diego Tourism Authority from 2020 to 2024, where she helped the city achieve $14.3 billion in visitor spending, restore more than 200,000 tourism jobs, and rank third nationally in hotel occupancy with a 93% member retention rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-testid=\"content-image\" data-component=\"image\" class=\"ContentImage-Image ContentImage-Image_align_left\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/shutterstock_2795572981sofi.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"shutterstock_2795572981sofi.jpg\" title=\"shutterstock_2795572981sofi.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentImage-Link\">A view of the field during final preparations for the FIFA World Cup at SoFi Stadium on June 11, 2026, in Inglewood, CA. The stadium will host Super Bowl LXI in 2027.Photo: Ringo Chiu \/ Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Visit California: By the numbers<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">$158.9 billion\u00a0in travel-related spending in California (2025)<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">18,000+\u00a0Visit California investors<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">98.3%\u00a0approval rate for latest marketing renewal referendum<\/p>\n<p data-component=\"related-article\" class=\"RelatedArticle\">Related:<a class=\"RelatedArticle-RelatedContent\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tsnn.com\/convention-center\/julie-coker-tapped-to-lead-nyc-tourism-conventions\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Julie Coker Tapped to Lead NYC Tourism + Conventions<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A California comeback<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Coker spent nearly five years leading San Diego&#8217;s tourism recovery and growth before <a class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tsnn.com\/convention-center\/julie-coker-tapped-to-lead-nyc-tourism-conventions\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">taking the helm at NYC Tourism + Conventions in December 2024<\/a>. Now\u00a0she&#8217;s heading back west to lead the entire state&#8217;s destination marketing efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Career trajectory<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Current:\u00a0President and CEO, NYC Tourism + Conventions (Dec 2024\u2013Present)<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">2020\u20132024:\u00a0President and CEO, San Diego Tourism Authority\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">2010\u20132020:\u00a0Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, rising from Senior VP to President and CEO (helped generate $325M in economic impact from 2016 Democratic National Convention and 2017 NFL Draft)<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">1989\u20132010:\u00a021 years at Hyatt Hotels, rising to General Manager of Hyatt Regency Philadelphia<\/p>\n<p>Industry leadership credentials<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Co-chair, U.S. Travel Association&#8217;s Meetings Mean Business Coalition<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Secretary-Treasurer, International Association of Exhibitions and Events Executive Committee<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Executive Board member, U.S. Travel Association<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Appointee, U.S. Department of Commerce&#8217;s U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board<\/p>\n<p>What they&#8217;re saying<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">&#8220;The opportunity before us is generational and calls for a leader with exceptional range and a track record of results. Julie is exactly that leader,&#8221; said Ken Potrock, Chair of Visit California&#8217;s Board of Directors and Selection Committee.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Why now matters<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">As\u00a0one of only two states with two host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (Texas is the other),\u00a0California is preparing to host a series of marquee global events:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Super Bowl LXI, which\u00a0will take place on\u00a0February 14, 2027, at\u00a0SoFi Stadium\u00a0in\u00a0Inglewood, CA<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games<\/p>\n<p data-component=\"related-article\" class=\"RelatedArticle\">Related:<a class=\"RelatedArticle-RelatedContent\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tsnn.com\/people-career-development\/celebrating-black-history-month-with-san-diego-tourism-s-julie-coker-aia-s-emile-davis-and-visit-baltimore-s-al-hutchison\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Celebrating Black History Month With San Diego Tourism\u2019s Julie Coker, AIA\u2019s Emile Davis and Visit Baltimore\u2019s Al Hutchison<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The transition<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Coker brings institutional knowledge to the role, having served Visit California as Vice Chair of Marketing, Executive Committee member, and Nominating Committee member. A thoughtful transition is underway with Beteta to ensure continuity of programs, campaigns, and partnerships.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">The bottom line:\u00a0California is betting on a leader who has already proven she can deliver results in the state&#8217;s most competitive tourism market\u2014and who understands the complexities of destination marketing at the highest level.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California tourism is entering a once-in-a-generation moment with major global events on the horizon, and the state&#8217;s destination&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376265,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-376264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}