Visit Philadelphia Welcomes New CEO

Philadelphia’s official tourism board has a new captain helming the ship. Visit Philadelphia welcomed Jeff Guaracino as its new president and CEO. Guaracino will officially take over the job just before Halloween, on October 29th.

Manuel N. Stamatakis, chair of Visit Philadelphia’s Board of Directors, said that the agency’s decision was unanimous, and that Guaracino’s hiring came after a lengthy nationwide search for the best-qualified candidates. In a press release, Stamatakis was verbose in his praise for the new prez:

“With more than 20 years of national and international tourism industry experience, a proven track record and deep Philadelphia roots, Jeff is uniquely qualified for this position. He has built a remarkable career in destination marketing, and we are confident that Jeff’s leadership will further elevate Philadelphia’s stature for both U.S. and global audiences.”

Although candidates from all across America were considered, Visit Philadelphia opted for someone close to home. Guaracino has been doing noteworthy ad work in both Philly and Atlantic City for decades, and has been a critical team member in the growth of the area’s tourism. You might recognize some of his work, actually: he spearheaded such notable campaigns as “Philly’s More Fun When You Sleep Over,” “With Love, Philadelphia XOXO,” “With Art Philadelphia” and “Philly Homegrown.” He created close ties with the region’s LGBT community with his work on the project “Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight And Your Nightlife Gay.”

After working with Philly for almost all of the Oughts, Guaracino jumped over to Jersey, where he worked as chief strategy and communications officer for the Atlantic City Alliance (ACA), a New Jersey-based destination marketing organization before moving on to become that organization’s executive director. Under his watch, Atlantic City increased its non-gaming revenue and leisure visitation. Guaracino was also a spearhead behind the recovery efforts after Superstorm Sandy ravaged the area.

In 2016, Guaracino returned to Philadelphia to serve as president and CEO of Welcome America, a nonprofit group in a public-private cooperation with Philadelphia to produce citywide events. He helped rebrand Wawa Welcome America and drove efforts that increased attendance. It was during this time that he forged good working ties with Mayor Jim Kenney, who heartily endorsed Guaracino for the Visit Philadelphia position.