HALLOWELL, ME – Chris Fogg, Chief Executive Officer of the Maine Tourism Association (MTA), has been elected to the U.S. Travel Association’s Board of Directors as an At-large Director for 2019-2021. Fogg is the only representative from Maine on the Board.
The Maine Tourism Association represents more than 1,500 members across the state who provide traditional tourism interests such as lodging, restaurants, camps, campgrounds, retail establishments, amusements, and cultural and heritage attractions. MTA works in partnership with the Maine Office of Tourism to oversee operations of the state’s seven Visitor Information Centers and the production of the official state travel planner Maine Invites You and the official state map.
Under Fogg’s leadership, MTA has shown the value and opportunities tourism has to Maine through the “I Am Maine Tourism” campaign. Fogg has overseen improvements to all visitor interaction avenues, including reformatting the state travel planner and adding new technology to the Visitor Information Centers. Recently Fogg created a new division of MTA--Maine Tourism Staffing Solutions--to directly address the workforce challenges by sourcing seasonal employees for its members.
During his term on the Board of Directors, Fogg plans to work with elected officials in advocating for the importance of the Maine tourism industry and to continue to build awareness of the economic benefits and workforce opportunities that travel and tourism creates.
Fogg stated, “I’m very excited to serve on the Board of Directors and represent Maine among travel and tourism top professionals. I want to use this platform to bring attention to the variety of opportunities and good paying careers that exist in the tourism industry including highly-skilled, professional careers plus flexible and seasonal opportunities. Tourism is one of Maine’s top industries, responsible for 107,000 jobs, bringing 36 million visitors per year into the state, and generating $9 billion in sales.”
Fogg began his position at MTA in February of 2015 and brings over 20 years of diverse travel and tourism experience to his position, including almost eight years of management experience with Sage Hotels Incorporated, a Boston-based hotel corporation. Fogg has also served as Director of the Vermont State Sports Council, as well as Director of Marketing for the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce in Burlington. Fogg is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a degree in Tourism Management.
The officers of U.S. Travel include the president and CEO of Destination DC, the president of Carnival Cruise Line, the senior vice president and chief sales officer of MGM Resorts International, the chief executive officer of Tampa International Airport, and the president and CEO of Visit San Antonio.
The U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry, and its mission is to increase travel to and within the United States. U.S. Travel identifies the industry’s biggest opportunities and challenges, develops the messages and actions to create positive growth, advocates for policies that will advance and elevate the tourism industry on the national level, and provides its members with the tools, research and resources needed to influence change at state and local levels.