Destination Toronto president and CEO Scott Beck will soon helm the San Francisco Travel Association. Beck has been named the new president and CEO of the San Francisco convention and visitors bureau, and will succeed Joe D'Alessandro, who will retire in December after 18 years at the helm. Officially, Beck will join SF Travel on Oct. 30.
Beck has been with Destination Toronto since 2019, and previously spent 14 years leading Visit Salt Lake, the CVB for the Utah capital. Beck has been overseeing an annual operating budget of US$28 million in Toronto, Canada's most-visited destination and the fourth-largest city on the continent.
He will now go west to head up one of the largest tourism promotion organizations in the United States, with a current annual operating budget of $33 million. And he does so at a crucial time for San Francisco, where post-pandemic recovery has been slow, and investors and some events have shifted away from the convention district downtown. SF Travel's sales and marketing initiatives are essential, helping to drive $8 billion in tourism spending.
"San Francisco is one of the marquee cities of the world for U.S. and international travelers, and I am thrilled to be joining the team at San Francisco Travel to continue to showcase everything it has to offer," Beck said. "A strong tourism industry is vital to the city’s economy, local businesses and neighborhoods, and I am passionately committed to helping steward San Francisco’s ongoing tourism recovery."
Beck has more than 35 years of experience in the convention and tourism industry, and served as general manager at multiple hotel properties before becoming a CVB executive. He recently completed his time on the American Society of Association Executives board of directors, and was previously on the board of directors for the U.S. Travel Association. He is also a past international board chair for Destinations International and served for six years on DI's executive committee.
"I've known Scott for many years and am thrilled he has been selected as SF Travel’s next president and CEO," said outgoing SF travel head D'Alessandro. "He brings creative vision, a passion for the industry and deep experience in partnering with city leaders and other stakeholders to this role."