Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

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Meryl Levitz

  • President & Chief Executive Officer Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

  • As president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Meryl Levitz is responsible for expanding Philadelphia’s regional tourism, worth $9.3 billion in economic impact and accounting for more than 88,000 regional jobs annually. Four million more overnight leisure tourists visited Greater Philadelphia in 2007 than in 1997, when GPTMC began advertising. That represents an increase of 63% in 10 years, from 6.54 million to 10.58 million overnight leisure tourists.

    For Levitz, the key to building the economic engine of tourism is partnership—increasing visitor spending by bringing together groups with similar interests to develop promotional programs that reach high-yield markets. Partnerships with the hospitality community, arts and cultural institutions, restaurants and county visitor bureaus have proven to be vital to the success of the regional tourism industry.

    GPTMC implements integrated marketing strategies to build image and visitation, using research; advertising in television, print, radio, outdoor and the Internet; and public relations in all media.

    Most recently, Levitz was inducted into the Keystone Society for Tourism by Governor Edward Rendell. She was also awarded the Philadelphia Select award by the Philadelphia chapter of the American Marketing Association and was named Direct Marketer of the Year by the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association.

    Levitz is active on the U.S. Travel Association’s Board of Directors and Policy Council. She also serves on the board of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Independence Visitor Center, Governor’s Pennsylvania Travel and Tourism Partnership and Historic Philadelphia, Inc.

    After receiving Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Illinois, Levitz began her career as an educator but soon began promoting Philadelphia, first as co-founder of the Center City Proprietors Association in 1978 and later at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she rose to vice president of tourism. There, she presided over new celebrations to draw crowds to the city and oversaw the opening of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Jeff Guaracino

  • Vice President, Communications Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

  • Jeff Guaracino is vice president of communications for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), a position he assumed in 2006. In his role, Guaracino manages national and regional communications, the visiting journalist program, content development and corporate communications. He specializes in communications programs to African-American, Hispanic, Canadian and gay and lesbian travelers.

    Guaracino joined GPTMC in 2001 as director of communications. He is part of the team at GPTMC that created the internationally recognized gay tourism campaign, Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay®. This ground-breaking campaign has won GPTMC top awards in the travel, public relations and advertising industries. Elseiver, an international book publisher, invited Guaracino to write the first book on gay tourism marketing called Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Guide for Marketers, which was released in 2007.  

    Active in the community, Guaracino was appointed by Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street to serve on the Mayor’s Commission on Children. He also serves as vice president of the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus, an organization he co-founded in 2002. His public service has been recognized by the American Heart Association with the “Rookie of the Year Award” and by the AIDS Coalition of Southern New Jersey with the “President’s Award.” In 2003, the Philadelphia Public Relations Association recognized his work with the “PPRA Fast Track Award,” and Philadelphia Magazine named Guaracino one of 22 people to watch.

Sharon Rossi

  • Vice President, Tourism Advertising Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

  • As vice president of tourism advertising at the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Sharon Rossi oversees regional and national advertising campaigns; the GPTMC cooperative advertising program; the AAA market; and regional, state and national tourism relationships.

    Rossi began her career in tourism at Peddler’s Village in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where she worked as the vice president of marketing and sales. Rossi was responsible for the marketing of 75 shops, restaurants, meeting facilities, inns and events at Peddler’s, which draws more than 2.3 million visitors annually. She held this position for 13 years prior to joining GPTMC.

    Before focusing on tourism, Rossi was a social caseworker in Rochester, New York; a marketing sales consultant and brand manager for Mohawk Liquor Corporation; and executive vice president of the Private Industry Council of Philadelphia. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a liberal arts degree focusing on social psychology and fine arts.

    Rossi serves as vice chair of the board of directors for the National Council of Destination Organizations for the U.S. Travel Association and co-chairs the Membership Committee for TIA. She also serves on the U.S. Travel Association's Discover America Advisory Council, the Communications Committee and the Education Committee. She also sits on the board of the Philadelphia Ad Club, the Pennsylvania Tourism and Lodging Association, where she serves as director, and on many other committees and advisory boards in the region.

Angela Val

  • Vice President, Special Projects Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

  • As vice president of special projects for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Angela Val is charged with managing and implementing seasonal marketing programs to complement GPTMC’s highly successful hotel programs, which she also oversees. Working with the advertising, communications and interactive departments, she ensures the region’s dining, entertainment and accommodations options are well represented and heavily promoted in all of the company’s marketing efforts.  

    A native of Washington, DC, Val joined the GPTMC staff in 1998 as executive assistant to Meryl Levitz, president and CEO. In 2000, she was designated an “ambassador” for Philadelphia during the Republican National Convention. As a staff member of GPTMC, Val has worked as hotel program director, creating the first hotel package program for the company, and as vice president, stakeholder relations, a position she assumed in August 2003. She was promoted to vice president of special projects in May 2006.  

    Val served as a board member for two organizations, the Professional Women’s Roundtable, a group that supports the advancement of female managers in the Philadelphia region, and the Philadelphia chapter of The Black Alliance for Educational Options, a national organization.

    A graduate of Drexel University, Val began her career in hospitality in 1994 as a sales manager for Philadelphia’s Embassy Suites. She then moved to the Top of the Tower complex, where she filled the role of director of catering sales. Val currently resides in Ardmore, a suburb of Philadelphia.