Reduced Ritz for Palm Beach Tourism

Plans for a convention center hotel are stalled, but Pasquera is working to attract hotel construction.

Palm Beach County tourism officials are stepping up their game. In the past, the county’s image as a playground for the rich and famous was enough to ensure a steady stream of tourists. But as other Florida cities and international destinations compete more vigorously for visitors, county officials have realized they must broaden their marketing appeal.

New efforts aimed at the summer and “shoulder” seasons play to the area’s luxurious image but offer middle-class families reduced lodging prices.

Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO Jorge Pasquera, who took the reins of the agency in November, is also making other moves. With plans for a convention center hotel stalled, he has teamed with development officials to attract new hotel construction. He also hopes to work with local aviation officials to bring more charter flights from abroad into the airport. “We haven’t been able to capitalize on the European travel market as much as our good friends in Miami and Orlando,” he says, “and we’re going to work very aggressively to remedy that.”

“It’s affordable affluence, if you will”— Jorge Pasquera, Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau president and CEO

Pasquera also has reorganized the agency’s sales efforts. And in the wake of a former employee’s theft of $1.5 million, he is imposing tighter fiscal controls and applying for membership for the Destination Marketing Association, which mandates a system of accounting checks and balances.

With a $1-million advertising campaign in the works, Pasquera says, “We’ve got an aggressive marketing plan to let the world know that we’re alive and well and ready to welcome people to Palm Beach.”