Visit Philadelphia CEO Jeff Guaracino, a driving force in Greater Philadelphia’s tourism industry with more than 20 years of experience in the sector, died on Tuesday following a battle with cancer. He was 48 years old. Guaracino served as CEO at Visit Philadelphia since October 2018.
Guaracino was instrumental in helping Greater Philadelphia’s tourism and hospitality sectors work to rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, pandemic-era Visit Philadelphia marketing efforts included a more than $2 million summer campaign that emphasized reaching diverse travelers, including LGBTQ people and Black and Brown leisure tourists; the Love + Grit podcast that focused on telling diverse stories of Philadelphians; and a Black- and Brown-owned business initiative that culminated in City Council’s Shop Black Business Friday declaration. His work helped contribute to Philadelphia outpacing 2021 hotel recovery forecasts by 43% as of July, according to STR and Tourism Economics data.
He was on the board of directors for the U.S. Travel Association, Global Philadelphia Association, Independence Visitor Center Corporation, Philadelphia International Airport, Welcome America, Inc., Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld Fund and Temple University STHM Board of Visitors. Last year, he was named vice chair of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia’s Regional Tourism, Arts and Cultural Recovery committee.
