Ralenkotter to head national tourism panel

The head of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will oversee the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.

Convention Authority Chief Executive Officer Rossi Ralenkotter was selected to head the advisory board by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke on Tuesday.

The board provides counsel to the Commerce Secretary on government policies and programs that affect the U.S. travel and tourism industry, and provides a forum for discussing and proposing solutions to industry-related issues.

Ralenkotter has more than 35 years experience in the travel and tourism industry. He will be sworn in as the chairman at the board of directors meeting in April. The panel includes 28 other travel industry professionals.

“I look forward to working with the board to continue to promote the importance of the travel and tourism industry to our nation’s economy,” Ralenkotter said in a statement.

According to the Commerce Department, travel and tourism is one of the nation’s most significant exports, accounting for 2.7 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product and supporting more than 8 million jobs.

“The health and stability of the travel and tourism industry touches all regions and impacts employment and economic strength across the country,” Locke said.