The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board Monday announced the appointment of Adam Burke as president and CEO, a title he had held on an interim basis for several months.

A travel and tourism executive with more than 25 years of industry experience, Burke joined Los Angeles Tourism as chief operating officer in 2016. He was named interim president and CEO in April, after Ernest Wooden Jr. announced his retirement, which became effective June 30.

“Adam has been instrumental in guiding Los Angeles Tourism during this unprecedented challenge for the local tourism economy and we have the utmost confidence in his expertise and abilities to lead our industry’s recovery journey,” said Alan Rothenberg, Los Angeles Tourism’s board chair. “His outstanding reputation, fresh perspective and passion for the destination will position L.A.’s tourism industry for success well into the future.”

Burke said Wooden “built a world-class team during his tenure, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside our innovative team of destination experts as we navigate these truly unique circumstances. Tourism is an absolutely vital part of the Los Angeles economy, and our collective priority is to safely welcome visitors while responsibly getting Angelenos across our leisure and hospitality community back to work.”

Prior to Los Angeles Tourism, Burke was a senior vice president at Hilton Worldwide, with global management responsibility for the hotel chain’s Honors customer loyalty program.

During his 17-year tenure with Hilton, he held management positions in a variety of functional areas, including strategic planning, international marketing and leisure and multi-brand marketing.

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