Randy Fiveash, longtime director of Connecticut’s Office of Tourism, is retiring effective April 1.
In a message shared with members of the travel and hospitality industry, Fiveash said it was an “absolute privilege” to head the state’s tourism promotion efforts.
“I’ve been hesitant to make this move until now,” he wrote. “But with vaccines becoming more widely available, business restrictions easing and pent-up travel demand increasing, there are so many reasons to be hopeful for a solid recovery for our state’s many tourism businesses.”
“I know there are still challenges ahead, but I have the utmost confidence that you will all demonstrate once again how critical travel and hospitality businesses are to our economy by working together to spark Connecticut’s resurgence this spring and summer,” Fiveash added.
Fiveash joined the Office of Tourism in 2008. At the time, the state’s tourism advertising efforts lagged behind most other New England states in scope and sophistication, and money for promotion was tight due to the financial impact of the recession.
Fiveash said he helped correct the state’s course by researching what activities and sites Connecticut residents were aware of and interested in and rolling out new ad campaigns. His team also reinvented www.CTvisit.com, which now features over 5,000 Connecticut tourism businesses and events.
Connecticut’s tourism sector has since grown into a $15.5 billion industry, generating $2.2 billion in tax revenues.
Before relocating to Connecticut, Fiveash served as commissioner of tourism in Kentucky.
