FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Discover Inland Empire Media Contact:
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VISIT CALIFORNIA PRESIDENT AND CEO HONORED BY SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 17, 2023 – Caroline Beteta, President and CEO of Visit California, was recently honored by San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ leadership by being wrapped with a ceremonial blanket, hand made by tribal youth. The special ceremony took place during Inland Empire Tourism: The Regional Summit 2023 which counted over 150 registered attendees including government representatives, travel professionals, hotels, and other tourism providers.
The conference took place on March 29th at Bear Springs Hotel in Highland, California and followed the recent launch of Visit Native California by Beteta’s team.
“I am incredibly touched and grateful to receive this honor,” Beteta said. “Visit Native California aims to spotlight and uplift the cultural heritage of California’s many Native communities, and it is the support and collaboration of tribes such as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians that brings this initiative to life. Visit California is committed to growing its understanding of tribal cultures and helping build a more unified and inclusive travel industry.”
“The Inland Empire is filled with gorgeous mountains and deserts, world-class accommodations, quality wineries, and a terrific culinary variety. We are proud to collaborate with San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to support their tourism efforts and tell the story of their heritage. We thank the State of California and the team at Visit California for their ongoing support in promoting our region,” said Freddy Bi, President and CEO of Discover Inland Empire, the official destination marketing organization representing San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
The event featured top-notch speakers from San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Visit California, San Bernardino International Airport, CoStar Group, King of the Hammers, Visit 29 Palms, The Walt Disney Company, San Bernardino County Economic Development and Local Equity. Highlights included recently released data that showed the Inland Empire has the 5th highest Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) recovery in the nation.
“The service industry is the second largest employer in the Inland Empire and there is a tremendous amount of potential to grow domestic and international visitation. We are proud of our relationships with our tourism providers, international buyer community and local governments. We aim to create a stronger collaboration in the larger Southern California region to curate experiences that are seamless to the traveler and not defined by county borders. Guests should be able to land at Ontario International Airport (ONT), go to a theme park, enjoy the beaches, drink wine in Temecula, shop at the Outlets at Barstow, and ski in Big Bear in one single itinerary. We believe Discover Inland Empire plays an important role in making this happen,” said Dr. Gil Keinan, Chairman of the Board at Discover Inland Empire and Managing Director of Local Equity.
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ABOUT VISIT CALIFORNIA
Visit California is a nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry – that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. For more information about Visit California and for a free California Official State Visitor’s Guide, go to visitcalifornia.com. For story ideas, media information, downloadable images, video and more, go to media.visitcalifornia.com.
ABOUT DISCOVER INLAND EMPIRE
Established in 1988, Discover Inland Empire is the official destination marketing organization for California’s San Bernardino County and Riverside County, the most diverse destination in the United States. A 501(c)(6) not-for-profit global marketing organization dedicated to promoting overnight stays to the international and large-scale event sectors which will create a sustainable tourism economy within the Inland Empire. Discover Inland Empire is recognized by the State as the destination marketing organization for the Inland Empire region. More information is available at www.DiscoverIE.com. Follow @nowDiscoverIE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
