A portion of the proceeds from Tourism Cares’ Hall of Fame Dinner on May 29 will benefit nonprofit, tourism-related sites in New York and New Jersey that were damaged by Superstorm Sandy last October.
The remainder of the proceeds will support Tourism Cares’ ongoing programs, including worldwide grants, volunteer programs, scholarships and student programs.
On May 31, more than 500 travel professionals will gather at Coney Island in Brooklyn and Jamaica Bay in Queens, two areas that were devastated by the effects of the storm. They will paint, do landscaping, restore dunes and revitalize parks.
At the gala reception and dinner at the Crowne Plaza Times Square, three people will be inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame: Globus Chairman Phillip Gordon, Travel Impressions CEO Steve Gorga and Bob Sullivan, publisher of Travel Weekly and Northstar Travel Media’s executive vice president, travel group.
In addition, the late Bob Whitley will be recognized. Whitley, the former president of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, was inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame posthumously at a private function at the USTOA conference in 2011.
Organizers said this week that there were still several tables available for the Hall of Fame Dinner.
For more information on Tourism Cares activities or to attend the dinner, visit www.tourismcares.org.