Letter from TTMA President

 

It is my great privilege to continue to serve as TTMA President working with our dedicated all
volunteer board and our incredible administrator and event/marketing manager, Stephanie Ida.

 

In 2025, the travel and tourism industry challenge was recovery and rebuilding. That challenge
continues but added to this challenge is the 2026 challenge of “uncertainty” caused by
administration actions, a confusing economy, inflation, etc. There is no “normal” anymore,
right? This is especially true for the Southern California travel and tourism industry.

 

But, there is good news…TTMA is a premier association uniting peers across the Southern
California travel and tourism industry to collaborate and we work together to met challenges
impacting the our industry. TTMA is the only organization spanning the entire industry, with
members from hotels, restaurants, destination marketing organizations, attractions, museums,
publications, marketing agencies, consultants, and more.

 

TTMA provides members - large, small, and everything in between – with key insights and
information shared at our monthly lunch events.

 

TTMA believes in the value of in-person events to network and experience different venues
throughout Southern California. At every event, attendees introduce themselves and showcase
their company to the group.

 

So far in 2026 our events have included the following:

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• In February, LA Tourism President and CEO Adam Burke’s updated the state of travel to

LA and key initiatives for the coming year. In addition, Samara Ashley spoke about LA
Open which is a countrywide economic recovery and tourism confidence campaign led
by the LA Economic Development Corporation.

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• In March, Paul Krekorian, Executive Director of the Office of Major Events, and Jennifer

Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer at LA Metro outlined how LA is preparing for
major events.

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• In April, TTMA proudly continued our relationship with Cal State Northridge, starting with

awarding a TTMA scholarship to a deserving student in the Recreation & Tourism
Management program. For the third year, our lunch program at CSUN hosted over 30
students and featured remarks from the CSUN faculty, keynote speaker TTMA board
member Raihni Duncan, Sales Director at LA Live and CSUN alumna interviewed by
Helen Vasquez, the TTMA/CSUN 2025 scholarship awardee. This was followed by
round table discussions facilitated by TTMA tourism professionals for the students to
interact with.

 

Programs anticipated for the rest of the year include an Attractions Update, a Museum
Update, a cruise/lunch on a brand-new Harbor Breeze boat at the new West Harbor
development, Wellness in tourism, and our special Anatasia K. Mann Award lunch.

Awardees to be announced soon. We will end the year celebrating the December holidays
at a rooftop location.

 

TTMA is More Than Business – It’s Fun

 

One of the most frequent compliments we receive is that TTMA is fun! But we need your
help and support. We continue to offer events at affordable prices despite the incredible
rise in costs, often operating at a break-even point. As a result, membership revenue is vital
to cover our annual operating costs.

 

You will find that our membership fee is very reasonable – and members receive reduced
event rates ( a benefit you don’t want to miss). A huge thank you to those renewing their
memberships and a warm welcome to new members.

 

Let’s come together, collaborate, and make 2026 a great year after all.

 

Wendy