ARTICLE
The Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced its Board of Directors has appointed Jennifer Boes as its new executive director, effective June 1. Current executive director Sarah Ridgway Willoughby will be retiring from her position at the end of June 2021. Boes is currently the director of marketing communications and media relations for the Bureau, a position she has held since January 2020. She has more than 25 years of experience in tourism marketing and public relations. Bill Sullivan, chairman of the Bureau’s board of directors, said, “Jennifer possesses a deep knowledge of our tourism regions and has significant experience in tourism strategic planning. We are confident she will bring the Bureau to the next level, building upon the strong foundation Sarah has built over the past 12-plus years.” As executive director, Boes will lead the Bureau’s efforts to promote and sell New Castle County, Greater Wilmington, and the Brandywine Valley as a destination for leisure travelers, meetings, sports, conventions, and group tours. She will work closely with tourism partners throughout the state on the shared goal of driving economic development through tourism. Boes will also collaborate on existing marketing efforts that promote New Castle County and Delaware. Boes said, “I am so honored to be selected for this position. This is such an exciting time for our region. Our COVID recovery is slowly but surely under way, and we have a number of major tourism-related enhancements coming online over the next few years. I look forward to working with the talented team Sarah has assembled to create an even greater awareness of all the amazing things we have to offer as a tourism destination.” A travel and tourism veteran, Boes worked previously at Marshall Communications, a Maine-based PR agency, for the last 15 years. There, she developed and implemented strategic marketing plans for destination marketing organizations and market sectors including travel, hotels, the cruise industry, restaurants, retail, and international tourism marketing. A Delaware native, she is also a former tourism public relations director of the Delaware Tourism Office. About the Bureau The Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau was established in 1978 by the Governor, County Executive and the Mayor of Wilmington. Its mission is to serve as New Castle County's customer-focused destination marketing organization, generating economic growth through leisure travel and meetings development by aggressively marketing attractions, facilities, amenities and services for visitors. Learn more at VisitWilmingtonDE.com.