A Note from TMD Chairman, Javier Cano

As we look to the year ahead, it’s hard to believe it has been one year this week – nearly to the day - since the State and County announcement of a state of emergency. Yet, I think we can all agree it has been the longest and most challenging year in recent history, and a particularly difficult one for our industry.  I’m proud of the way our hospitality community has come together to weather this storm, and while we’re certainly not yet out of the woods, we begin 2021 with optimism for each month ahead.Our industry has provided critical insights and perspective to local authorities as they navigated the pandemic, and this work will continue as we drive recovery efforts forward as quickly as possible.Your TMD Board has been meeting regularly to ensure that it is fully engaged in developing plans for recovery and recently approved the estimated CY 2021 budget of approximately $16 million, a significant reduction from the previous year. These funds are laser focused on recovery marketing and sales efforts with a crucial goal of rebuilding hotel demand.   It’s important to recognize the past actions of the TMD Board to create a Reserve Fund that included funds for catastrophic events has been a game changer, as it protected resources for recovery efforts that would not otherwise be available in the current environment.I also would like to extend a big thank you to all of you who participated in our recent series of TMD Regional meetings, as your participation on the zoom calls was very much appreciated by all. For those of you unable to attend, we have included the highlights of the sales and marketing reports in this newsletter and provided an email to request a copy of the full presentation for your region.   As you have heard me say many times in the past, we want and welcome your feedback as we plan for the future – and this year of recovery.