Carolina Beteta Steps In as Interim CEO of Brand USA Following Fred Dixon Departure Amid a Wave of Major Destination Marketing Leadership Changes

Brand USA, the nation’s official destination marketing organization, has announced that tourism industry veteran Carolina Beteta will take the helm as interim president and chief executive officer, effective November 9. Beteta steps into the role following the upcoming departure of current President and CEO Fred Dixon, who is leaving the organization after a tenure spanning more than two years. Dixon’s impending exit was initially reported by industry publication Skift in late August, triggering widespread speculation within the travel and tourism sector regarding the future leadership of the public-private partnership.

Beteta’s appointment brings one of the most recognized and accomplished figures in American tourism back to the forefront of destination marketing. Her transition to Brand USA follows a celebrated career at the helm of Visit California, where she served as chief executive officer for nearly three decades, helping transform the state into one of the most powerful tourism brands in the global marketplace. Earlier this year, Beteta announced her retirement from Visit California, setting off a high-profile succession process that concluded in June when Visit California named Julie Coker—formerly the head of New York City Tourism + Conventions—as her permanent successor.

The leadership transition at Brand USA is not occurring in a vacuum. Instead, it represents the latest and perhaps most significant chapter in a broader wave of executive shakeups across major American destination marketing organizations over the past year. As the travel and tourism industry continues to navigate post-pandemic recovery, shifting global travel patterns, and evolving funding mechanisms, boards of directors across the country have increasingly turned to seasoned veterans and strategic innovators to steer their organizations through complex economic and geopolitical landscapes.

A Chronology of Leadership Transitions

The sequence of events leading to Beteta’s appointment at Brand USA underscores a tightly interconnected network of leadership movements within the U.S. travel sector. The chronology began in January when Beteta publicly announced her intention to step down from her long-standing post at Visit California, an organization she had guided through decades of unprecedented growth, economic downturns, and major crises, including natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following Beteta’s retirement announcement, California’s tourism board initiated a nationwide search for her replacement. By June, Visit California successfully recruited Julie Coker from New York City Tourism + Conventions, a move that left a high-profile vacancy in America’s largest municipal tourism market and set off a cascading series of executive relocations.

Meanwhile, at the federal level, Fred Dixon had been guiding Brand USA through a crucial period of international re-engagement following the global travel restrictions of the pandemic era. Dixon, who assumed the role of Brand USA president and CEO after a distinguished tenure leading NYC & Company (later rebranded as New York City Tourism + Conventions), focused heavily on rebuilding international visitor volume, expanding cooperative marketing partnerships, and leveraging major upcoming events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Reports of Dixon’s departure emerged in late August, creating immediate curiosity regarding who would guide the quasi-governmental organization through the transition period. By selecting Beteta as interim CEO, the Brand USA board of directors secured a steady, highly experienced hand capable of stepping into the role with zero learning curve, ensuring operational continuity as the organization prepares for its next multi-year strategic cycle.

Background and Context of Brand USA

Established by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 and launched in 2011, Brand USA serves as the nation’s first-ever globally coordinated tourism marketing effort. Operating as a public-private partnership, the organization works in close collaboration with the U.S. Department of Commerce to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and to communicate U.S. entry policies and procedures to international travelers.

Funding for Brand USA is uniquely structured, relying on a combination of private-sector contributions and matching funds derived from fees collected through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) from international visitors traveling to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program. This funding model ties the organization’s financial health directly to international inbound travel volumes.

Over the past decade, Brand USA has played a pivotal role in driving economic growth across the United States. According to economic impact studies conducted by Oxford Economics, Brand USA’s marketing campaigns have historically generated tens of billions of dollars in visitor spending, supporting hundreds of thousands of American jobs across the hospitality, transportation, retail, and entertainment sectors. Every dollar invested in the organization’s global campaigns has consistently yielded a significant return on investment, making leadership stability a critical priority for stakeholders, travel industry associations, and congressional oversight committees alike.

Industry Implications of the Leadership Shakeup

The arrival of Carolina Beteta as interim CEO at Brand USA carries profound implications for the U.S. travel industry at a time when international inbound tourism is still striving to reach or exceed pre-2019 benchmark levels. While domestic travel rebounded strongly in the immediate wake of pandemic-era restrictions, international long-haul travel has faced lingering headwinds, including currency fluctuations, visa processing backlogs in key source markets, and intensifying competition from international destinations launching aggressive global marketing campaigns.

Beteta’s decades of experience at Visit California position her uniquely to address these challenges. Under her leadership, Visit California pioneered innovative international marketing models, establishing representative offices in key global markets and developing sophisticated data-driven campaigns that targeted high-value travelers. Her deep familiarity with public-private partnership structures, state-level tourism funding mechanisms, and international trade relations will be invaluable as Brand USA collaborates with hundreds of destination marketing organizations, airlines, hotel groups, and attractions across the country.

Furthermore, Beteta’s appointment comes at a crucial logistical juncture. The United States is preparing to host a historic decade of marquee international sporting events, colloquially referred to by tourism economists as the "decade of sports." Beginning with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, followed by the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted with Canada and Mexico, and culminating in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the U.S. will occupy the center stage of global media attention. Brand USA faces the monumental task of leveraging these events not only to drive visitation to host cities but to disperse international travelers to secondary and tertiary destinations across all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.

Official Perspectives and Stakeholder Reactions

While formal statements from Brand USA’s board of directors and incoming leadership emphasize continuity and strategic focus, industry stakeholders have expressed widespread approval regarding Beteta’s interim appointment. Travel industry leaders have praised the board for choosing a figure of unmatched stature and operational experience to steer the organization during a transitional phase.

In professional circles, Beteta is widely regarded as a master strategist who understands the delicate balance between federal tourism promotion and the specific promotional needs of local and regional destination marketing organizations. Her ability to navigate complex political environments, build consensus among diverse stakeholders, and advocate for sustainable funding makes her an ideal choice to maintain institutional momentum while the board undertakes a comprehensive, deliberate search for a permanent successor to Fred Dixon.

Observers note that Beteta’s interim status does not preclude her from making significant operational decisions. Given the fast-paced nature of global tourism marketing, where media buys, cooperative advertising campaigns, and international trade shows must be planned years in advance, an interim leader with Beteta’s background ensures that Brand USA will not experience a strategic pause or administrative paralysis during the leadership transition.

Broader Economic Impact and Future Outlook

The broader economic implications of Brand USA’s leadership pivot extend far beyond the corporate offices of the organization. International visitors typically spend significantly more per trip than domestic travelers, making inbound tourism a critical export industry for the United States. Every percentage point increase in international visitation translates directly into billions of dollars in tax revenue for federal, state, and local governments, while supporting small and medium-sized businesses embedded within the tourism supply chain.

As Caroline Beteta assumes her responsibilities on November 9, she will inherit an organization poised at a strategic crossroads. The convergence of technological innovation in travel marketing, changing consumer preferences toward sustainable and experiential travel, and the immense promotional opportunities presented by upcoming global sporting events require visionary, steady leadership.

The transition from Fred Dixon to Carolina Beteta, viewed in the broader context of recent executive movements across New York, California, and the federal tourism apparatus, reflects an industry in motion—one that is actively recalibrating its leadership structures to meet the complex demands of the modern global travel economy. For Brand USA, the coming months will test the resilience of its operational model and the strength of its collaborative networks, with Beteta serving as the steady, experienced anchor guiding the nation’s tourism marketing efforts toward a prosperous future.