Travel Industry CEO Interviews

And at this juncture, Etihad CEO James Hogan says it's all "good." He's giving airline alliances grief, making strides in honing the passenger experience and obviously enjoying the gig despite the hassles of facing off against the bullying of some of the largest airlines in the world.

Holland City is one of the most clever concepts we've seen from a DMO. Tourists won't visit the other Dutch cities just because Visit Holland says they're close by but it will do a lot to build a stronger, more unified brand.

There's something to remaining a private travel company, not to mention one of the world's largest, like The Travel Corporation. The company is private and profitable and gets more freedom and flexibility than public companies that have to answer to shareholders every quarter.

Social media is a two-way street that can just easily be used to share content as collect it, helping destination marketing organizations keep up with today's 24/7 marketing timetable.

Hotel RL is differentiating the boutique hotel experience both in terms of a lower price point and an innovative social responsibility platform.

It's near impossible to measure the exact influence a slogan has on getting tourists to a destination, but Virginia is certainly making the most of its catchphrase by getting small businesses onboard and creating revenue opportunities.

Tourism Australia is leading the industry in marketing practices, which means it must continually innovate on its most successful campaigns and test new ones to find what sticks and gets travelers to commit to the often long-distance journey down under.

As one of the largest travel companies in the world, Carlson Wagonlit Travel's global scale and what it's doing in most facets of its business offer a glimpse into larger travel management trends and what business travelers in managed programs are looking for.

Rather than push tourists away, Germany's complicated history - and more recent revitalization - is what draws them in. It's the tourism board's challenge to make sure Berlin and Munich aren't the only places that benefit.

Even the most well-known, and well-funded destinations would like more money to fuel their international marketing efforts, making partnerships the only feasible way to get there.