Karnes

Jeff Karnes is a native Californian, who has lived in Southern California for over 30 years.  He graduated from UCLA with a major in German and a minor in Business Administration, and has also studied abroad at the University of Austria in Salzburg.

Jeff is the Executive Vice President of New World Travel, Inc., a receptive tour operator and fully owned subsidiary of the DER Touristik Group, Germany, which operates corporate, group and individual travel programs for international visitors from Europe, Scandinavia, Australia and South America. New World Travel has offices in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles and has been involved in visit USA tourism since 1979.  Jeff oversees operations, sales and administration for the Los Angeles office, which has over 40 full time staff and is responsible for the product planning and contracting, representation and operations in all states west of the Mississippi River, including the Hawaiian Islands and Western Canada.

Jeff is the Past President of the Los Angeles Skål Club, a global organization of travel executives.  He has served on the International Marketing Committee for the California Travel and Tourism Commission and the Board of Directors of RSAA (Currently IITA). Additionally, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Challengers Boys and Girls Club of Metro Los Angeles.  He currently serves on the Travel Industry Advisory Board for Visit Mexico.

With his wife Anna, son Arjun and daughter Ashwini, the Karnes make their home in Long Beach, California. Personal interests include cycling, ocean swimming, gardening and cooking.