Julie Coker

Julie Coker is the President and CEO of New York City Tourism + Conventions, where she heads efforts to promote the five boroughs as one of the world's leading destinations for leisure and business travel. In her role, Coker oversees initiatives to inspire visitors to discover everything they need to know about what to do and see in NYC, along with a market development team focusing on group, meeting/convention, leisure and events-motivated travel, as well as a communications network and satellite offices across the US and around the globe. Under Coker’s leadership, New York City Tourism + Conventions has also played a key role in preparing the destination for FIFA World Cup 2026™, developing marketing, content and visitor-facing initiatives designed to turn the tournament into a citywide invitation to explore the five boroughs.

She was formerly the President and CEO of The San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA), which, under Coker's leadership, has been recognized as one of the best in the business. With Coker at the helm, San Diego ranked as one of the top-performing U.S. destinations in 2023, ranking third in the nation in hotel occupancy at 73.5%, and SDTA’s groups and conventions business returned to full recovery, surpassing 2019 figures. For fiscal year 2023 (July – June), under her leadership, San Diego County’s Transient Occupancy Tax generated more than $420 million for regional services and SDTA’s sales and marketing programs delivered a $33 to $1 return on investment, the highest in the organization’s 69-year history; and the retention rate among SDTA members was 99%.

Coker’s commitment to serving on boards gives her unique insight and notable influence in the tourism industry. In January 2023, she was appointed to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, joining 31 other leaders from the domestic travel and tourism industry in providing advice to the Secretary of Commerce on travel priorities. She also serves on the executive boards of the U.S. Travel Association and Visit California, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and the San Diego Lodging Association, Sharp Health Care, and advisory councils for Tourism Diversity Matters and Biocom SD. \