SYRACUSE — Destiny USA announced it is adding a branch to its marketing department focused on tourism.
Rose Hapanowich, who has been serving as marketing director since 1996, will now be director of travel and tourism and lead Destiny’s branding efforts outside the region, Destiny USA said in a news release.
Destiny USA — a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex — is collaborating with the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau; I Love NY, the tourism arm of the New York State Department of Economic Development; Saugerties, N.Y.–based Destinations of New York State; and Napa, Calif.–based Shop America Alliance, LLC.
The partnerships seek to expose the Destiny USA name to national and international markets with the goal of drawing travelers into Syracuse, Destiny USA said.
Shop America Alliance is “a travel [and] trade organization representing hundreds of the premier shopping tourism destinations, retailers, shopping centers, museum stores and outlets in North and Central America,” according to its website.
Hapanowich has already promoted Destiny USA at nearly 30 trade shows globally in 2013, and has started a tour of more than 40 trade shows this year in locations including Toronto, Los Angeles, Brazil, and Berlin, Destiny USA said.
Hapanowich serves on the executive committee of the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau; the advisory board of the Shop America Alliance; and the international marketing committee of I Love NY.
In addition, Hapanowich is also a member of the Outlet Marketing Alliance and the Lexington, Ky.–based National Tour Association Retail and Restaurant Council.
The Outlet Marketing Alliance is a nonprofit, independent, volunteer organization dedicated to the promotion of the outlet industry across the retail marketplace, according to the website of Essex Junction, Vt.–based EWB Development.
The Outlet Marketing Alliance is an association of EWB Development, the website says.
Hapanowich has a degree in economics from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.
Destiny USA’s tourism team will continue to expand in 2014, the organization said.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com