Meet Your FY 26 Visit Pensacola Board Chair Capt. Sterling Gilliam

Dear Visit Pensacola Partners and Stakeholders,

It is an honor to once again serve as Chair of Visit Pensacola’s Board of Directors, and I look forward to continuing advancing the incredible momentum our destination has built. As the Director of your National Naval Aviation Museum, I get to see firsthand the impact of tourism on our community, and it is impressive.

I am also tremendously proud of what the Visit Pensacola Team has accomplished. When I first joined the Visit Pensacola Board in the fall of 2016, we had solid membership with 173 partners and approximately $10 million in Tourism Development Tax (TDT) revenue. Today, that number sits at 340 partners and over $22 million in TDT revenue. This growth is all the more remarkable given that during that time span, Pensacola has endured the COVID-19 Pandemic, a horrific terrorist attack and Hurricane Sally. Our Brand has never been stronger and our competitors to the east and west are envious of what we have accomplished.

I certainly want to thank every one of our partners for your efforts in making Pensacola special. Your willingness to support our mission has been spectacular. Whether it is hosting travel writer visits, providing venues for video shoots or local news spots, your collaboration is unmatched. Thank You!

Your incoming Board looks forward to building on the tremendous success story that is Pensacola. Your Board will be engaged, agile and innovative. We will take our governance responsibilities seriously and we will be good stewards of the resources provided to us by Escambia County and your membership dues.

In closing I would like to add that having started my career as Naval Aviator here years ago, I have always been fond of Pensacola but didn’t fully realize the uniqueness of this remarkable community until returning here after 30 years in uniform. Certainly, having traveled the globe, I can confirm we have the best beaches on the planet. But more importantly, we have the best people in the world; kind, giving, caring, creative and fun-loving. It is an honor to be part of this special place.



Warm regards,

Capt. Sterling Gilliam
Chair, Visit Pensacola