Black Meetings & Tourism - CHANTEL FRANCOIS, CTC

Industry Briefs
CHANTEL FRANCOIS, CTC
Tourism Manager City of South Fulton / South Fulton Convention & Visitors Bureau Chantel Francois is an International Travel / Tourism Sales Professional who relocated to Atlanta over 2 decades ago with the Canadian Consulate, in the office of External Affairs. She is an Experienced Sales Manager, Georgia Certified Travel Counselor, and International Air Transport Assoc. (IATA) accredited agent with over 15 years of experience in Tourism, External Affairs, Destination Marketing, Travel Trade Sales, Government Relations, Business / Economic Development and managing Convention & Visitors Bureaus. She was very instrumental in the implementation of the Destination Marketing Tourism Organization formed by the City of East Point Georgia funded by Hotel Occupancy Tax Collection. She successfully served as the Lead Sales, Tourism Marketing and Economic / Business Development contact for the City of East Point and Atlanta Airport Markets during her tenure at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. She has an extensive tourism database and great business knowledge of the City of South Fulton where has been a resident for over a decade. Francois has recently completed a contract as Project Lead for the Development of a Tourism Master Plan for the City of Mississauga. This is Canada's six largest City and home to Toronto's Pearson International Airport. She collaborated with Tourism Toronto, Greater Toronto Airport Authority(GTAA), local industry stakeholders, department of Economic Development, other travel partners and government agencies. Her experience is enhanced by her impressive International accomplishments in the travel trade and tourism industry. Francois was personally recruited by the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda and the Ministry of Tourism to market the twin island and to lead the marketing and promotional sales efforts for its inaugural and ongoing Delta nonstop service to Atlanta. She has also partnered with other Caribbean Tourist Boards to include St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica in achieving their Tourism Sales objectives. She was responsible for the implementation of the Trinidad and Tobago Convention Bureau, where she served as Head of the Convention Bureau under the Ministry of Tourism for the twin Isles. She is also Founder / President and served as Executive Director of the Metro Atlanta Caribbean Chamber of Commerce Inc., along with founding partners Metro Atlanta Transit Authority (MARTA) and Air Jamaica. In this position, Francois hosted and worked with prime ministers and heads of state from around the world to promote economic and domestic development between Metro Atlanta and the Caribbean Nations. She also worked with the United States Secret Service on high-profile visits of world leaders to Atlanta. Other international project highlights include her involvement in the Fifth Summit of the Americas attended by President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other heads of state, as well as her contribution to the Commonwealth Heads of State Conference (CHOGM), hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and attended by Heads of the Commonwealth member states in Trinidad and Tobago. In her previous role as Tourism Director for theCity of Douglasville, Francois lead the sales efforts in the development and advancement of tourism and economic development, and was responsible for the overall leadership of the Douglasville CVB and Douglasville Welcome Center. She was committed to positioning Douglasville as a premier destination for small-market meetings, corporate business and conferences as well as an attractive leisure destination located only 20 minutes from the world's busiest airport (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. She has an extensive list of supportive business contacts and loyal clients in the tourism industry and is well respected in the Atlanta market. Francois was also nominated for the Supplier of the Year Award, by Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI). DMAI is a professional organization representing over 658 Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO's) and conventions bureaus worldwide. She has received numerous accolades during her career to include: YWCA Women of the Year, Atlanta Business League Top 100 Women, Women Looking Ahead 100 Most Influential Women in Atlanta, 100 Most Influential Caribbean's in Atlanta, and Featured in Who's Who in Atlanta, Atlanta Business Journal and numerous other publications. She is a member of the Atlanta Airport Rotary Club where she serves as director of public relations as well as the board of the Africa's Children's Fund, supporting the Archbishop Desmond Tutu as Chair. Aside from being a community advocate and developing and promoting tourism, Francois enjoys home decor, traveling, and spending time with family.

Industry Briefs

CHANTEL FRANCOIS, CTC

Tourism Manager City of South Fulton / South Fulton Convention & Visitors Bureau

Chantel Francois is an International Travel / Tourism Sales Professional who relocated to Atlanta over 2 decades ago with the Canadian Consulate, in the office of External Affairs. She is an Experienced Sales Manager, Georgia Certified Travel Counselor, and International Air Transport Assoc. (IATA) accredited agent with over 15 years of experience in Tourism, External Affairs, Destination Marketing, Travel Trade Sales, Government Relations, Business / Economic Development and managing Convention & Visitors Bureaus.

She was very instrumental in the implementation of the Destination Marketing Tourism Organization formed by the City of East Point Georgia funded by Hotel Occupancy Tax Collection. She successfully served as the Lead Sales, Tourism Marketing and Economic / Business Development contact for the City of East Point and Atlanta Airport Markets during her tenure at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. She has an extensive tourism database and great business knowledge of the City of South Fulton where has been a resident for over a decade.

Francois has recently completed a contract as Project Lead for the Development of a Tourism Master Plan for the City of Mississauga. This is Canada's six largest City and home to Toronto's Pearson International Airport. She collaborated with Tourism Toronto, Greater Toronto Airport Authority(GTAA), local industry stakeholders, department of Economic Development, other travel partners and government agencies.

Her experience is enhanced by her impressive International accomplishments in the travel trade and tourism industry. Francois was personally recruited by the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda and the Ministry of Tourism to market the twin island and to lead the marketing and promotional sales efforts for its inaugural and ongoing Delta nonstop service to Atlanta. She has also partnered with other Caribbean Tourist Boards to include St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica in achieving their Tourism Sales objectives. She was responsible for the implementation of the Trinidad and Tobago Convention Bureau, where she served as Head of the Convention Bureau under the Ministry of Tourism for the twin Isles. She is also Founder / President and served as Executive Director of the Metro Atlanta Caribbean Chamber of Commerce Inc., along with founding partners Metro Atlanta Transit Authority (MARTA) and Air Jamaica. In this position, Francois hosted and worked with prime ministers and heads of state from around the world to promote economic and domestic development between Metro Atlanta and the Caribbean Nations. She also worked with the United States Secret Service on high-profile visits of world leaders to Atlanta. Other international project highlights include her involvement in the Fifth Summit of the Americas attended by President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other heads of state, as well as her contribution to the Commonwealth Heads of State Conference (CHOGM), hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and attended by Heads of the Commonwealth member states in Trinidad and Tobago.

In her previous role as Tourism Director for theCity of Douglasville, Francois lead the sales efforts in the development and advancement of tourism and economic development, and was responsible for the overall leadership of the Douglasville CVB and Douglasville Welcome Center. She was committed to positioning Douglasville as a premier destination for small-market meetings, corporate business and conferences as well as an attractive leisure destination located only 20 minutes from the world's busiest airport (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. She has an extensive list of supportive business contacts and loyal clients in the tourism industry and is well respected in the Atlanta market.

Francois was also nominated for the Supplier of the Year Award, by Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI). DMAI is a professional organization representing over 658 Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO's) and conventions bureaus worldwide. She has received numerous accolades during her career to include: YWCA Women of the Year, Atlanta Business League Top 100 Women, Women Looking Ahead 100 Most Influential Women in Atlanta, 100 Most Influential Caribbean's in Atlanta, and Featured in Who's Who in Atlanta, Atlanta Business Journal and numerous other publications. She is a member of the Atlanta Airport Rotary Club where she serves as director of public relations as well as the board of the Africa's Children's Fund, supporting the Archbishop Desmond Tutu as Chair. Aside from being a community advocate and developing and promoting tourism, Francois enjoys home decor, traveling, and spending time with family.