Karen Hoffman, president of the Bradford Group,
a marketing/ public relations/advertising firm
with a strong portfolio of international clients,
has more than 20 years of expertise in the travel
industry.
From the time she worked as a news editor
in the Jerusalem Bureau of Time Magazine to today,
Hoffman has continued to travel and work with people
in diverse cultures including Africa, South America,
the Mediterranean, Middle East and Asia.
Her achievement in opening the Gambia National
Tourist Office for the Bradford Group, led to more
clients from Africa including Kenya, Zambia, Zambia
Airways, Morocco, Royal Air Maroc and InterContinental
Hotels Cote d’Ivoire/Africa.
In 1997 she launched the Tanzania Tourist Board
Campaign in the US which tripled the number of
visitors from the US. The US is now Tanzania's
#1 source for tourists.
Taking it a step further, in 1997, Hoffman created
and initiated the prestigious "World Tourism
Award" for Reed Travel Exhibitions and co-sponsors
American Express, Corinthia Hotels, and the International
Herald Tribune, an award that is presented annually
at World Travel Market, London.
Under Hoffman's initiative, the Bradford Group
led Public Relations and Media efforts for the
International Institute for Peace Through tourism
(IIPT) first Global Summit in Jordan sponsored
by American Express in 2000.
Following the success of the Jordan Summit, Hoffman
and the Bradford team were asked to head up promotion
and planning efforts for additional IIPT summits
in Geneva and Thailand as well as four regional
conferences in Africa.
Under Hoffman’s initiative The Bradford Group
team played a major role in the organization and
marketing of the World Trade University Global
Secretariat’s World Tourism Marketing and Investment
Summits in Nanjing (2004) and Beijing (2007), China
and Busan, Korea (2008).
Hoffman was asked by the American Tourism Society
in 2004 to lead the public relations effort as
the organization expanded its reach to new regions
of the world, being charged with the press and
media relations for their annual conferences in
Hungary, the Czech Republic, Israel, Jordan, Croatia,
Poland, Egypt and Kosovo.
In 2005, she was responsible for successfully
launching and overseeing an ongoing US promotional
campaign for the Corinthia
Hotels, a Malta headquartered luxury hotel
brand in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Libya, Malta,
Portugal and Russia and the Corinthia Hotel, Whitehall
Place, London ( to open in early 2011).
Recognized widely among her peers for her in-depth
knowledge of Africa, in 2005 the Africa Club of
the Harvard Business School asked her to organize
and chair the first Travel and Tourism Industry
Panel as part of their annual Africa Business Conference.
A frequent speaker at tourism expos, forums and
conferences including Africa Travel Association
events Hoffman has been a guest lecturer at the
New York University Tisch School of Sports, Tourism
and Hospitality.
Memberships and Recognitions
- SKAL International
- The Cornell Hotel Society
- The American Tourism Society
Africa Travel Association: Media Director for
more than 15 years and currently First VP on the
International Board of Directors
- Two ATA awards: Founder’s Award and the ATA Award
for “outstanding promotion of tourism to the
Continent
of Africa.”
- Special Advisor to the Zanzibar International Film
Festival
- Good Will Ambassador in North America for “Just
a Drop,” the clean water charity of Reed Travel
Exhibitions/World Travel Market.
Education
- BA in Political Science, Boston University
- Masters in Travel and Tourism Administration, The
New School (New York City)
- Advanced Management Program
at Cornell University Hotel School