Paco Saldaña, director of guest services at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, has been declared as the winner of the Faces of Travel Contest.

Paco Saldana, winner of 'Faces of Travel' contest

The U.S. Travel Association ran the video contest to find someone who could serve as the human face of the travel industry.

Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said that “Paco is a great representative of the 7.7 million Americans whose jobs depend on travel. As a front-line worker whose family depends on travel, Paco is uniquely capable of addressing the consequences of the downturn in corporate meetings and events and the benefits of increasing travel to and within the United States.”

An expert panel narrowed the submissions to a list of six finalists and more than 16,000 votes were cast online at meetingsmeanbusiness.com. Chosen as the winner by the public, Saldaña receives a $5,000 prize and will serve as an industry spokesperson with media, policymakers and other stakeholders.

Paco Saldaña joined The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island as a server attendant in 1996, a year after emigrating from Mexico City to the United States. He quickly learned English and took on leadership positions at the hotel, earning U.S. citizenship along the way. Saldaña also met his wife, Christina, when she worked as a hostess in a restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. They have three children now.

“I came to this country in search of the American dream, and as an employee of The Ritz-Carlton, I’ve been given the opportunity to achieve it,” says Saldaña. “But, like the millions of other ladies and gentlemen working in the travel industry, these aspirations will be cut short if we continue to suffer from a downturn in travel.”

The Faces of Travel contest was drummed up back in March by the USTA when the AIG Effect was having a devastating impact on corporate travel and meetings. The aim was to show people – politicians, media and other interested parties – that the travel industry is made up of ordinary people who stand to lose a lot if the industry is not adequately supported.

For more information on the contest and to download Paco’s video and photos, visit www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com/facesoftravel. To find Saldaña on Twitter and follow him throughout his trip to Washington, D.C., visit www.twitter.com/faceoftravel.

To see all of the other hundreds of video entries for the contest, visit www.youtube.com/user/ustravelassoc.