John Urdi will be taking the helm for Visit Huntington Beach; the longtime travel exec trading the snow and skis for sand and surf.
Urdi, the founding CEO for Mammoth Lakes Tourism in 2010, was recently selected to replace the retiring Kelly Miller as CEO and president of Visit HB, one of the region’s largest destination marketing groups.
The announcement follows a nationwide search, Visit HB officials said, with Urdi expected to start his new role Jan. 1.
“It’s been a wild ride in a lot of ways, we’ve made some amazing progress here,” Urdi said in a phone interview from his home in Mammoth. “I’m proud of what I’m leaving here in that story.”
Urdi’s career has largely been based in the snow, the New Hampshire native starting in ski patrol at age 15 before joining the management team at Sugarbush in Vermont, where he had a variety of responsibilities, including running the lifts, manning front desks and promoting the resort.
“I was able to learn the entire industry,” he said.
Urdi has held leadership roles in sales and tourism at Grand Targhee Resort, Colorado Ski Country USA and Attitash Resort.
When he got to Mammoth Mountain, the village area – which brought a new, more upscale vibe to the mountain town – had just opened up.
Today, Mammoth Mountain is the third most visited ski resort in the country, Urdi said.
During his time in Mammoth, about six hours from Orange County, Urdi helped grow the snow town into a world-class resort.
When he started 15 years ago, it was a ski resort that happened to have a town, he said, noting that an estimated 1.3 million to 1.5 million people visit in the winter months.
“Now, it’s a world-class town,” he said, “that happens to have a ski area.”
He also helped focus on the “off season,” for Mammoth, expanding summer events with a Jazz Festival and marathons, and promoting hiking and biking. He also leaned into the town as a gateway to Yosemite, one of the country’s most-visited National Parks, right in Mammoth’s backyard.
“The saying is, you come for the winter and end up staying for the summer,” Urdi said.
The same could be said for Huntington Beach, but in reverse — a strong visitation during warmer months, but room to grow during the off-season.
Urdi said he also hopes to lean into getting “day trippers” to stay for a night or weekend.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity to fill in those gaps,” he said.
While he admits to being a “terrible” surfer, he’s hoping his ski and snowboard skills will give him an edge in his determination to become better at the ocean sport.
Urdi said he hopes to build on what Miller’s team has been able to do with Surf City, a beach town that has grown its tourism base in the past two decades, and said he’s hoping to lure new groups, conferences and events under his leadership.
“Urdi is a proven leader with the vision, experience, and community-focused approach needed to take VHB to the next level,” said Justin Simpson, chair of the Visit HB Board of Directors. “We look forward to seeing him build on our award-winning organization’s success and further strengthen the positive impact of tourism across our community.”
Urdi has also served in governance roles for Visit California, the California Travel Association, U.S. Travel Association and Destinations International.
While Urdi said he knows there was disappointment in Huntington Beach’s failed bid for the Olympics, he likens it to the 2002 Winter Olympics, which were held in Salt Lake City. At the time, he ran a nearby ski resort and was able to take advantage of the crowds who couldn’t ski in Salt Lake during the mega event.
“There was only one park, everything was closed and crowded,” he said. “We hosted the Today Show for three weeks and took advantage of being Olympic adjacent.”
His goal is to figure out how Huntington Beach can be a bed base for the people who want to go to the surfing competition, he said, but stay close to the action in Los Angeles.
There’s not just surfing on the horizon, but the World Cup next year, the Super Bowl in 2027 and more big events coming to Southern California.
“There’s so many great opportunities to get people to the beach area,” Urdi said. “Even looking at places like Anaheim that draws 28-plus million people a year – we’re Anaheim’s beach. How do we get those people who want to go to Disney? Huntington is the beach to do that.”
Already, Huntington Beach was a special place for Urdi.
In 2021, during a conference at the Pasea Hotel & Spa, he met his wife, Erin, an exec for Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags.
They would come back every year for a break from the snow, last year getting married on the beach at Tower 11. The couple made custom rings that have grains of Huntington Beach sand embedded in the design.
“We carry Huntington Beach with us wherever we go,” Urdi said.
He said he looks forward to promoting a city that has “culture and vibe,” a place with comfortable and casual luxury that always has something happening, whether it’s an event or sidewalk sale or concert on the beach.
“It feels like home,” he said.