Meet Casandra
Casandra Matej is president and CEO of Visit Orlando, the official marketing organization for America’s most visited destination and Theme Park Capital of the World. She leads the branding, marketing and selling of the destination on a global scale, representing 1,600 member companies across Orlando’s tourism landscape.
Since joining Visit Orlando in February 2021, Matej’s efforts have focused on spurring Orlando’s tourism industry recovery, drawing 75 million visitors to Central Florida in 2024 and generating $92.5 billion in economic impact. Under her leadership, a first-of-its-kind new global brand launched called “Unbelievably Real” in collaboration with the Orlando Economic Partnership, telling one comprehensive brand story for Orlando. Her focus on collaboration has resulted in a series of powerful partnerships with Orlando Health, Michelin and TripAdvisor. She has served on the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board since 2023 and is vice chair of the U.S. Travel Association’s Executive Board of Directors.
Matej is the first female CEO in the nonprofit organization’s 41-year history. She has been named one of Orange Appeal magazine's 2023 Women of the Year Vibrant Visionaries, one of the 50 Most Powerful People by Orlando Magazine four years in a row, and Orlando Business Journal’s 2023 Businesswoman of the Year. Under her leadership, Visit Orlando has been named one of Orlando Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in Central Florida for three consecutive years.
Prior to joining Visit Orlando, Matej spent 10 years as president and CEO of Visit San Antonio, achieving record highs in convention sales and marketing programs and developing one of the largest tourism ambassador programs in the country. She also held leadership roles at VisitDallas, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Hyatt Hotels.
Matej holds a Bachelor of Science in speech communications with a concentration in organizational communications from the University of Texas at Austin. She and her husband, Chris, are proud parents to John, Ellie Mae, and stepdaughters Madison and Carlie. In her spare time, Matej enjoys golf, boating, going to the beach and—of course—theme park vacations with her family.
