A Tribute to Gary Schluter Industry Leader, Friend and Mentor
The inbound travel industry and IITA suffered a great loss Wednesday with the death of former IITA chairman Gary Schluter, who passed away during an extended trip to Indonesia with his husband, Tio. Beloved throughout the travel industry for his caring nature, spirit and sense of humor, Gary inspired and mentored many travel professionals to showcase America and provide excellent tourism experiences to the rest of the world.Having served IITA as Chairman from 2016 through 2019, Gary led the organization through a successful rebrand and expanded its membership and impact across the country. He retired in recent years from the inbound tour company he founded, Rocky Mountain Holiday Tours.
"It is with great sadness that Rocky Mountain Holiday Tours announces the passing of our beloved company founder, Gary Schluter, said Chris Pilley, CEO, RMH Tours. Gary spent over 50 years in the tourism industry, and not only was he instrumental in countless initiatives that encouraged growth for the international inbound tourism industry, but he was also loved by so many of his friends from all around the world. We have all lost a wonderful friend, and he will be greatly missed throughout the tourism industry. As many others have said over the years, Gary was nothing short of a legend in this industry, and his legacy will live on though all those who continue to work together to share travel to the United States with the world."
Gary began his career in tourism while in college in Iowa working summer seasons as a tour guide in Yellowstone National Park. After many years in the park, he worked for Wyoming Travel Commission, where he received honors from the National Tour Association for his ideas of promoting travel as a regional concept going outside the state boundaries and working with neighboring states in developing and promoting itineraries. After many years as a tour operator, Gary began Rocky Mountain Holiday Tours, which became the largest “regional” receptive operator for the American West. 
Gary served on the Colorado Tourism Board’s International Travel Promotions Committee and was instrumental in having RMHTours named as the “Official Receptive Operator” for the marketing promotion group Rocky Mountain International (European Marketing program for the tourism office of Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wyoming). In 2011, Rocky Mountain Holiday Tours was given the “International Travel” Award at the North Dakota Tourism Conference. In June 2016 was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and sat on the Visa Evaluation Committee. He also served as an At-Large Board Member for the U.S. Travel Association and participated as an operator member of their NPS Committee.
"Gary became chairman of IITA just as I was brought on to the team, and I was inspired by his vision to expand the organization to include greater representation across the country recognizing the importance of relationships among DMOs, suppliers and inbound operators in delivering the best of the USA to international visitors, said Lisa Simon, IITA CEO / executive director. He was broadly known and respected in this industry; he embodied the attributes of true leadership - authenticity, passion, integrity and humility. Like so many in this industry, I was blessed to not just work with Gary but to call him a trusted friend."
Gary's leadership took IITA to new heights developing partnerships with U.S Travel/IPW and Brand USA, and strengthening relationships with government agencies, most notably the National Park Service.