Kireem Swinton Feels the Vibe as Visit Baltimore President and CEO

Kireem Swinton, would-be poet, former offensive lineman who briefly practiced alongside Baltimore Ravens Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden, girl-dad to two college volleyball players, and the first member of his family to earn a university degree, has shed the “interim” label from his role as president and CEO of Visit Baltimore.

Last week’s announcement from the CVB cemented Swinton as one of Charm City’s most influential officials. The enthusiasm in his voice was evidence that Swinton is up to the challenge—one he was not just hoping to accept, but was expecting to take as soon as he filled the shoes of former Visit Baltimore leader Al Hutchinson, the person who recruited Swinton in the first place.

“Once I was announced as interim, I always planned for this to be my job,” said Swinton, an alumnus of Howard University in Washington D.C., just south of Baltimore. “I don't think there is a better person to do this job right now than me, and that's because I care about Baltimore and the people in Baltimore. I want to see us win.”

His task is to promote a destination that has its own “vibe,” as he put it. A destination that is a milieu of myriad cultures and characters. Only here could the quirky filmmaker John Waters and baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. (most famous for showing up to work for 2,632 consecutive games) both be icons. But it works in Baltimore, which is like a cannolo stuffed with a love of the arts, history, hard work, and sports.

“That’s what we pride ourselves on—being different,” Swinton said. “Baltimore is a hidden gem. We need to tell this story boldly and loudly.”

Here, we share Swinton’s journey and what he hopes to bring to his role as cheerleader-in-chief.

Starting with Marriott

It’s not an accident that Swinton sounded like he could talk his way through a brick wall. Just as he never expected to be a pro football player, he didn’t anticipate a career in hospitality. One valuable lesson learned at Marriott International from Bobby Vaughan, whose father was one of the most celebrated basketball coaches in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association history, was the importance of relationships in tourism. “Every decision in this industry is based on relationships and trust,” Swinton said. In his second year at Marriott, he won salesperson of the year in the Raleigh, N.C. region.

Swinton repped hotels up and down the East Coast, including three in downtown Baltimore, for 16 years before joining the DMO world at Visit Seattle. He focused on associations and corporations based in the District-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area and didn’t move cross-country. Hutchinson, who moved from Mobile, Alabama’s CVB, to Visit Baltimore, successfully recruited Swinton to “come home” in 2017, first as vice president of sales and customer experience and now as chief executive.

Making an Impact

During his tenure, Swinton has been instrumental in securing major events, including the 2033 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition and the extension of the CIAA basketball tournament through 2029. In 2024, the city welcomed 28.5 million visitors, resulting in $4.3 billion in spending. The figures are only expected to grow for the city that inspired the Star-Spangled Banner given this pivotal, 250th anniversary year.

Swinton said he loves the numbers, but more so the impact. When he talked about “winning,” he meant using tourism to promote local small businesses, including coffee shops, bookstores, restaurants, art galleries, and more. He spoke of a love in bringing some of the city’s entrepreneurs with him for activations and industry events, knowing the exposure opens many opportunities. “When we’re in a convention center, a few touches could really change the course of a person's entire business structure,” he noted.

Festivalization of Tourism

Fittingly for a former pro athlete, Swinton leads a team promoting a destination invested in sports. “Opening day for the Orioles is a holiday in this city,” he said. Oriole Park at Camden Yards holds a special place in Baltimore’s history. Its opening in the early 1990s sparked the revitalization of the Inner Harbor, near the city’s acclaimed aquarium and the Baltimore Convention Center. The stadium’s unique design, the first of a series of throwbacks to baseball’s glory days, remains an attraction even when the Orioles are not winning regularly.

According to Swinton, 88% of Baltimore’s visitation is tied to major events like concerts, festivals, and sports. Notably, the city is the home base for many attendees of The Preakness, the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown that occurs at Pimlico Race Course. Other major events include the CIAA Tournament, Caribbean Carnival, and arts and poetry celebrations. “We’re creating pockets of experiences throughout the entire city,” said Swinton, who recalled wanting to be a poet many years ago.

To mark the country’s 250th anniversary, Baltimore will host Sail250 featuring tall ships and an air show. Swinton predicted the events will attract international visitors, including those coming to the country for the World Cup.

AI

Recognizing the importance of artificial intelligence on the future of tourism, Swinton quickly moved to promote Donald Lilley from director of technology and business intelligence to vice president of business. He noted that data platforms are helping identify visitor origin, movement patterns, and spending behavior while AI is being deployed to enable personalized, mood-based itinerary creation. The organization is investing in becoming an AI-forward DMO to avoid lagging behind other destinations, he said. “Those who are not using AI will be left behind.”

Mentorship and Leadership

Hutchinson and Vaughan are two of Swinton’s mentors, as is Elliott Ferguson, Destination DC’s president and CEO. Swinton’s interpretation of their leadership has emphasized transparency, trust, and relationships as core to tourism sales. “People don’t always buy product; they buy you,” he said. “I’m the conduit that marries what visitors want and what stakeholders need.”

Swinton added that there’s no need to change who you are just because your job title is different. “You can be your authentic self, care about people, and still lead well,” he said. Swinton is now a mentor himself, helping local kids with their football training. Two reached the NFL, he said.

Photo Credit: Visit Baltimore