Daniel Thomas is the Deputy Director of the Illinois Office of Tourism (IOT) where he leads efforts to attract domestic and international travelers to Illinois with a mission to increase visitor numbers, spending, and overnight stays year over year. 

He joins DCEO with decades of experience in the travel and tourism communications industry. A native Kiwi, Thomas began his career with Air New Zealand at age seventeen where he worked his way into senior management roles. He then led a two-year business turnaround at Sky Tower, Auckland’s #1 tourist attraction. Thomas has called Illinois home since 2007, when he began serving as GM of the John Hancock Observatory, ideating Chicago’s now-iconic “TILT” experience to life. He then led the World Federation of Great Towers and a global communications agency. He lives in Itasca with his husband, Bobby, and their two dogs, Este and Bourbon.