Irene D’Entremont, president of ITG Information Management Inc., had been serving as interim chair of the board since Ben Cowan-Dewar stepped down in March to lead the board of Destination Canada.
D'Entremont has also served as vice-chair of Tourism Nova Scotia and the former Nova Scotia Tourism Agency since 2012.
"I'm thrilled to be helping to direct Tourism Nova Scotia's efforts in attracting more first time, higher-spending visitors to the province," said d'Entremont. "As chair of the board, I am looking forward to continuing to work with the board to help accomplish the industry's goal to reach $4 billion in tourism revenue by 2024."
As a Crown corporation, Tourism Nova Scotia is governed by a private sector board of directors consisting of tourism industry leaders and business experts from across the province.
D’Entremont’s appointment was one of three board appointments announced Sept. 5.
Ian Thompson, a Halifax businessman and a former deputy minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism, has been appointed board vice-chair. Nathalie Megann, vice-president of investor relations and corporate affairs at Chorus Aviation Inc. in Dartmouth, was appointed to the board as a director.
"Tourism is an important part of Nova Scotia's economic growth strategy and I'd like to congratulate these individuals on their appointments," said Geoff MacLellan, the minister responsible for Tourism Nova Scotia. "I look forward to working with these experienced and skilled business leaders to advance new and creative ideas, create positive results for the industry and generate more opportunity for young Nova Scotians."
The chief executive officer of Tourism Nova Scotia is Michele Saran. According to Tourism Nova Scotia’s website, the CEO is responsible for leading the implementation of Tourism Nova Scotia’s strategy to attract more first-time visitors to the province. Saran is also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization, including marketing, sector development and corporate services.
The numbers for 2017 are not complete as the tourism season is still underway. However, Tourism Nova Scotia says the province’s tourism industry had its best year in history in 2016, which was also its third consecutive year of growth. During 2016, 2.2 million visitors came to the province, which, compared to 2015, was an increase of eight per cent, or about 170,000 more visitors. Tourism revenue for 2016 was an estimated $2.6 billion, an increase of five per cent, or $125 million, from the year before. It was a 28 per cent, $575 million, jump from 2010.
Want on the board?
The Tourism Nova Scotia board of directors has openings for two more members. For information on how to apply go to https://tourismns.ca/.
