Visit Isle of Man, the island’s travel and tourism agency, has appointed Deborah Heather to its newly created role of chief executive.
She will focus on delivering the recently released 10-year Visitor Economy Strategy, leading a newly formed team structure which has an “ambitious” target to reach 500,000 visitors per year by 2032. It is targeting 300,000 visitors this year.
Currently chief executive of QIA Services, the parent company of Quality in Tourism, Heather has more than 30 years’ experience in the hospitality and tourism sector.
She is also the current chair of the Tourism Society and her previous roles include working with national and regional tourism boards, including Visit England, The Grading Council of South Africa and Guernsey.
Her role will see her support the island’s hospitality and tourism operators, with a “refreshed” focus on boosting relationships with the travel trade across the UK and Ireland. Priorities include increasing partners, raising awareness of the new travel trade hub, and providing training and support to partners locally.
Heather said: “I became a volunteer member of the Visit Isle of Man Agency Board in early 2022, having been impressed by their vision and drive.
“I am now thrilled to be taking on the new CEO role, leading on the delivery of the ambitious and exciting strategy.
“After a positive 2022, which saw visitor numbers recovering towards pre-pandemic levels, the future for the island’s tourism sector looks incredibly bright.”
Ranald Caldwell, non-executive chair of Visit Isle of Man, added: “Deborah has a wealth of industry experience and the enthusiasm and passion needed to develop the island’s visitor economy.
“We have no doubt that Deborah’s contacts and broader commitments supporting the tourism industry across the UK and Ireland will be critical to the successful delivery of the strategy and raising our visibility within key markets.”