Highland tourism body Visit Inverness Loch Ness brings new talent on board
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Three new board directors have been appointed at tourism group Visit Inverness Loch Ness (VILN) following its recent AGM, bringing in expertise from travel and the hotel and hostel sectors.
Ina Davies from Courtyard by Marriott's hotel next to Inverness Airport, the airport's own Cheryl Campbell and Emmanuel Dambier from BazPackers were all elected to the board of VILN following the retiral of outgoing directors Inverness Airport manager Graeme Bell, Joyce Arbuckle from Kingsmills Hotel and Ness Walk and Angela Wilson from Glenmoriston Townhouse Hotel.
Michael Golding, chief executive of VILN, said: “I am delighted to welcome Ina, Cheryl and Emmanuel to the team. Each brings valuable experience in tourism and perspectives from different sectors, ensuring our diverse membership remains well represented on the board.
"I am looking forward to involving them as we look to build on a successful 2021 and continue to have the necessary strong leadership to support our members for the year ahead.”
The board of Visit Inverness Loch Ness, Scotland's first Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID), has 12 director positions. This consists of 10 representatives of levy paying businesses, one councillor nominated by the Highland Council and one nominated director from either a levy paying business or an opt-In member. Directors are elected for a three-year term during which they support the management team, attend four Board meetings, as well as four Board sub-group meetings a year, and represent VILN at events or in the media.
Ina Davies, general manager at Courtyard by Marriot, commented: “This is a very exciting time to join the board and with my previous experience with (Inverness) city BID I am confident that I can bring valuable insight into the team.
"With the hospitality industry having been through an extremely tough two years, my focus will be on how we can best work in collaboration with other businesses to ensure that we give our guests the best experience possible when visiting Inverness and Loch Ness.”
Cheryl Campbell, Inverness Airport;s airport services manager, continued: “I am delighted to be joining the board of Visit Inverness Loch Ness.
"It has been a challenging time for our local tourism industry over the last two years, and Inverness Airport is committed to working in partnership with local communities and businesses as we continue to recover from the impact of the pandemic. The airport provides a vital transport hub for Inverness and the surrounding area and we will continue to promote the region as a prime tourism destination.”
Bazpackers hostel manager Emmanuel Dambier concluded: "Being part of the hostel industry for the past seven years and receiving guests from all over the world on a daily basis, I'm now proud to join the board of Visit Inverness Loch Ness and already thrilled to help promote this world class destination."
