VisitAberdeenshire has appointed Claire Bruce as its new chairperson and officially took over the role from outgoing chair Colin Crosby MBE at yesterday’s (23 April) board meeting.
As the inaugural chair since the formation of VisitAberdeenshire in 2016, Mr Crosby handed over to Mrs Bruce who steps in to the role having sat on the board of VisitAberdeenshire for two years as the vice chair. This follows the appointment of chief executive Chris Foy in August 2017. Claire brings 29 years of tourism experience to the role and is also an active board member of the Scottish Tourism Alliance Council. Claire runs family business Glen Tanar Estate in Royal Deeside and incorporates an events business, holiday cottages, country sports, forestry, farming and property.
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Commenting on Claire’s appointment Colin Crosby, outgoing chair of VisitAberdeenshire said, “During a transparent public recruitment process, Claire demonstrated that she has a comprehensive knowledge of the tourism industry with excellent networks both locally and nationally. Claire demonstrates a true passion for tourism in the North-east and has had several years board level experience. She fully understands the forward focus of the organisation, the challenges and opportunities facing the industry and is fully committed to the development of the role of the Chair and the board, ensuring that the new tourism strategy is turned in to action. These are exciting times for the sector and industry in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire with tremendous opportunity to grow both business and leisure tourism. There is now a great platform with a strong team in place.”
Claire Bruce said, “The profile of tourism in the North-east has never been higher thanks largely to the work of VisitAberdeenshire and the support of its funders at Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Opportunity North East and Scottish Enterprise. I’m delighted to be appointed as the new chairperson and I’m looking forward to working with the board and chief executive to further strengthen the tourism experience in the region.”
The North-east of Scotland has an enormous growth opportunity which is outlined in the new destination strategy which provides the framework to grow visitor spend to £1 billion per annum by 2023.
The chair of VisitAberdeenshire sits on the main board of Opportunity North East, the region’s private sector led and funded economic development company.
VisitAberdeenshire is the lead tourism agency for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. It promotes fantastic visitor experiences in North-east Scotland to targeted audiences in the UK and overseas. VisitAberdeenshire also works to develop the visitor economy through initiatives that help tourism businesses to understand and meet demand from an ever-changing market to strengthen the region’s position as a world-class tourism destination.
