Marsha Walden Appointed as Destination Canada’s President & CEO

Today, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages announced the appointment of Marsha Walden as Destination Canada’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors of Destination Canada, I am pleased to welcome Marsha Walden as our new President and CEO. Marsha is a well-respected and trusted member of the ‘Team Canada’ tourism community. Her experience and impressive record of success will be an asset to Destination Canada, and the sector as a whole, as we build a more resilient visitor economy,” said Ben Cowan-Dewar, Destination Canada, Chair of the Board of the Directors.

Walden joins Destination Canada from Destination British Columbia

Walden joins Destination Canada from Destination British Columbia where she served as the President and CEO since 2013. There she successfully led the newly formed provincial Crown corporation to create ground-breaking strategies for tourism development and nationally recognized, data-driven performance marketing. Most recently, her attention has focused on leading the organization to support the ongoing recovery of BC’s tourism sector.

Richard Porges, Interim President and CEO, Destination BC  said in his message “As she transitions to her new role with Destination Canada, I want to congratulate and thank Marsha, who has worked tirelessly since 2013 to support BC’s tourism industry and make our province a global destination of choice, and has been a remarkable leader for Destination BC.”

“I want to thank Marsha for her many contributions to Destination BC over the past nearly seven years, including most recently her strong leadership and communications with the sector during the pandemic,” said Lisa Beare Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, British Columbia.

Walden comments on her appointment

“Tourism goes well beyond the one in 10 jobs it creates nationwide; tourism intersects economic, social, environment and community development,” says Walden. “This is a critical time for the sector and I am thrilled to be joining Destination Canada as we work to support a resilient visitor economy.”

At present, David Robinson was leading Destination Canada as its Interim President and CEO for the past six months. He and the Senior Leadership team were appreciated by the Board of Directors for their dedication and passion throughout the past months.

Walden will be joining her office at Destination Canada on August 24, 2020.

Also read Destination Canada urges Canadians to Discover Their “Own Backyard” to bolster Domestic Tourism