The Jasper Destination Marketing Corporation (JDMC) has hired a Chief Executive Officer and is gearing up for the 2009/10 winter campaign.

Maggie Davison, who has nearly 20 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry, was announced as the new CEO last Monday after the board made the decision.

“We can take our next big leap forward,” said Amanda Robinson, chair of the JDMC. “She’s in a position to build a team and an office and be the go to person.”

Currently, Davison works for the Canadian Tourism Commission in Vancouver as the executive director of business development and will commence her role in Jasper in mid-October.

“It’s a huge coup for us to be able to get her,” added Robinson noting that Davison would be able to “build a relationship with the stakeholders”. 

According to a release from the JDMC, Davison is “charged with ensuring the corporation is set up for success from the start and will begin to hire the right talent to aide in putting Jasper on the tourism radar, develop a comprehensive marketing plan for 2010 and grow the corporation by encouraging other hoteliers and other sectors to participate.”

Her appointment comes just as the JDMC enlists the Jasper Tourism and Commerce (JTC) to execute the $300,000 winter campaign.

In an interview prior to Davison’s appointment, Robinson said the corporation would wait until there was a CEO to start involving key winter attractions, such as Marmot Basin, in the upcoming marketing campaign.

The JTC have been contracted to execute the plan devised by the marketing committee of the JDMC. Robinson said that this will include the infamous Jasper in January Festival.

“They’ve put together a new and improved marketing plan, compared to what we’ve had for the last three years.”

Robinson also said the board had given some guidance about where funding would go, so there could be a continued focus on the regional market.

“We’ve specified a certain amount of funds in certain regional markets,” she said, “the lions share being in Edmonton.”

The JDMC, which was incorporated in March is the result of hotels in the Jasper area collecting a Destination Marketing Fee of two per cent from all guest revenue since January 2008.