The Lower North Thompson Tourism Society has a new executive director.
Jennifer Robinson will take the head of the organization March 1, working to promote tourism across the Thompson-Nicola Regional District - from Area P to the south, Area O to the north and Barriere in the middle.
She brings with her a wealth of knowledge, having worked at Tourism Valemount and facilitated tourism in the area since 2009.
“We are very happy that Jennifer wanted to stay in the North Thompson and bring her tourism regional knowledge to us. We have worked with Jennifer for more than a decade and are pleased that she is joining our society,” spokesperson Lorne Richardson said in the society’s announcement Jan. 18.
Robinson, who graduated from the College of New Caledonia’s northern outdoor recreation and ecotourism certificate program, said she is passionate about tourism and knows the whole North Thompson area well.
She is also enthusiastic about outdoor attractions and activities. One of Robinson’s favourite memories is a trip to Kinny Lake in Mount Robson Provincial Park with a Columbian consular who was a friend of a friend, she said. One night, in the pouring rain, the pair finished preparing pasta while the wine cooled in the lake. They then huddled under an umbrella with one headlamp. It was a lovely experience and the pair will never forget it, Robinson said.
“It’s turning moments into memories, that is what it is all about,” she added.
Robinson moved to Valemount Village in 2008 after growing up in Prince George. While working for Tourism Valemount, which is run by the municipality, she worked on a broader range of initiatives such as the Village’s social media policy and wood stove exchange program. She met people from many businesses and organizations in the area.
She hopes the range of skills she picked up over the years will aid her efforts to increase visitor traffic in her new home.
The society works with other destination management organizations in surrounding areas, such as Tourism Wells Gray, Blue River, Tourism Valemount, the Land of Hidden Waters and the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association. It is also partnered with Tourism Kamloops. This means the society pursues projects such as cooperative marketing and research with other tourism promotion organizations in the area, according to the society’s five-year strategic plan.
As the community comes out of an era of COVID-19 restrictions it is increasingly important to market the Lower North Thompson region to surrounding areas, the society said.