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The Head of Secretariat, Alison Cryer, of the Tourism Society announced the new Tourism Society Chair Deborah Heather, who was elected at the 45th Anniversary AGM.
Deborah is Chief Executive Officer of QIA Services, the parent company of Quality in Tourism (QIT), with a demonstrated history of working in hospitality and retail. Deborah is skilled in business development, business planning and strategy, operations, and people management and is a natural leader with strong entrepreneurial skills. She was professionally educated at the General Managers Programme focused on Hospitality Administration/Management from Cornell University.
“I am delighted to have been elected as Chair of such as prestigious organisation during its 45th anniversary year, I look forward to developing a post-covid strategy building on the strengths gained during covid under the chairmanship of Kevin Kaley, in order to grow and serve the membership from a regional, live and virtual perspective”. commented Deborah Heather.
The Tourism Society Board and Secretariat look forward to working closely with Deborah to enhance and develop the Tourism Society.
QIT is also the Tourism Society’s latest corporate partner, signing up before the AGM. QIT, working with hospitality, tourism, and leisure businesses, provides the expertise and advice needed to quantify and improve business performance and profile. From mystery shopping to quality assessment, sustainability reviews to market advice, their field force of industry experts are available to share advice and guidance, benchmark businesses, and identify opportunities for improvement. QIT joins long-standing corporate partners; Visit Wales, Go to Places, Sykes Holiday Cottages, The Caravan and Motorhome Club, Geotourist, Kemosabe and Broadcast Revolution.
Founded in 1977, The Tourism Society is the only professional membership organisation of its kind in the UK that represents all of tourism – across all career stages, disciplines and geography. With its diverse membership ranging from senior executives and academics to self-employed entrepreneurs and tourism students, The Tourism Society offers individuals opportunities to come together for discussions, share views and knowledge, and network across the country, with its regional and special-interest chapters.
Alongside the benefits and services, it offers its members, for over forty-five years The Tourism Society has stimulated the development and wider recognition of tourism, highlighting the economic and social benefits for both the UK and further afield. It is a founder of the Tourism Alliance and contributes actively to Government policy formulation through the submission of position papers. Through these connections, the Society aims to support and encourage individuals’ understanding of sustainable development in tourism and the matters surrounding it.
