Vice President, Commercial & Destination Development

About ​Travel Alberta​ 

Travel Alberta is the destination management organization of the Government of Alberta, responsible for driving the growth of the province's visitor economy, creating and promoting must-visit destinations throughout the province. Travel Alberta develops signature products, experiences, and destinations, attracting investment in the sector, and marketing those destinations to the world. In partnership with local communities, regional destination organizations, industry associations, and thousands of Alberta tourism businesses across the province, Travel Alberta is working to grow the value of Alberta's visitor economy to $25 billion in annual spending by 2035.

The Opportunity - Calgary or Edmonton Alberta

Travel Alberta is seeking a Vice President, Commercial & Destination Development to drive sustainable growth, maximize return on investment, and position Alberta as a premier global travel destination.  At the heart of this transformation the VP, Commercial & Destination Development is a dynamic, results-oriented leader tasked to lead Travel Alberta’s efforts to drive sustainable commercial development of accommodations, attractions, transportation and tourism experiences.  Drawing on their commercial acumen, they will identify and pursue viable commercial development opportunities and champion the creation of new, innovative itineraries that showcase our breathtaking landscapes, vibrant cities, and rich cultural heritage. 

They will work collaboratively with public and private sector partners, leveraging their executive presence to forge strategic alliances, cultivate commercial relationships with tourism and travel operators and brands, inform infrastructure and policy changes, and align regional stakeholders around a unified vision for tourism growth. This is achieved by identifying and unlocking the potential of Alberta’s Tourism Development Zones (TDZs), developing commercial investment opportunities across the province, as well as supporting Travel Alberta’s industry investments and investment attraction strategy.

Internally they will work collaboratively with multiple Travel Alberta colleagues including their team of Destination & Commercial Development Managers, VP Indigenous Relations & Economic Development, Director of Tourism Investment & Commercial Partnerships, and the Director of Tourism Investment Analysis.     

The VP, Commercial & Destination Development will possess a strong background from the sector in either hospitality, experience operator, or asset management who demonstrates success in commercial negotiations and brings operational expertise to the role.   A strategic thinker with an entrepreneurial mindset, they excel at building robust business cases that attract investment, energize tourism initiatives, and drive exceptional visitor experiences.   As a company ambassador, they must also be capable of professionally representing Travel Alberta to private industry, various levels of government, community stakeholders, DMOs, tourism and travel operators, investors and DMOs. 

Core Accountabilities & Responsibilities  

Development and Implementation of Commercial & Destination Development Plans: 

• Lead the development and implementation of comprehensive destination development and commercial product plans, supported by capacity-building strategies with a priority focus on specific itineraries across the province. 

• Lead Destination & Commercial Development Managers in developing business cases and investment opportunities for new attractions, experiences, accommodations, and transportation solutions that are identified as key for tourism growth across TDZs, gateways (Calgary & Edmonton), and iconic destinations. 

• Collaborate with Travel Alberta’s Business Intelligence Team & Director of Tourism Investment Analysis to apply market, traveller, and investor insights to inform regional itinerary development and business cases for new tourism products and experiences. 

• Build strong alliances with stakeholders to increase collaboration and foster alignment with Travel Alberta’s strategic direction and commercial development strategy. 

• Collaborate with Travel Alberta team members on the interpretation and navigation of government legislation, policies and regulatory matters to support of internal and external tourism stakeholders – particularly around land use, Tourism Commercial Leases, zoning, permitting and more. 

• Collaborate and support VP Indigenous Relations & Economic Development on the design and development of Indigenous experience development. 

• Lead Destination & Commercial Development Managers in the assessment of business plans and investment opportunities to Travel Alberta’s industry investment programs. 

• Support investor attraction strategies and programs by providing a comprehensive pipeline of investment opportunities across the province. 
  
  Travel Alberta Investment Fund Support & Governance: 

• Engage with tourism industry stakeholders through townhalls, official country and community sessions/meetings, and one-on-one meetings to garner feedback on industry needs and barriers to growth for tourism. 

• Leading Destination & Commercial Development Managers to evaluate and select potential sites for new tourism developments based on market potential, accessibility, and financial viability. 

• Build strong alliances with stakeholders and other funders to increase collaboration and foster alignment with Travel Alberta’s strategic direction. 

• Support and maintain strong relationships with external agencies, local governments, and the private sector .

• Develop and maintain private operator relationships and network to facilitate their expansion and growth in Alberta.   

• Facilitate connections with regional and with national and international partners and works with Travel Alberta senior leadership to represent the organization in a variety of industry, institutional events, and/or committees, to promote the organization’s destination and development strategy. 
  
  Team Project & Budget Management, Leadership and Performance Reporting: 

• Represent Travel Alberta at meetings with stakeholders and provide up-to-date information on organizational strategy and initiatives. 

• Provide strategic and day-to-day coaching, performance management (including personal scorecards) and identification of developmental opportunities with direct reports. 

• Co-manage monthly and quarterly budget processes including review and forecasts, as well as recommendations on in-the-year adjustments to drive optimal ROI and achieving unit scorecard targets. 

• Active participation in the design of the annual department/unit scorecard. 

• Contribute to development and status review of annual operations risk plans. 

• Responsible for reporting quarterly and annual results to the department/unit scorecard and annual report .

• Project management including framing, operating and reporting of key initiatives, as well as supporting the Chief Commercial Officer with board reporting and engagement of industry conferences. 

Education and Required Experience 

• MBA or bachelor’s degree in business management, tourism, economics, Finance or a related field. 

• Certification as a Professional Economic Developer (Ec.D.) is considered an asset. 

• Bi-lingual with French as a second language is considered an asset.

• Certification as a Professional Economic Developer (Ec.D.) is considered an asset. 

• Bi-lingual with French as a second language is considered an asset. 

• Minimum of 10 years of related job experience in commercial tourism development, asset management, or operations role in either hospitality, experience operators, or transportation with private organizations. 

• Has experience and understanding of the public sector is an asset with knowledge of government policy and regulatory processes with tourism development. 

• Proven track record to synthesize facts, both structured and unstructured information, and use a broad set of communications modalities (slides, briefing notes, public presentations) to engage both internal colleagues and external stakeholders.

• Proven people leader having led teams of 5+ direct reports and strive to get the best out of everyone while enabling each team member to contribute to the goals of the team and organization. 

Knowledge, Abilities and Competencies 

• Has a deep understanding of the visitor economy ecosystem ranging from and not limited to accommodations, attractions/experience providers, transportation providers, tourism distribution systems, destination marketing and management organizations (DMOs), and economic development agencies.

• Possesses an investor mindset and brings a strong ability to develop and assess business plans, investment opportunities, and are capable of presenting recommendations on feasibility for attractions/experiences, accommodations, and transportation solutions. 

• Demonstrated ability to be a critical thinker by considering multiple perspectives and come to concise decisions that may not always please all parties – you’re very comfortable saying “no” related to strategic investments.

• Energized by contributing to broader strategic planning opportunities including business and unit plans, as well as managing resource allocation and budgets. 

• Incredibly strong project management skills that reflect your ability to prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail and achieving deadlines of yourself and the team. 

• Effectiveness in documenting and tracking progress of your team’s performance and are comfortable working in CRM systems. 

• Flexibility to travel throughout the province, and in some cases out of province, with some overnight stays. 
  
  *We kindly thank you agency partner, we will NOT require support to fill this role. We kindly request no phone calls nor emails.