New boss aims to bring tourists to Mississauga
Published June 4, 2021 at 1:36 pm
Tourism Mississauga has a new CEO and the City of Mississauga has its first Director of Tourism with the selection of Victoria Clarke to both positions.
Clarke replaces Shari Lichterman, Mississauga’s Commissioner of Community Services as Tourism Mississauga CEO, while the Director of Tourism position was just created to “recognize the need for a dedicated focus” on moving the city’s tourism industry forward and “realizing the goals of our Tourism Master Plan,” said Lichterman in a news release.
“We have the pieces in place to move our tourism industry forward as we recover from the devastating impacts of the past year,” Lichterman added.
Mayor Bonnie Crombie said Clarke’s appointment comes “critical time” for the hard-hit tourism industry.
“As we begin to reopen our city, it will be crucial for us to focus our energy on helping our tourism industry recover from the effects of the pandemic. Victoria brings the skills and experience to work with Tourism Mississauga’s Board of Directors and support our tourism industry as we build back better.”
Clarke spent the past six years in New Brunswick as Executive Director of Discover Saint John. A highlight of her tenure was the #SaintAwesome campaign, which “transformed the city’s reputation” and led to an all-time high for visitation and visitor spend in Greater Saint John.
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Toni Frankfurter, the Chair of Tourism Mississauga, said that Clarke has shown she leads with “strength, innovation, determination and confidence” and believes she will be a “fantastic tourism leader and a brilliant addition to the team.”
Prior to her work with Discover Saint John, Clarke was Associate Director at the Canadian Cancer Society New Brunswick and also held leadership positions at the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation.
In her position, Clarke will work closely with Tourism Mississauga’s Board of Directors, who provide strategic direction to tourism activities and initiatives in Mississauga. Tourism Mississauga was formed last year and is funded by a dedicated municipal accommodation tax reserve.
“I’m excited to be coming home to Ontario,” said Clarke. “And like everyone in this industry, we can’t wait to be open for business for our neighbours as we get ready to welcome back the world.”
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