Destinations International Announces Director of European Engagement

Destinations International, the world’s largest resource for official destination organisations and convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), today announced that Jane Cunningham (photo below) has joined the association as the director of European engagement. Jane’s first day will be January 24, 2022.

Destinations International aims to foster a dynamic community of global destination leaders and the broader conference, travel and tourism industry. Residing in Stockholm, Sweden, Jane will be responsible for overseeing and developing a long-term engagement strategy for European destination organisations.

“Global coordination and the sharing of best practices will be essential as we continue to recover from the pandemic,” said Don Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International. “Collaboration has never been more important than now and engaging with the European market is crucial. Throughout 2022, Jane will be embarking on a listening tour to see how Destinations International can best become a part of the global community. Her network and 20 years of experience in almost every sector of our industry will prove invaluable as she helps our association develop key opportunities for our European strategy in 2022 and beyond. Destinations International and our entire industry will benefit from her energy and collaborative spirit.”

“A new year and a new exciting role,” said Jane. “I am delighted to have been welcomed into the Destinations International community. My experience and knowledge gained over the years have brought me to this wonderful position and I can't wait to get started. Deep listening, knowledge exchange and finding solutions will be key. There is a great opportunity for collaboration and learning between European destinations and the North American community. Europe is driving innovative destination thinking and policy making. The global destination community can contribute towards and learn from the very best European ideas.”

Jane has extensive global experience across the meetings and events industry, including working at hotels, a convention centre, a destination marketing organisation and a professional conference organisation (PCO). Most recently, she held the director of community engagement position at BestCities Global Alliance. Jane is passionate about facilitation and creating open environments that engage communities towards societal impact.

Destination organisations are welcomed to contact Jane beginning on January 24 to discuss what is happening in their destinations at communications@destinationsinternational.org