Published on Jun 6, 2023
by Tourism Eastern Townships
Sherbrooke, June 6, 2023 – The annual general meeting (AGM) of Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est / Tourism Eastern Townships (TCE) was held at the Jouvence resort in Orford today. It was attended by close to one hundred members, regional partners and TCE employees. During the event, the regional tourism association (ATR) looked back over the past year and unveiled its 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. It also nominated and elected its new board of directors and named its new general manager.
Review of the past year
Highlights of the past year included relaunching promotions aimed at the tourism markets outside Quebec, winning the Prix excellence tourisme 2022 award with Tourisme Montérégie, for the development of the Véloroute Gourmande cycling route, the drawing up of a master plan to position the Eastern Townships as a world-class destination for mountain biking and designing sustainable tourism strategies for the region – a first! (The latter will be tabled by the end of the summer.) Further details are outlined in TCE’s Rapport annuel 2022-2023.
2023-2026 Strategic Plan
The tourism sector is recovering and growing right across the country and the Eastern Townships region is no exception. During the AGM, TCE unveiled its 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. The contents were the result of eight workshops conducted with the team and the Board, a members’ survey and input from elected officials and citizens. With the support of Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton (RCGT), the results were coordinated and analyzed, allowing TCE to clarify its role within the tourism industry and embrace the benefits of offering “added value” services.
TCE is committed to responsible and sustainable development and its major goal has been collaborating with other key players in the tourism industry. Integrating knowledge and feedback from other entities has been invaluable for turning ideas into reality and going forward, TCE will continue to follow this collaborative approach. The 2023-2026 Strategic Plan identified four main areas of development for the tourism sector and 15 concrete actions for putting the strategies into practice.
“Our Strategic Plan illustrates the effectiveness of this collaborative approach,” says Annie Langevin, General Manager of TCE. “Researching the market and getting input from others not only gives us the tools to make effective business decisions but also reminds us of the important role the tourism sector plays in society and in the growth of the economy.”
2023-2024 Board of Directors
Caroline Sage, General Manager of Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook (Foresta Lumina) and Parc Découverte Nature, is starting her second year as President of TCE’s Board of Directors. She has served on the TCE Board for over 20 years.
"I would like to thank the members of the Board of Directors for the confidence they have placed in me for a second term as President”, says Caroline Sage.
The following are the Tourism Eastern Townships’ Board members for the coming year:
Members of the Executive
Administrators
New General Manager: Tourism Eastern Townships
The Board of Tourism Eastern Townships has announced the appointment of its new incoming General Manager – Isabelle Charlebois. With more than 20 years of experience in the tourism industry and a background as an entrepreneur, Isabelle Charlebois has held the positions of director and manager in the region of Montérégie and in the Eastern Townships.
For the past seven years, she has been the General Manager of Tourisme Haut-Richelieu where she developed numerous partnerships with other individuals and organizations in the Quebec and neighbouring U.S. tourism industries. During her tenure, she sat on various boards of directors, including that of Tourisme Montérégie. Isabelle Charlebois takes up her new position on June 26, 2023.
"On behalf of the Board and the entire team, I would like to welcome Isabelle Charlebois to Tourism Eastern Townships, which, for 45 years now, has been innovating and supporting the region's tourism industry,” says Caroline Sage. “I would also like to thank Annie Langevin for everything she’s done to promote the Eastern Townships, helping it to grow into a major tourism destination. We have all benefitted from her collaborative leadership and vision.”
"I would like to express my gratitude for all the support I have received over the past seven years from my team at TCE and from the Board, as well as from all the members and tourism partners in the region,” responds Annie Langevin. “It was a real pleasure for me to be part of this dynamic industry and I can't wait to see the outcome of the strategic plan that we developed together!”
45 years of Tourism Eastern Townships
The AGM was also an opportunity to mark the 45th anniversary of the association. Founded in 1978, the ATR has grown from around 50 members in the 1980s, to more than 580 members and regional partners today.
About Tourism Eastern Townships
Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est (Tourism Eastern Townships) is one of 22 tourism associations (ATRs) in Quebec and the official representative of Quebec's Ministry of Tourism in the Eastern Townships. Since 1978, TCE’s mission has been to promote tourism development, marketing the region within Quebec and internationally. TCE brings together more than 500 members throughout the 9 regional county municipalities (MRCs) and in all sectors of the tourism industry: accommodation, restaurants, attractions, activities and events. The Eastern Townships region is the fourth most popular tourist destination in Quebec. The region attracts some 10 million visitors every year, accounting for 6.5 million overnight stays and spending more than $900 million annually. The tourism sector is also the region’s fourth largest employer, accounting for 17,000 jobs.
