Visit Salt Lake (VSL) announced the appointment of Kaitlin Eskelson as its new president and CEO beginning March 16. Eskelson is the fourth individual to hold this position in the organization’s 36-year history and will lead VSL efforts to improve and increase Salt Lake’s visitor economy.
In her new role, Eskelson will attract and provide support to meetings, conventions, events and leisure travelers while being a leader in environmental responsibility.
"I am thrilled to be a part of the Visit Salt Lake team and am honored to be in this role, which is both exciting and surreal,” Eskelson said in a VSL press release. “Salt Lake is an incredible destination. It’s an incomparable combination of urban ethos and mountain mantra paired with world-class community, culture and cuisine. I look forward to sharing the Salt Lake story with the world.”
Eskelson’s extensive and varied career in the visitor economy includes a seven-year stint with VSL from 2006-2013 as director of tourism sales and marketing following a position as director of partner relations and international strategy for the Utah Office of Tourism from 2013-2017. Most recently, she was executive director of the Utah Tourism Industry Association.
“We are so fortunate to have had a long history of highly qualified people leading Visit Salt Lake and, as a search committee, we wanted to make sure we did everything in our power to continue that legacy,” said Taylor Vriens, chair of VSL’s Board of Directors and the president and CEO search committee. “We’re confident Kaitlin will continue that tradition. Kaitlin’s energy, vision, industry knowledge and tremendous preparation set her apart in the end. We had a very thorough, national search and received incredible interest in Salt Lake from a host of extremely talented and capable candidates. We are excited to welcome Kaitlin to the helm of Visit Salt Lake and are confident she will help move our destination forward to new heights.”
This information is based on a press release from Visit Salt Lake.
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