Rotorua Tourism Committee appoints three new members

The Rotorua Tourism Committee is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members, Bruce Thomasen, Brett Marvelly and Kiri Atkinson-Crean, chosen from 17 applicants.

The appointment panel which included industry representatives, decided to appoint three members – one more than required to fill vacancies left by Marcus Keenan and Oscar Nathan, because of the high calibre, skills and enthusiasm exhibited by the seven shortlisted applicants. The panel also thought the additional member would assist in improving two-way communication with the industry.

The new members are all are looking forward to joining the Committee where they will work with Destination Rotorua Marketing’s (DRM) new general manager Oscar Nathan to drive the implementation of the DRM business plan in 2012. They will attend their first meeting next Tuesday.

Rotorua Tourism Committee chairman Tony Marks said he was impressed by the quality of the applicants in general, with the panel finding it very hard to pick the final three.

“It is really encouraging to have some more of Rotorua’s key players heavily involved in the strategy, direction and oversight of tourism in the city.

“The new Committee, I’m sure, will play an extremely important role in making Rotorua a must see holiday destination both domestically and internationally.”

Rotorua Mayor Kevin Winters said the council is looking forward to working with the Rotorua Tourism Committee next year.

“The new members will assist in harnessing passion and providing the Committee with a broader base of skills and backgrounds.

“Thank you to all whom applied and those who put in a lot of effort in the interviews,” he said.

The three new members all have years of experience in Rotorua tourism with a genuine desire to contribute to the sector’s continuing development.

Bruce Thomasen is the general manager of Skyline Rotorua and has worked within the tourism industry, primarily in Rotorua for over 25 years in varying roles including Hotels, Tourism Rotorua and Skyline Enterprises. His recent assignments with Skyline Enterprises were based offshore in Canada, Singapore and development work in South Korea, Italy and Spain.

Brett Marvelly has owned Princes Gate hotel in Rotorua for 25 years and he has also owned and operated apartments and an estate. He was also the chairman of the Rotorua Hoteliers Group for three years.

Kiri Atkinson-Crean owns and operates a boutique Maori accommodation property at Kawaha Point and currently acts in a contractual role for tourism businesses. She has 17 years of tourism experience in Rotorua including regional destination marketing, branding and communications roles. She has also held senior roles in sales, marketing, strategy, operations and management for commercial tourism companies in Rotorua.