Destination management organisation, Marketing Cheshire has appointed Rachel McQueen as its new director of tourism.
Rachel joins the organisation from Hemisphere Design and Marketing Consultants where she led a number of major projects including the development and implementation of a new brand identity for Manchester’s European City of Science, and a tone of voice strategy for Transport for Greater Manchester.
Prior to that she was director of marketing and deputy CEO of Marketing Manchester where she led campaigns ranging from the city’s involvement in the FA’s bid for England to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022, and the ‘I love MCR’ campaign developed in response to the Manchester riots in August 2011.
Rachel’s appointment to Marketing Cheshire, a post which is jointly funded by Chester Zoo and Chester Racecourse, is part of a drive to raise the profile of Chester as a visitor destination and ensure the area capitalises on the opportunities brought about by Brexit such as the growth of domestic tourism and the opportunity to target new markets in international tourism.
She said: “I am delighted to be joining Marketing Cheshire at such an exciting and challenging time. With real economic uncertainty over the next few years, it is more critical than ever to focus collaborative efforts on showcasing the strengths of Chester and Cheshire. The commitment of partners to the recruitment of this post is testament to their belief in the value of tourism, and I very much look forward to working with them to maximize the benefits of the visitor economy to the region.”
Chairman of Marketing Cheshire Clive Sykes said: “Rachel’s appointment is a significant development for Marketing Cheshire that that will support our aim to raise the profile of Chester and Cheshire. The experience she brings from Manchester during her time with Marketing Manchester, and more recently at Hemisphere, will be invaluable as we work to put Cheshire on the map as a national and international visitor and business location.”
Chief executive of Chester Zoo Jamie Christon added: “We are delighted to have Rachel on board bringing such a wealth of knowledge and experience from a previous senior role at Marketing Manchester. Chester Zoo is committed to working towards establishing a single city strategy to develop tourism and as the most visited attraction outside London and supporting Rachel’s appointment is a key part of that.”
