The Board of Directors of Magdalen Islands Tourism Association (Tourisme Îles-de-la-Madeleine) has announced the appointment of new president Jacky Poirier following the departure of Damien Déraspe, who had been in office since 2016.

In his final report, Déraspe highlighted the saga of the replacement of the Voyageur, the future of CTMA cruises, the consultations related to the ferry and the new schedules, as well as the five-year strategic plan.

Damien Déraspe has held the presidency of Tourisme Îles-de-la-Madeleine since May 2016. Photo by CFIM.

While there were several reasons for his departure, Déraspe cited the significant work increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its incompatibility with his other professional and family obligations as one of the primary ones.

Poirier has been sitting on the ATR board for the past few months as a representative of tourist accommodation, the component that brings together the largest proportion of the regional tourism association's members.

Despite the significant challenges ahead for the tourism sector, Poirier is optimistic.

The newly elected president of the board of directors at the Islands Tourism Association, Jacky Poirier. Photo by CFIM.

In an interview, Poirier says that even though the amount of visitors to the Islands will not be $70,000 this year, the hope is that they can gradually get to that number as the pandemic situation changes.  However, he says that they do not want to put the health of Madelinots in parallel with the economy. He adds that its recovery is crucial for the local economy.

According to Déraspe, the region will have to focus on preserving the quality of its warm welcome that it is known for.

Déraspe adds that it will also be necessary to monitor the increasingly widespread phenomenon of acquisitions of second homes by visitors, who only occupy them in the summer, thus limiting local access to the property.