27 RUTH WETMORE

TOURISM Darling Downs CEO Ruth Wetmore may be a newcomer to the region but her passion for its future development and growing business sector is undeniable.

As the head of the organisation launched in May 2017, Ms Wetmore has the backing of big business to get people visiting, spending more and staying longer.

She helped launch the innovative I Fly Toowoomba campaign, supporting the growth of air services to the Darling Downs region.

But it’s not just the domestic market on her radar. Zeroing in on the emerging health tourism sector, Ms Wetmore and TDD earlier this year spruiked Toowoomba at a special conference in Beijing, discussing the potential for Chinese tourists to visit the area while getting a full health check-up at one of the city’s private hospitals.

The plan could potentially grow the Darling Downs’ international visitation figures by 50 per cent over three years, or an extra 24,000 tourists.

It’s an ambitious goal but with her extensive background in marketing and business strategy, Ms Wetmore has set about laying the foundations for Toowoomba to be a destination of choice in China.

She was involved in the city’s first tourism dedicated guide to the region in a decade which launched earlier this year.

Ms Wetmore has extensive experience developing end-to-end marking campaigns, previously working with beef and grain exporters, and was an Export Council of Australia mentor.

A member and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, she was previously marketing manager for Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever and group merchandise manager for Woolworths.