New leadership for county tourism

Dylan Deane-Boyle settles into new role

Heather Lea

Bellingham Whatcom County

Tourism’s new president and CEO, Dylan Deane-Boyle, is settling into his new role, which he started on Jan.17. Dylan replaced Sandy Ward, who retired at the end of 2022.

As past executive director of the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau in Whitefish, Montana, near Glacier National Park, Deane-Boyle’s focus was to raise awareness of the outstanding recreational and cultural experiences the area had to offer to drive tourism-related business during the non-peak season.

After a nationwide search using an executive recruitment firm, the board of directors of BWCT hired DeaneBoyle to build an effective destination marketing strategy with a focus on sustainability for Bellingham and Whatcom County.

Deane-Boyle holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and master’s degree in parks, tourism and recreation from the University of Montana.

We talked to Dylan Deane-Boyle to find out more about him and his plans to increase Bellingham tourism in a highly competitive post-pandemic market.

Business Pulse: What exactly is your role as president and CEO?

Deane-Boyle: My role is to lead our nonprofit economic development organization with the purpose of improving the local economy by marketing Bellingham and Whatcom County as a premier, year-round, visitor, sports, outdoor recreation, arts, cultural and meeting destination. I also lead our efforts to support and partner with travel, tourism and hospitality businesses and nonprofits in Whatcom County.

BP: How has the role been so far since you started in January 2023?

D-B: So far, my role has been to meet people and listen. We are for- tunate to have an incredibly dynamic business community in Whatcom County. I learn something new every day from these conversations, which is exciting.

BP: How did Sandy Ward, whom you replaced, prepare you for this role?

D-B: In my opinion, the amount of incredible work Sandy did for tourism cannot truly be measured. Sandy worked in the Washington state tourism industry for more than 30 years and was inducted into the Washington Tourism Hall of Leadership in 2022. Sandy’s influence and positive leadership will be felt for years to come, and I have been fortunate enough to gather insight from her over the past few months. I am honored to continue the legacy of leading this organization.

BP: Can you give us any details on your future goals/plans for Bellingham tourism?

D-B: My goal is to build upon the strong foundation Sandy created and make sure we stick to our core mission and vision while also looking to the future and coming up with creative and innovative ways to address our new normal as we transition out of the pandemic.

BP: What challenges do you face?

D-B: The ultimate challenge is helping our local businesses rebound from the pandemic. We are currently in a highly competitive market for attracting visitors, as post-pandemic demand for travel remains high. Both domestic and international destinations are competing to fulfill pent-up travel demand during a time